On Narrative Inquiry

Can stories about students and classrooms be the basis for meaningful research? In this book, the authors describe and tell illustrative stories about the potential and limits of narrative for the purpose of inquiry in English education. They argue that narrative inquiry is uniquely suited to the questions educators are asking in the field today. This book introduces us to narrative scholars who engage us in philosophical and methodological discussions and it describes how narrative works in relation to the telling of a story or stories. It also provides examples of narrative inquiry to inspire you to create academic work that is both imaginative and responsible.

On Narrative Inquiry will be useful to graduate students and novice and experienced researchers who want to learn more about the range of methodological considerations for compiling and presenting narrative accounts.

Book Features:

• An overview of the use of narrative research in language and literacy education.
• Guidance for theorizing, defining, conducting, and crafting narrative inquiry.
• Examples of the various forms narrative inquiry might take.
• A final chapter that offers a provocation about future considerations for narrative inquiry. (It’s a literary comic!)

David Schaafsma is an Associate Professor of English Education at the University of Illinios at Chicago. Ruth Vinz is a Professor of English Education and the Morse Professor of Teacher Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.

“As effective as this book is in describing narrative inquiry, it is even more effective at encouraging people to try their hand at doing narrative inquiry. Alive with the power of story, On Narrative Inquiry is an invaluable resource for scholars wishing to use narrative inquiry in their own work. The book will also be of great interest to teachers wanting to help graduate students learn how narrative inquiry might be of use in their studies.”
—Gian S. Pagnucci, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, author of Living the Narrative Life: Stories as a Tool for Meaning Making

"Composed as it is in layers of narratives, the authors make it clear from the outset that their intention is to structure the text in a form that mirrors and echoes its arguments. This book provides an excellent conceptual apparatus to help readers understand, do, report on, and evaluate narrative inquiry."
—Patricia Lambert Stock, Professor Emerita, Michigan State University and Director, The University of Maryland Writing Project