Using Narrative in Social Research: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches"An elegantly written, scholarly and accessible text. Jane Elliott shows a sophisticated appreciation of contemporary methodological developments, and makes a persuasive case for the use of narrative approaches in both qualitative and quantitative research. The book challenges and advances debates about combining methods, and shows how stories can work within and across conventional research boundaries. It is a truly original contribution to the literature." -- Amanda Coffey Cardiff School of Social Sciences This is a lucid and accessible introduction to narrative methods in social research. It is also an important book about the nature, role and theoretical basis of research methodology in general. Jane Elliott instructs the reader on the basic methods and methodological assumptions that form the basis of narrative methods. She does so in a way that is practical and accessible and in a way that will make the book a favourite with students and experienced researchers alike. Elliott argues that both qualitative and quantitative methods are characterized by a concern with narrative, and that our research data can best be analyzed if it is seen in narrative terms. In concrete, step-by-step terms she details for the reader how to go about collecting data and how to subject that data to narrative analysis, while at the same time placing this process in its wider theoretical context. She works across the traditional quantitative/qualitative divide to set out the ways in which narrative researchers can uncover such issues as social change, causality and social identity. She also shows how the techniques and skills used by qualitative researchers can be deployed when doing quantitative research and, similarly, how qualitative researchers can sometimes profit from using quantitative skills and techniques. |
Contents
Narrative and new developments in | 1 |
Narrative and social research | 5 |
Temporality and the meaning of narratives | 11 |
the use | 17 |
Eliciting stories in interviews | 28 |
Introductory books on qualitative interviewing | 34 |
narrative | 36 |
Genre | 46 |
Reading for discussion | 115 |
constructions of | 116 |
Neglect of the individual as an active agent and of | 122 |
Summary | 131 |
The ethical and political implications of using | 134 |
The ethics of postal questionnaire studies | 138 |
Narrative and the politics of research | 144 |
Summary | 150 |
Clean transcripts | 52 |
Readings for discussion | 58 |
Collecting quantitative narratives | 60 |
Collecting quantitative narratives | 65 |
Cohort studies narrative and the life course approach | 72 |
Statistical stories? The use of narrative | 76 |
Different approaches to event history analysis | 79 |
8 | 85 |
Creating narratives from survey data | 91 |
Uncovering and understanding causal effects | 97 |
10 | 98 |
using quantitative analysis | 103 |
Optimism about causality based | 109 |
reflexivity | 152 |
Reflexivity and data collection | 156 |
Reflexivity and writing | 162 |
ix | 169 |
Telling better stories? Combining qualitative | 171 |
Qualitative and quantitative research as different genres | 184 |
56 | 187 |
Details of some major longitudinal | 189 |
Glossary | 199 |
205 | |
58 | 208 |
217 | |
Other editions - View all
Using Narrative in Social Research: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches Jane Elliott Limited preview - 2005 |
Using Narrative in Social Research: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches Jane Elliott Limited preview - 2005 |
Using Narrative in Social Research: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches Jane Elliott No preview available - 2005 |
Common terms and phrases
Abbott approaches to research argued behaviour biographical causal coherence Cohort Study concept construct context covariates cultural data collection demonstrated described detailed discussed in Chapter emphasized ethical European Sociological Review evaluation event history analysis event history data event history modelling example experiences focus focuses gender genres GSOEP Gubrium and Holstein hermeneutic Hinchman Hollway and Jefferson important in-depth interviews included independent variables individuals interaction interest in narrative interpretation Labov and Waletzky lives logistic regression longitudinal data Longitudinal Study Maanen means methodology Mishler narrative analysis narrative research narrator outcome Panel Study particular produced proportional hazards model qualitative and quantitative qualitative interviews qualitative research quantitative analysis quantitative approaches quantitative data quantitative methods questionnaire questions recidivism reflexive relationship research interview respondents sample sequence Singer social sciences social scientists social world sociological specific spurious relationships stories structure suggest techniques temporal tive transcription understanding understood women writing