Constructing Composite Narratives A Step-By-Step Guide for Researchers in the Social Sciences

Chapter 1: What are composite narratives and why use them?. Chapter 2: A background to composite narratives in the literature. Philosophical foundations of composite narratives. Evoking the felt sense. Chapter 3: An overview of methods for qualitative data collection and analysis. Qualitative research. Grounded theory research methods. Phenomenological research methods. Representing qualitative research findings. Chapter 4: Six steps for constructing composite narratives. An example of how to construct a composite narrative. STEP 1: Develop a narrative thread (a storyline) for the first half of the narrative. STEP 2: Build the first half of the narrative. STEP 3: Develop a narrative thread for the second half of the narrative. STEP 4: Build the second half of the narrative. STEP 5: Edit and structure the narrative. STEP 6: Assign a meaningful title. Summary of steps for constructing composite narratives. Chapter 5: Record keeping: Audit trails for composite narrative constructions. Credibility of composite narratives. Example of audit trail for step 1: Developing the narrative thread. Example of audit trail for step 2: Build the narrative thread. Dependability. Example of audit trail for step 3: Develop the second narrative thread. Example of an audit trail for step 4: Building the second half of the narrative. Confirmability. Transferability. Example of an audit trail for step 5: Write a short introductory and concluding paragraph. Example of audit trail for step 6: Choose a meaningful title. Summary of rigor in composite narratives. Chapter 6: Other methods for constructing composite narratives. Depth and structure. Voice in composite narratives. Chapter 7: Context of the narratives: A study about students' experiences of their teachers' expectations of them. Chapter 8: Eight examples of composite narratives about students' experiences with audit trails. Narrative 1: 'Expecting my best'. Narrative 2: 'A ping pong ball in a balloon'. Narrative 3: 'More like a boss'. Narrative 4: 'A model city'. Narrative 5: 'Seeming to smile'. Narrative 6: Designing my own future. Narrative 7: 'Backbone'. Narrative 8: 'Right on the money'. Narrative 9: 'My socks don't matter today'. Narrative 10: 'What's in it for you?'. The main research findings conveyed through Narratives 1-10. Chapter 9: 15 further narratives about students' experiences with a meta-narrative index. The meta-narrative - An index for 24 composite narratives. Letter to teacher: From your year 10 student. Narrative 11: 'Feeling smart'. Narrative 12: 'A part of the class'. Narrative 13: 'Will I ever get it?'. Narrative 14: 'The golden rule'. Narrative 15: 'Refreshing my mind'. Narrative 16: 'I'd rather class be pretty chilled'. Narrative 17: 'Feeling the heat'. Narrative 18: 'Anatomy of interest'. Narrative 19: 'Daydreaming'. Narrative 20: 'Facing inadequacy'. Narrative 21: 'Bothered'. Narrative 22: 'On my own'. Narrative 23: 'Sooner or later'. Narrative 24: 'Derailing a dictator'. Summary of main research findings conveyed in Narratives 9-24. Chapter 10: Evidence of composite narrative efficacy in communicating findings to research end-users. The Teacher Expectation Intervention. Using Composite Narratives for Research Impact. Findings about the effectiveness of composite narratives. Discussion of composite narratives for disseminating research findings. Chapter 11: Conclusion.

Biography

Dr Olivia Johnston is a qualitative researcher in education and a lecturer in social justice in education and secondary Humanities and Social Sciences education. She works at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia.