Response to first reading: Narrative Inquiry
--Honestly, it was difficult for me to get into the flow of this piece. On page 51, though, it began to read easier for me. What confused me about this piece was that it never overtly stated what narrative inquiry is. After reading the article, I had a basic understanding of the concept. I just think that defining it in the beginning would have been beneficial to the reader. Here is a definition I found online that helped with my understanding.
A way of thinking about narrative inquiry includes this quote: "...Our terms for thinking about narrative inquiry are closely associated with Dewey's theory of experience, specifically with his notions of situation, continuity, and interaction" (50). These three pieces affect our place, and similarly affect how we look inward, outward, backward, and forward.
I also thought the idea of a "world traveler" was unique. Yet, I feel like people are "world travelers" when they read fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or any other piece of writing that contains a separate viewpoint from their own. When people see the lives of others, whether it be fiction or nonfiction, doesn't their perspective on that person/situation change? Perhaps people need to look back to their own understandings and life experiences to be able to relate, as suggested by this quote: "She now recreates the narrative through memory relationships" (59). Maybe if people cannot relate on a personal level, then they are not a "world traveler."
A line from Narrative Inquiry that I feel is powerful is, "What starts to become apparent as we work within our three-dimensional space is that as narrative inquirers we are not alone in this space" (60). Friends, co-workers, foes, bosses, and strangers have an impact on our views of the world and help to shape our inner discoveries.
Response to Situating Narrative Inquiry
--This chapter made a little bit more sense to me than the first one. I'm not sure if it's because I had already read the first and so established some background knowledge, or if this one was just an easier read. This first thing I could relate to was qualitative research. I learned about this in my Adolescent Development course, and it was nice to be able to make a connection. Qualitative research is a naturalistic approach and interpretation (including interviews and descriptions of experiences), while quantitative research uses numbers and close ended questionnaires [to understand others].
Still, this article never came out and overtly stated what narrative inquiry is—just like the first one. This line, though, began to help me understand: "Narrative inquiry begins in experience as expressed in lived and told stories" (5). Similarly, this line was a step toward my further understanding of narrative inquiry: “Concern with humans, experience, recognizing the power in understanding the particular, and broader conceptions of knowing..." (8). Narrative inquiry is all about "understanding humans and human interaction" (8).
I also liked the stream metaphor used to describe the four themes in the turn toward narrative inquiry. It was much more vivid and helped with my understanding of the narrative turns.
--Honestly, it was difficult for me to get into the flow of this piece. On page 51, though, it began to read easier for me. What confused me about this piece was that it never overtly stated what narrative inquiry is. After reading the article, I had a basic understanding of the concept. I just think that defining it in the beginning would have been beneficial to the reader. Here is a definition I found online that helped with my understanding.
A way of thinking about narrative inquiry includes this quote: "...Our terms for thinking about narrative inquiry are closely associated with Dewey's theory of experience, specifically with his notions of situation, continuity, and interaction" (50). These three pieces affect our place, and similarly affect how we look inward, outward, backward, and forward.
I also thought the idea of a "world traveler" was unique. Yet, I feel like people are "world travelers" when they read fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or any other piece of writing that contains a separate viewpoint from their own. When people see the lives of others, whether it be fiction or nonfiction, doesn't their perspective on that person/situation change? Perhaps people need to look back to their own understandings and life experiences to be able to relate, as suggested by this quote: "She now recreates the narrative through memory relationships" (59). Maybe if people cannot relate on a personal level, then they are not a "world traveler."
A line from Narrative Inquiry that I feel is powerful is, "What starts to become apparent as we work within our three-dimensional space is that as narrative inquirers we are not alone in this space" (60). Friends, co-workers, foes, bosses, and strangers have an impact on our views of the world and help to shape our inner discoveries.
Response to Situating Narrative Inquiry
--This chapter made a little bit more sense to me than the first one. I'm not sure if it's because I had already read the first and so established some background knowledge, or if this one was just an easier read. This first thing I could relate to was qualitative research. I learned about this in my Adolescent Development course, and it was nice to be able to make a connection. Qualitative research is a naturalistic approach and interpretation (including interviews and descriptions of experiences), while quantitative research uses numbers and close ended questionnaires [to understand others].
Still, this article never came out and overtly stated what narrative inquiry is—just like the first one. This line, though, began to help me understand: "Narrative inquiry begins in experience as expressed in lived and told stories" (5). Similarly, this line was a step toward my further understanding of narrative inquiry: “Concern with humans, experience, recognizing the power in understanding the particular, and broader conceptions of knowing..." (8). Narrative inquiry is all about "understanding humans and human interaction" (8).
I also liked the stream metaphor used to describe the four themes in the turn toward narrative inquiry. It was much more vivid and helped with my understanding of the narrative turns.