Assignment:
Narrative research illustrates and tells the story of individuals and how they live. The researcher collects information about how an individual lives; however, what is important in this method is that the information that is collected is then written from the participant's personal viewpoint. What is unique about narrative research is that the focus is typically on studying one individual in detail.
Data collection for this design is one in which the information obtained is highly focused. Data collection can take many forms as long as it remains focused on the lived experience of the individual being studied. In narrative research, the researcher is expected to ask deep and probing questions regarding the experience of the individual. In a sense the researcher and participant form a relationship in which the researcher is expected to examine the individual's life story and the experiences of the individual in their life. The researcher then delves deeper into the participant's knowledge to develop an understanding of the individual's experience(s) from the individual's viewpoint. The researcher is a narrator, who is able to tell a person's account of an important experience in that person's life, or details about the person's life, or journey through an in-depth examination As a result, the emphasis on narrative research is an in-depth exploration of an individual's understanding of his or her life through what has been experienced.
Your Signature Assignment for this course is a literature review examining a topic from a qualitative research design perspective. You will need to select a topic of interest to you that might merit further investigation using a qualitative research method. The topic may be one you have used in a previous research course or that you are contemplating as a possible dissertation project.You will prepare a draft for your Signature Assignment, but you will want to research information and work on your Signature Assignment throughout the course.
The literature review you will prepare will require that you:
• Introduce the topic and provide a brief background.
• Present a brief problem of interest.
• Identify the qualitative research method that could be used to investigate this research problem.
• Review relevant literature, ensuring that you:
o Describe limitations, benefits, and challenges of your chosen qualitative research design.
o Evaluate selected software analysis program to be used.
o Discuss validity threats in your chosen qualitative design.
o Assess potential ethical issues in your chosen qualitative design.
• Conclude with a summary that synthesizes the research and points to gaps in the literature and to directions that further research might take.
Your task is to present an overview of narrative inquiry as a research design. Start by locating at least five peer-reviewed journal articles that discuss studies using the narrative inquiry in psychology; you will use example from these studies to support your assignment. Once you have located your articles, you will need to do the following:
1. Describe narrative research.
2. Identify three ways in which you could gather relevant information about an individual using this method.
3. Discuss the benefits of using this method.
4. Explain the limitations and challenges.
On a separate page, provide a brief overview of a research topic of interest to you that you would like to use the basis for your assignments in this course.
Support your assignment with at least five peer-reviewed articles that address this research method.
Response should be 5 to 7 pages.
Your paper should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the course by providing new thoughts and insights relating directly to the topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards.