Narrative Inquiry: A Research Method in the Education Field

Abstract

This article elucidates what narrative inquiry is as a research method, what questions or puzzles it addresses, the research tools used, and ethical considerations in conducting this type of research. Published exemplars are provided to reveal how narrative inquiries are utilized in real-life education studies. As a storied format of personal experience research, narrative inquiry has the potential to transcend the specialties of the immediate research field to influence the discourses and the practices of those in a larger research community. The purpose of this article is to unpack narrative inquiry as a research method in the education field and encourage more teachers and researchers to engage in the narrative inquiries important to their teaching and research.