flashcards #storytelling#
, "Evidence gives stories substance, :: but stories give evidence meaning," (https://assessmentinstitute.indianapolis.iu.edu/overview/institute-files/2021-institute/handouts-wednesday-2021/22P_jankowski_handout.pdf)
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Adaptive Collective Sensemaking#
A compelling and concrete rationale for the utility of storytelling in evaluation and social science emerges from evolutionary and cognitive perspectives. Bietti, Tilston, and Bangerter propose that the distinct adaptive value of storytelling is =rooted in its capacity for "making sense of non‐routine, uncertain, or novel situations".3 This process, which they term "adaptive collective sensemaking," enables groups to collaboratively interpret and respond to new information or unexpected events.**=
If storytelling serves as a fundamental human mechanism for "adaptive collective sensemaking," particularly in uncertain or novel contexts :: its systematic integration into program evaluation can transform the evaluative exercise. Instead of being a purely retrospective judgment, evaluation can become a dynamic tool for ongoing program learning,
#narrative_inquiry#
narrative_inquiry vs #storytelling#
"Narrative Inquiry" is recognized as a formal qualitative research methodology. Its primary focus is on understanding how individuals construct meaning from their lived experiences, typically through sustained, in-depth engagement with their personal stories. Narrative inquiry is systematic in its approach to the collection (e.g., through interviews, journals, field notes, letters) and analysis of these "field texts".6 In contrast, "storytelling" as a general activity in evaluation ? might encompass a broader range of practices, including the strategic use of anecdotes for communication or stakeholder engagement.11 Mattingly and Lawlor offer features that characterize a story or narrative—such as being "event-centered," "historically particular," concerning "human action," and possessing "plots"—which help differentiate them
a serious framework for #storytelling ? :: #narrative_inquiry
Donald Polkinghorne#
"narrative smoothing" :: the process of refining and organizing collected narrative data to clearly address the research question—
"Diachronic Organization," :: the chronological structuring of narrative accounts to reveal developmental trajectories or sequences of event
Exploring "Narrative Knowing" and the Emplotment of Human Action#
Donald Polkinghorne's contributions to narrative theory and methodology emphasize "narrative knowing" :: the idea that human beings understand themselves, their experiences, and their actions primarily through the construction of narratives or "plots".5
He argued that human action is often best understood through the lens of emplotment, :: suggesting that we live storied lives.
Polkinghorne introduced the concept of "narrative rationality," :: grasping the meaning of a whole (such as a life or a significant event) by seeing it as a "dialectic integration of its parts," where individual actions and events gain significance from their place within an overarching narrative structure.40 For researchers,
he also provided a useful methodological distinction between :: "narrative analysis" (or "analysis by means of narrative"), where the researcher actively synthesizes disparate data elements into a coherent narrative account, and "analysis of narratives," where the researcher examines pre-existing stories**
D. Jean Clandinin,#
often in collaboration with F. Michael Connelly, has been central to defining narrative inquiry as a :: profoundly relational methodology. Their work emphasizes understanding "experience and story in qualitative research," highlighting the co-constructed nature of narratives between researcher and participant**
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2.2. Spotlight on Specific Techniques:#
2.2.1. Most Significant Change (MSC)**#
Photovoice#
engaging in group discussions to analyze the meaning and context of these images (often using structured facilitation techniques like the 'SHOWED' acronym: :: What do you See here? What is really Happening? How does this relate to Our lives? Why does this concern, problem, or strength Exist? What can we Do about it?),
**Patton ::#
strongly advocates for qualitative methods, including storytelling, arguing that they "tell the program's story by capturing and communicating the participants' stories" Patton, storytelling and the cultivation of "evaluative thinking" 27, :: he positions storytelling as a critical cognitive and communicative tool. Stories, by humanizing data, providing rich context, and illustrating complex dynamics in relatable terms 11, enable stakeholders to more effectively process and engage with complex evaluation information.**
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Catherine Kohler Riessman: Establishing Rigorous Analytical Frameworks for Narrative Research#
Catherine Kohler Riessman has made seminal contributions to the field of narrative inquiry by developing and articulating systematic and detailed frameworks for the analysis of narratives within the human sciences.** ?
thematic_analysis#
structural_analysis#
dialogic/performance_analysis how is it cocreated?#
Jerome Bruner: Conceptualizing Narrative as a Fundamental Mode of Human Thought and Meaning Construction#
Jerome Bruner, an exceptionally influential psychologist, advanced the understanding that narrative is not merely a literary form or a way of communicating information, but a fundamental "mode of thought" and a primary cognitive tool through which human beings organize their experiences, understand the world, and derive meaning.3 One of his most significant contributions in this area was the distinction between two primary modes of cognitive functioning 39: ?
- Narrative Thought: This mode deals with the particularities of human experience, focusing on intentions, actions, and the temporally and causally structured sequences of events that constitute lived reality. It is concerned with verisimilitude and the interpretation of meaning in specific contexts.
- Paradigmatic Thought (or Logico-Scientific Thought):
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