Narrative Oriented Inquiry: A Dynamic Framework for Good Practice

Recently, (see Hiles and Čermák, 2008), we have proposed a psychological approach to narrative research that we call Narrative Oriented Inquiry (NOI). The focus of this approach is upon research with personal narratives, especially data collected from narrative interviews. The model of NOI stresses what we have called a “methodological approach,” ie. planning from the outset by formulating an appropriate research question, clarifying paradigm assumptions, and developing a distinctive approach to data analysis. Crucial to our approach to narrative data analysis is the distinction that needs to be made between fabula and sjuzet. The fabula is the basic outline of the events as they occurred (or might have occurred), while the sjuzet is the “way” in which the story is being told. We argue that it is the subtleties of the sjuzet that are especially important in understanding the way in which the teller of their story actively engages in their own meaning-making and identity positioning.