Headwaters and Tributaries: Meaning-Making Using the Three-Dimensional Narrative Inquiry Space

Abstract

In the introductory chapter to this book, we invited the reader to join us along the banks of the braided rivers of narrative inquiry research. We hoped to convey through that metaphor the interconnections we find among the work of our contributing colleagues. As we conclude this book, we ask the reader to join us as we visit the headwaters and tributaries of this research tradition. Nearly three decades ago, Michael Connelly and Jean Clandinin embarked upon a study at Bay Street School (Clandinin, 1986; Clandinin & Connelly, 1992; Connelly & Clandinin, 1988; Connelly, Phillion, & He, 2003) to investigate teachers’ personal practical knowledge (Connelly & Clandinin, 1985). Using narrative as both phenomenon and methodology (Connelly & Clandinin, 1988; Clandinin & Connelly, 1992, 2000; Clandinin, 2008) for this study, their work in the field was integral to the adoption of narrative inquiry as a research methodology in the, then, burgeoning study of teacher knowledge (Connelly & Clandinin, 1988, 1990, 1999), teacher education (Clandinin, 1991, 1992; Connelly & Clandinin, 2000), and curriculum studies (Clandinin & Connelly, 2002). In these areas, as well as in others (i.e., Nursing; Chan, 2008; Chan & Schwind, 2006; Lindsay, 2006a, 2006b), this research, which focused on experience, became well-established and expanded.

Citation

Ross, V., Chan, E. and Keyes, D. (2012), "Headwaters and Tributaries: Meaning-Making Using the Three-Dimensional Narrative Inquiry Space", Chan, E., Keyes, D. and Ross, V. (Ed.) Narrative Inquirers in the Midst of Meaning-making: Interpretive Acts of Teacher Educators (Advances in Research on Teaching, Vol. 16), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 131-142. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-3687(2012)00000160010