Ray Maietta and Kristin Black

August 4-5

Life unfolds in stories, so should our qualitative data. Regardless of topic, our participants are engaged in actions and behaviors (what) with characters (who) across meaningful locations (where) and specific periods of time (when). Each experience carries its own rhythm, cadence, mood, and emotion. If our goal as qualitative researchers is to inform lasting change, our responsibility is to capture the complex, unpredictable dynamics that characterize the everyday lives of the people generous enough to invite us into their worlds.

In this course, we work together to turn the word "story" into an active verb through every phase of qualitative inquiry. Storying serves as our compass as we let participant experiences and words direct our work in the field, our analytic movement and our dissemination of findings.

Storying fundamentally alters how we conceptualize and conduct qualitative inquiry. Core orienting questions organize the course outline and introduce strategies that use authentic lived experience to guide project decision-making:

• Project Onset: What stories motivate our inquiry? How do we use these stories to direct our decisions and actions through each project phase?
• Design: Where do informative stories live and how can this information be used to design data collection, analysis and presentation strategies that honor the everyday experiences of our participants?
• Data Gathering: How do we create data collection encounters that participants want to, and are able to, engage with? How do we ensure we get enough of the story?
• Data Analysis: How do we shape analysis plans and actions that are guided by participant stories? How do we preserve the complete, authentic story within every case, rather than sorting data into abstract, decontextualized piles?
• Presentation: How can we use story themes to drive the presentation while honoring the authenticity of participant experience?
• Future Directions: How can the lessons we learn from participant stories be used to shape and implement programs and policies that enhance everyday life?