The use of composite narratives to present interview findings

This research note describes the use of composite narratives to present interview data. A composite narrative uses data from several individual interviews to tell a single story. In the research discussed here, investigating how politicians consider climate change, four composites were created from...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inQualitative research : QR Vol. 19; no. 4; pp. 471 - 480
Main Author Willis, Rebecca
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London, England SAGE Publications 01.08.2019
Sage Publications Ltd
Subjects
Climate change
Interviews
Narratives
composite narratives
elite interviews
narrative methods
UK
anonymity
politicians
climate change
interviews
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Summary:This research note describes the use of composite narratives to present interview data. A composite narrative uses data from several individual interviews to tell a single story. In the research discussed here, investigating how politicians consider climate change, four composites were created from fourteen interviews with Members of the UK Parliament. A method for creating composite narratives is described. Three, linked, benefits of the technique are discussed. First, they allow researchers to present complex, situated accounts from individuals, rather than breaking data down into categories. Second, they confer anonymity, vital when reporting on private deliberations, particularly if interviewees are public figures. Third, they can contribute to ‘future-forming’ research, by presenting findings in ways that are useful and accessible to those outside academia. The main limitation of composite narratives is the burden of responsibility upon the researcher, to convey accurate, yet anonymized, portrayals of the accounts of a group of individuals.
ISSN:1468-7941
1741-3109
DOI:10.1177/1468794118787711