La relevancia del estudio

In the previous section I discussed what narrative inquiry was, in this section of the

methodology chapter I will discuss why narrative inquiry is utilised within this research. This approach to research is in accordance with the qualitative research tradition that I have chosen to follow. Qualitative research is in itself a broad title and different researchers are interested in different approaches to it; narrative inquiry is considered to be one of these many approaches (Elliot 2005)

The narrative inquiry approach to research is in keeping with my ontological and

epistemological positions. Those interested in narratives are predominantly interested in the everyday lives of, and the evidence that can be gained from, research participants and the way they narrate and engage in constructing and making sense of their own life experiences and the meanings they attach to these experiences (Elliot 2005). Those, like myself, who approach research from a constructivist stand point are interested in how

people create a sense of social order through talking and interacting, and therefore value the importance of the interview interaction and the place it plays in the content of the narratives provided by the participants (Elliot 2005). ‘For constructivists an interest in narrative would…stem from the fact that it is a social accomplishment, needing the

collaboration of an audience’ (Elliot 2005:19). Within this research I view that ‘audience’ as the interviewer, therefore my position as both researcher and interviewer is seen as integral to the content of the narratives produced by the research participants.(Finnegan 1998, Clandinin and Connelly 2000, Riessman 2008)

The emancipatory nature of narrative research which allows for the possibility to amplify voices of those who are seldom heard, is in line with my Critical Race Theory and

Afrocentric perspectives where education is viewed as a social institution with many inequalities significantly affecting those who are seen as coming from disadvantaged and minoritised groups. The emancipatory nature of narrative research is viewed as important especially given the under-researched nature of this research and the lack of voice given to Black African students in art and design educational research (Hatton 2012), thus the importance of their narratives is paramount. An important aspect of this research is to stimulate dialogue on change and transformation within the educational space; particularly in relation to the way in which Black African students are understood and therefore

acculturated into the art and design educational space. Narrative research is seen as

conducive to that emancipatory element, it is seen as a research methodology that is able to do more than amplify voices through collective stories, but also encourage dialogue on the need for social change.

Narrative inquiry is ultimately understood as inquiring into the individual narratives of the research participants, created in collaboration with the researcher, as well as the larger social and institutional discourses the participants are a part of, in order to understand the continuity and wholeness of their educational experiences (Elliot 2005, Reissman 1993, 2008, Clandinin and Connelly 2000). Of interest in particular is the inter-textual nature of the narratives, the way individual personal stories and institutional discourses can also intertwine, be a part of and create a whole larger story, and the possibilities of new understandings of experiences being constructed through their connection and dialogue,

thus building and developing understanding through connecting a multiplicity of voices (Finnegan 1998). Participants in this research have been encouraged to narrate their art and design educational experiences, these narrations form the data which has been analysed and interpreted to help shed light on their participation in and experiences of HE art and design. The participants’ narratives are understood as personal and contexualised in time and place, particular to each individual yet able to provide a richness, depth and insight that cannot be provided by quantitative data. Storytelling and loosely structured questions, with a focus on participants setting the agenda within the boundaries of the research area under focus, are also very much within the practices and principles of a qualitative methodology (Merriam 1998).

The three key features discussed above as well as the common themes that run through narrative inquiry; the recognition of the temporal nature of individual lives and social contexts, the focus on understanding experiences of participants from the participants’ perspectives and the interest in process and change over time (Hunter 2010), fit with my epistemological and ontological position and also demonstrate how a narrative inquiry has lent itself to my research questions. The importance of the ‘temporal dimension for

understanding the interrelation between individual lives and social contexts’, highlighted by Elliot (2005) draws attention to the fact that the stories told by participants in this research are located in specific times and places and thus stresses the importance of interviewing a range of participants at different points in their educational journey, as these differing points may have shaped the way they tell their stories and the meanings they derive from their experiences.

A narrative inquiry is deemed as appropriate as it allows the researcher to look at a small group and focus on their perspectives of the phenomena in question, as well as consider contexts, time, space and location. It also allows an analysis of the participants perspectives through exploring the underlying social conditions namely; the history of Black African communities in Britain; their relationship with education; the art and design sector and art and design education, as well as issues in relation to race, ethnicity, culture and an

underlying focus on class, in order to show a holistic interpretation of the experiences and stories of the participants (Elliot 2005). An understanding of these macro contexts and the

places they play within the stories of the participants is a part of the narrative tradition when analysing participants’ experiences (Riessman 2008).

It is through a firm understanding of narrativeinquiry that this approach has been chosen to conduct my research study. The interviews and final transcripts are seen as co-constructed narratives between participant and researcher. The participants have told me their story about their journey into and within and out of and away from HE Art and Design. The questions I asked in the interview were a means to understand their story better. I was interested in; how their journey began, what happened within the journey and how it ended, and thus there was a beginning middle and end. Their experiences are seen as stories containing the inherent structure of a story, a beginning, middle and an end (Elliot 2005).

Although the experiences of Black African art and design students is not an inaccessible phenomena, as the literature review has shown it is a phenomena that had not previously been studied, and therefore the findings from this research are seen as being revelatory in nature. Through a focus on the way the selected participants perceive and describe their experiences, the research provides an opportunity for the participants to contribute to an under-researched area; this element of empowerment is one of the key elements of

narrative inquiry discussed earlier. The research is focused specifically on understanding this phenomenon through looking at certain key areas, limiting barriers, facilitating strategies, thus helping to give the study a boundary and a focus. Ultimately narrative inquiry is seen as a way to study lived experiences, it is seen as

‘…a method of research (which) constitutes a sociology through narrative in so far as it examines and invokes narratives as a mode of observation, a vantage from which the world can be seen or heard.’ (Ewick and Sibley 1995:203)’

and therefore the best methodology for studying the experiences of Black African art and design students.