Narrative inquiry in sport and exercise psychology: what can it mean, and why might we do it?

By Brett W. Smith, A. Sparkes. 2009

379 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Abstract Objectives Narrative inquiry is one form of qualitative research that is burgeoning within the human sciences. However, in sport and exercise psychology little attention has been given to this approach. In this article, we seek to rectify this situation by offering an understanding of what narrative inquiry can be. Results In order to begin to better understand what narrative inquiry as a methodology can be, and gain some theoretical purchase on a difficult field without aiming for a final answer, we first define narrative. Next, a distillation of guiding assumptions and characteristics are offered. Finally, some reasons as to why narratives may be of benefit for the field of sport and exercise psychology are highlighted. Conclusion Narrative inquiry is a useful and important way of theorising and doing research in the domain of sport and exercise psychology. It should not, however, be taken up or practised simply because it is new or fashionable. Informed, principled, and responsible choices must be made by researchers and applied professionals about why and when they might engage with narrative inquiry should they wish to do so.

Subfields: Developmental and Educational Psychology, Experimental and Cognitive Psychology, Gender Studies

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/236fb529e70dfd8465250d85867cb6d410ef26c1

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Citations in the corpus

Living, resisting, and playing the part of athlete: Narrative tensions in elite sport (2013, methodology): “(For in-depth accounts of the kinds of analytical and Narrative tensions in elite sport 9 interpretive practices we employed, see Lieblich et al., 1998; Riessman, 2008; Smith & Sparkes, 2009b).”
"In the Boat" but "Selling Myself Short": Stories, Narratives, and Identity Development in Elite Sport (2013, background): “Recently, Smith and Sparkes (2009a, 2009b) provided a thorough and convincing rationale for the inclusion of narrative methods in sport and exercise psychology and describe in detail a number of ways narrative research can make a unique contribution to the discipline.”
Qualitative methods in sport: a concise overview for guiding social scientific sport research (2012, background): “Thus, by collecting stories and analysing stories, researchers can generate deep insights into people's experiences, senses of self, culture, emotions and possible worlds (Smith & Sparkes, 2009 ).”
Understanding optimal human functioning – The ‘call for qual’ in exploring human flourishing and well-being (2017, background): “Essentially, qualitative research takes an idiographic approach to human inquiry whilst valuing ‘the messiness and complexity of human life’ (Smith & Sparkes, 2009, p. 7).”
‘We haven’t got a seat on the bus for you’ or ‘all the seats are mine’: narratives and career transition in professional golf (2009, background): “In Smith and Sparkes’ (2006) terms, we assumed the role of story analysts to link the participants’ stories with relevant theoretical constructs.”
Qualitative Research in Sport Psychology Journals: The Next Decade 2000-2009 and Beyond (2012, background): “To counterbalance the tendency to focus on the ‘whats’ of interview data, Smith and Sparkes (2009a, 2009b, 2012) suggest drawing upon more unstructured and open-ended interviews so that the ‘hows’ of storytelling as well as the ‘whats’ within the interview situation can be considered.”
Understanding team resilience in the world's best athletes: A case study of a rugby union World Cup winning team. (2015, background): “The 17 premise of this approach is that individuals and groups structure their experience through a 18 “constructed form or template which people rely on to tell stories” (Smith & Sparkes, 2009, 19 p. 2).”
Centralizing culture in cultural sport psychology research: The potential of narrative inquiry and discursive psychology (2015, methodology): “…goal is to add to thewider dialogue within sport psychology that encourages researchers to ask new questions and think differently, and in so doing, create new knowledge that leads to creative solutions to socio-cultural challenges in sport and physical activity contexts (Smith & Sparkes, 2009a).”
Narrative inquiry: ongoing conversations and questions for sport and exercise psychology research (2010, background): “…turned to interpretative forms of understanding via the use of narrative inquiry (e.g., Carless & Douglas, 2008, in press; Denison & Winslade, 2006; Leahy & Harrigan, 2006; Jowett & Frost, 2007; Phoenix & Howe, in press; Ryba, 2008; Smith & Sparkes, 2009a, 2009b, in press; Stelter, 2006, 2007).”
Examining Hardiness, Coping and Stress-Related Growth Following Sport Injury (2016, background): “One of the first studies was by Udry et al. (1997) who interviewed 21 injured athletes from the U.”
A meta-study of athletic identity research in sport psychology: Current status and future directions (2016, background): “In narrative studies, identity was understood as an evolving story of the self, which is unique in the way it was put together, but necessarily social since it is constructed from the cultural stories or ‘narrative resources’ that are available to the individual (Smith & Sparkes, 2009).”