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Using Fiction to Make Meaning in Research With Young People in Rural New Zealand

University of Otago College of Education

Ruth Panelli

University College London

In research with young people about their experiences of rural and urban environments, the authors were struck by how participants in their rural case study used fiction to explain their experiences. The participants' use of fiction lead the authors to an additional rich vein of empirical material and analysis not foreseen at the beginning of the research. The authors outline the young people's use of fiction to frame their understanding of stereotyping and note the benefits of assembling a critical reading of fiction within the project. The authors conclude by revisiting the usefulness of fiction as a frame for young people's meaning making and as a source of empirical material in its own right. At the same time, they highlight the benefits of a qualitative research design that allows space for serendipitous trajectories of the collection and analysis of empirical material to evolve.

Key Words: fiction • flexible research design • stereotypes • young people

This version was published on January 1, 2009

Qualitative Inquiry, Vol. 15, No. 1, 96-112 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1077800408318314


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