Qualitative Story Completion

This workshop is open to all ESRC and non-ESRC funded PhD and MA Social Research students within the WRDTP’s seven partner universities.

Story completion is a novel method that offers a uniquely different and fun approach to generate qualitative data. The method involves providing participants with an opening to a story – the story stem – and asking them to write what happens next. In contrast to more traditional qualitative methods, the data created via story completion is imaginative data that captures sociocultural discourses and dominant meaning making around a topic. The purpose of this workshop is to explore what story completion has to offer qualitative researchers. We will begin by examining the development of story completion as a qualitative tool and potential opportunities and challenges of engaging in this type of research. In small groups, we will then consider how to design a ‘good’ story stem and put creativity into action as we experiment in creating and responding to stems. Lastly, we will review the analytical techniques available to interpret story completion data and the methodological and practical implications of different approaches. Overall, this workshop aims to encourage people to include story completion within their methodological toolkit to create more engaging research and collect qualitative data in new and exciting ways.

Learning outcomes from this workshop will be:

To examine the development of story completion from an essentialist to social constructionist methodology
To critically appraise strengths and limitations of qualitative story completion as a method
To engage in story stem design and analysis

Pre-reading

Clarke, V., Braun, V., Frith, H., & Moller, N. (2019). Editorial introduction to the special issue: Using story completion methods in qualitative research. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 16(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2018.1536378

Williams, T. L., Lozano-Sufrategui, L., & Tomasone, J. R. (2022). Stories of physical activity and disability: Exploring sport and exercise students’ narrative imagination through story completion. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 14(5), 687-705. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2021.2001031

Story completion website by Professor Virginia Braun and colleagues

https://www.psych.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/story-completion.html

Dr Toni Williams
Associate Professor, Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Durham University
Dr Toni Williams is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences at Durham University. Her research in physical activity and disability focuses on understanding the physical activity experiences of disabled people and effective physical activity promotion. Through working with healthcare professionals, charities, sport organisations and disabled people, this line of research has sought to identify and address the barriers to sport and exercise participation. Toni is also interested in how disabled people’s overlapping identities and experiences intersect to contribute to the inequalities they face in leading a physically active lifestyle.

Toni’s research also explores the use and development of qualitative research methods and methodologies. This includes the use of meta-synthesis, narrative inquiry and novel methods of data collection such as timelining and story completion. Her research draws upon innovative and integrated methods to create more engaging projects and collect qualitative data in new and exciting ways. Toni is a founding member and treasurer of the International Society for Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise (X: @QRSEsoc Website: www.qrsesoc.com) and is on the scientific committee for the upcoming 9th International Conference on Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise to be held in Bath in July 2024 (X: @QRSE2024).