narrative research example topics

Narrative Essay Topics: TOP 200 Choices for Students

Imagine yourself facing a blank page, ready to fill it with your memories and imagination. What story will you tell today?

As students, you often have to write narratives that capture people's attention. But with so many stories to choose from, where do you start? How do you find the perfect topic that will grab our readers' interest and make them think?

Join our essay service experts as we explore 200 topics for college where stories are waiting to be told, and experiences are ready to be shared. From everyday events to unforgettable moments, each topic is a chance to connect with your readers and make them feel something.

Best Narrative Essay Topics: How to Choose the One That Resonates 

A narrative essay is a type of writing that tells a personal story, including characters, plot, setting, and the order of events. Its main goal is to connect with readers emotionally and share a specific message or insight through the retelling of a meaningful experience.

Students write narrative essays as part of their studies for several reasons. Firstly, it allows them to express themselves creatively by sharing their unique experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Secondly, it helps them develop important writing skills like organizing ideas and thoughts effectively.

Choosing good narrative essay ideas involves looking at personal experiences, interests, and the potential for engaging storytelling. Here's a simple guide to help you pick the right topic:

• Think about significant moments in your life that had a lasting impact, such as personal growth or overcoming challenges.
• Choose topics related to your hobbies, interests, or areas of expertise to make your story more engaging.
• Consider what your audience would be interested in and choose topics that resonate with them.
• Focus on a specific event or detail to make your narrative more focused and impactful.
• Look for universal themes like love or personal transformation that connect with readers on a deeper level.
• Brainstorm ideas and write freely to uncover compelling topics.
• Decide on storytelling techniques like flashbacks or foreshadowing and choose a topic that fits.
• Get feedback from friends, peers, or instructors to see if your topics are interesting and impactful.
• Choose topics that evoke strong emotions for a more compelling narrative.
• Select a topic that you personally connect with to make your story authentic.

Once you've chosen a topic, brainstorm ideas and create an outline for your essay. Follow your professor's instructions carefully and consider seeking help from our narrative essay writing service if needed.

Bring your stories to life with EssayPro. Select from a vast array of narrative essay topics and let our professionals help you weave your tales into captivating essays. Whether it's adventure, reflection, or imagination, we're here to assist.

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Ideas for Narrative Essay Topics

After exploring how students write narrative paragraphs, we've put together a list of narrative essay topics designed specifically for college and school students. This list covers a wide range of subjects, so pick one that speaks to you! If you want to see how to develop a topic into a written essay, check out our narrative essay example . 

Literacy Narrative Essay Topics for College Students

How about delving into captivating literacy narrative essay topics designed specifically for college-level writing? Exciting, isn't it?

• How did learning to read change my perspective on the world?
• What was my favorite childhood book and why?
• How did writing my first story impact my love for storytelling?
• What challenges did I face when learning a new language?
• How did keeping a journal help me improve my writing skills?
• How did my family influence my attitude toward reading?
• What role did literature play in shaping my identity?
• How did participating in a book club enhance my reading experience?
• How did technology affect my reading habits?
• What was the most memorable book I read in school?
• How did my favorite teacher inspire my passion for literature?
• What impact did reading diverse perspectives have on my worldview?
• How did overcoming a reading difficulty shape my relationship with books?
• What lessons did I learn from writing my first poem?
• How did storytelling traditions in my culture influence my literacy journey?

Personal Narrative Essay Topics on Relationships

Take a moment to reflect on your past experiences and craft compelling personal narratives with these essay ideas.

• How did my relationship with my best friend change over time?
• What lessons did I learn from my first romantic relationship?
• How did my relationship with my sibling influence who I am today?
• What challenges did I face in maintaining a long-distance friendship?
• How did a conflict with a family member teach me about communication?
• What role do my pets play in my life and relationships?
• How did volunteering together strengthen my bond with a friend?
• What impact did a mentor have on my personal growth?
• How did a betrayal affect my trust in relationships?
• What did I learn from a failed friendship?
• How did traveling with a friend deepen our connection?
• What role does forgiveness play in maintaining healthy relationships?
• How did my relationship with my parents evolve as I grew older?
• What lessons did I learn about teamwork from a group project?
• How did a disagreement with a colleague teach me about compromise?

Best Narrative Essay Topics on Education and Learning

Consider the beauty of sharing your personal experiences and emotions in a captivating manner through these ideas for personal narrative essays.

• How did a particular teacher inspire me to excel in school?
• What challenges did I face while adapting to online learning?
• How did participating in extracurricular activities shape my educational experience?
• What lessons did I learn from a memorable field trip?
• How did studying abroad broaden my perspective on education?
• What role does technology play in modern education?
• How did overcoming a learning obstacle impact my academic journey?
• What did I gain from tutoring a classmate in a challenging subject?
• How did a hands-on learning experience change my understanding of a topic?
• What impact did a mentor have on my educational and career aspirations?
• How did peer collaboration enhance my learning in a group project?
• What lessons did I learn from a failure or setback in school?
• How did my cultural background influence my approach to education?
• What role does self-directed learning play in my academic success?
• How did participating in a debate or public speaking event shape my communication skills?

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Personal Narrative Essay Ideas on Reflection on Life

Why not ignite your creativity with a range of narrative essay topics, from extraordinary moments to everyday experiences?

• How did confronting a fear change my view on courage and growth?
• How do family traditions shape my personal values and beliefs?
• What does success mean to me, and how has it evolved?
• Reflecting on friendships as a source of support in tough times.
• How have travel experiences expanded my global perspective?
• How do my hobbies and passions bring fulfillment to my life?
• Exploring the link between self-love and mental well-being.
• How can challenges lead to unexpected personal growth?
• Reflecting on the importance of setting and reaching personal goals.
• What pivotal moments mark my journey to self-acceptance?
• Investigating how forgiveness resolves personal conflicts.
• How do cultural expectations shape my idea of success?
• Reflecting on the significance of self-care for overall well-being.
• Exploring how technology influences my connections and worldview.
• What did I learn from facing a life-changing decision?

Ideas for a Narrative Essay on Culture and Society

Engaging your readers with narrative essays on culture and society is a great way to spark interest, offering captivating ideas for exploration.

• How has my cultural heritage shaped my identity?
• Reflecting on a tradition or ceremony that holds significance in my culture.
• Exploring the impact of globalization on local traditions and customs.
• How does language influence the way I perceive the world around me?
• Investigating the role of food in cultural identity and expression.
• Reflecting on a cultural celebration or festival that left a lasting impression.
• How does media portrayal affect societal perceptions of different cultures?
• Exploring the intersection of culture and religion in shaping values and beliefs.
• Reflecting on experiences of cultural assimilation or integration.
• How do stereotypes impact individuals within a cultural group?
• Investigating the role of art and literature in preserving cultural heritage.
• Reflecting on the challenges and benefits of multiculturalism in society.
• Exploring the significance of storytelling in passing down cultural traditions.
• How do cultural norms influence gender roles and expectations?
• Reflecting on the cultural exchange experiences that have broadened my perspective.

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Narrative Writing Topics on Hobbies and Interests

Wow your readers by turning your passions and hobbies into compelling narrative essay topics that will get them thinking.

• Describe a memorable adventure or experience related to your favorite hobby.
• Reflect on how your hobby has evolved over time and its significance in your life.
• Write about a moment when your hobby provided a sense of escape or relaxation.
• Explore the role of hobbies in promoting mental health and well-being.
• Share a story of how you discovered your passion for a particular hobby.
• Describe a challenge you faced while pursuing your hobby and how you overcame it.
• Reflect on the impact of your hobby on your relationships with others.
• Write about a hobby-related achievement or milestone that you are proud of.
• Explore how your hobby connects you to a community or group of like-minded individuals.
• Describe the process of learning a new hobby and the lessons you gained from it.
• Reflect on the role of hobbies in balancing work, leisure, and personal growth.
• Write about a hobby-related project or creation that you are passionate about.
• Explore the connection between your hobbies and your broader interests and values.
• Describe a favorite memory or experience involving your hobby.
• Reflect on how your hobbies have influenced your perspective on life and the world around you.

Narrative Essay Titles on Life-Changing Moments

Life is full of unexpected twists that can lead to life-changing moments. Take a look at these narrative essay titles for stories that have had a lasting impact on your life.

• How did meeting a lifelong friend change my life?
• What lessons did I learn from overcoming a major obstacle?
• How did traveling to a new country broaden my perspective?
• Reflecting on the day I discovered my passion.
• How did a health scare transform my lifestyle?
• What impact did volunteering in my community have on me?
• How did I find strength in a moment of loss?
• Reflecting on the decision that altered my path.
• How did a random act of kindness change my outlook?
• What lessons did I learn from a failed endeavor?
• How did confronting a fear empower me?
• Reflecting on the day I realized my potential.
• How did experiencing a natural disaster shape my priorities?
• What insights did I gain from a cultural exchange?
• How did a mentor's guidance impact my life trajectory?

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Good Narrative Topics on Travel and Adventure

Consider creating intriguing titles for your narrative essay ideas by exploring thrilling travel adventures.

• What was my most unforgettable travel experience?
• How did a solo journey change my perspective on life?
• Reflecting on an unexpected adventure in a foreign land.
• How did traveling on a budget lead to unexpected discoveries?
• What lessons did I learn from getting lost in a new city?
• How did a cultural immersion experience broaden my understanding of the world?
• Reflecting on the friendships formed during a travel adventure.
• What was the scariest moment I encountered while traveling?
• How did volunteering abroad impact my outlook on life?
• What cultural differences surprised me the most while traveling?
• Reflecting on the beauty of nature experienced during a hiking trip.
• How did traveling to a remote destination challenge my comfort zone?
• What was the most delicious food I tried while traveling?
• Reflecting on the kindness of strangers encountered during a journey.
• How did a travel mishap turn into a memorable experience?

Narrative Essay Topic Ideas on Career and Work Experience

College students can uncover captivating narrative essay ideas by exploring potential career paths or reminiscing about past job experiences.

• What was my first job, and what did I learn from it?
• Reflecting on a challenging project that taught me resilience.
• How did a career setback lead to unexpected opportunities?
• What lessons did I learn from transitioning to a new career?
• Reflecting on a mentor who influenced my career path.
• How did a workplace conflict teach me about communication?
• What was the most rewarding moment in my career so far?
• Reflecting on the importance of work-life balance in my career journey.
• How did networking help me advance in my career?
• What challenges did I face as a new graduate entering the workforce?
• Reflecting on the decision to pursue a passion versus stability in my career.
• How did a career change impact my sense of fulfillment?
• What skills did I develop through volunteer work that helped in my career?
• Reflecting on the role of mentors in my professional growth.
• How did a career milestone shape my future aspirations?

Interesting Narrative Essay Topics about Challenges and Obstacles

If you're not sure what to write about for your narrative essay, think back to the tough times you've had and how you managed to get through them.

• How did I overcome my fear of failure?
• Reflecting on a time when I felt like giving up but persevered.
• How did a personal setback lead to unexpected growth?
• What lessons did I learn from navigating a difficult relationship?
• Reflecting on a time when I had to step out of my comfort zone.
• How did I overcome a major health challenge?
• What strategies did I use to overcome procrastination?
• Reflecting on the resilience I developed after facing adversity.
• How did I navigate financial challenges and come out stronger?
• What did I learn from failing at something I was passionate about?
• Reflecting on the obstacles I faced while pursuing my dreams.
• How did I overcome imposter syndrome in my academic or professional life?
• What role did self-care play in helping me overcome challenges?
• Reflecting on a time when I had to stand up for myself in the face of adversity.
• How did I find motivation and inspiration during tough times?

Final Remarks

As we wrap up, our list of 200 narrative essay topics is here to fuel your creativity for your next writing project! Whether you're sharing a memorable event, reliving a childhood memory, or expressing a profound insight, crafting a narrative essay can be an uplifting experience that resonates deeply with readers.

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Narrative Analysis 101

Everything you need to know to get started

By: Ethar Al-Saraf (PhD)| Expert Reviewed By: Eunice Rautenbach (DTech) | March 2023

If you’re new to research, the host of qualitative analysis methods available to you can be a little overwhelming. In this post, we’ll  unpack the sometimes slippery topic of narrative analysis . We’ll explain what it is, consider its strengths and weaknesses , and look at when and when not to use this analysis method. 

Overview: Narrative Analysis

• What is narrative analysis (simple definition)
• The two overarching approaches  
• The strengths & weaknesses of narrative analysis
• When (and when not) to use it
• Key takeaways

What Is Narrative Analysis?

Simply put, narrative analysis is a qualitative analysis method focused on interpreting human experiences and motivations by looking closely at the stories (the narratives) people tell in a particular context.

In other words, a narrative analysis interprets long-form participant responses or written stories as data, to uncover themes and meanings . That data could be taken from interviews, monologues, written stories, or even recordings. In other words, narrative analysis can be used on both primary and secondary data to provide evidence from the experiences described.

That’s all quite conceptual, so let’s look at an example of how narrative analysis could be used.

Let’s say you’re interested in researching the beliefs of a particular author on popular culture. In that case, you might identify the characters , plotlines , symbols and motifs used in their stories. You could then use narrative analysis to analyse these in combination and against the backdrop of the relevant context.

This would allow you to interpret the underlying meanings and implications in their writing, and what they reveal about the beliefs of the author. In other words, you’d look to understand the views of the author by analysing the narratives that run through their work.

The Two Overarching Approaches

Generally speaking, there are two approaches that one can take to narrative analysis. Specifically, an inductive approach or a deductive approach. Each one will have a meaningful impact on how you interpret your data and the conclusions you can draw, so it’s important that you understand the difference.

First up is the inductive approach to narrative analysis.

The inductive approach takes a bottom-up view , allowing the data to speak for itself, without the influence of any preconceived notions . With this approach, you begin by looking at the data and deriving patterns and themes that can be used to explain the story, as opposed to viewing the data through the lens of pre-existing hypotheses, theories or frameworks. In other words, the analysis is led by the data.

For example, with an inductive approach, you might notice patterns or themes in the way an author presents their characters or develops their plot. You’d then observe these patterns, develop an interpretation of what they might reveal in the context of the story, and draw conclusions relative to the aims of your research.

Contrasted to this is the deductive approach.

With the deductive approach to narrative analysis, you begin by using existing theories that a narrative can be tested against . Here, the analysis adopts particular theoretical assumptions and/or provides hypotheses, and then looks for evidence in a story that will either verify or disprove them.

For example, your analysis might begin with a theory that wealthy authors only tell stories to get the sympathy of their readers. A deductive analysis might then look at the narratives of wealthy authors for evidence that will substantiate (or refute) the theory and then draw conclusions about its accuracy, and suggest explanations for why that might or might not be the case.

Which approach you should take depends on your research aims, objectives and research questions . If these are more exploratory in nature, you’ll likely take an inductive approach. Conversely, if they are more confirmatory in nature, you’ll likely opt for the deductive approach.

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Strengths & Weaknesses

Now that we have a clearer view of what narrative analysis is and the two approaches to it, it’s important to understand its strengths and weaknesses , so that you can make the right choices in your research project.

A primary strength of narrative analysis is the rich insight it can generate by uncovering the underlying meanings and interpretations of human experience. The focus on an individual narrative highlights the nuances and complexities of their experience, revealing details that might be missed or considered insignificant by other methods.

Another strength of narrative analysis is the range of topics it can be used for. The focus on human experience means that a narrative analysis can democratise your data analysis, by revealing the value of individuals’ own interpretation of their experience in contrast to broader social, cultural, and political factors.

All that said, just like all analysis methods, narrative analysis has its weaknesses. It’s important to understand these so that you can choose the most appropriate method for your particular research project.

The first drawback of narrative analysis is the problem of subjectivity and interpretation . In other words, a drawback of the focus on stories and their details is that they’re open to being understood differently depending on who’s reading them. This means that a strong understanding of the author’s cultural context is crucial to developing your interpretation of the data. At the same time, it’s important that you remain open-minded in how you interpret your chosen narrative and avoid making any assumptions .

A second weakness of narrative analysis is the issue of reliability and generalisation . Since narrative analysis depends almost entirely on a subjective narrative and your interpretation, the findings and conclusions can’t usually be generalised or empirically verified. Although some conclusions can be drawn about the cultural context, they’re still based on what will almost always be anecdotal data and not suitable for the basis of a theory, for example.

Last but not least, the focus on long-form data expressed as stories means that narrative analysis can be very time-consuming . In addition to the source data itself, you will have to be well informed on the author’s cultural context as well as other interpretations of the narrative, where possible, to ensure you have a holistic view. So, if you’re going to undertake narrative analysis, make sure that you allocate a generous amount of time to work through the data.

When To Use Narrative Analysis

As a qualitative method focused on analysing and interpreting narratives describing human experiences, narrative analysis is usually most appropriate for research topics focused on social, personal, cultural , or even ideological events or phenomena and how they’re understood at an individual level.

For example, if you were interested in understanding the experiences and beliefs of individuals suffering social marginalisation, you could use narrative analysis to look at the narratives and stories told by people in marginalised groups to identify patterns , symbols , or motifs that shed light on how they rationalise their experiences.

In this example, narrative analysis presents a good natural fit as it’s focused on analysing people’s stories to understand their views and beliefs at an individual level. Conversely, if your research was geared towards understanding broader themes and patterns regarding an event or phenomena, analysis methods such as content analysis or thematic analysis may be better suited, depending on your research aim .

Let’s recap

In this post, we’ve explored the basics of narrative analysis in qualitative research. The key takeaways are:

• Narrative analysis is a qualitative analysis method focused on interpreting human experience in the form of stories or narratives .
• There are two overarching approaches to narrative analysis: the inductive (exploratory) approach and the deductive (confirmatory) approach.
• Like all analysis methods, narrative analysis has a particular set of strengths and weaknesses .
• Narrative analysis is generally most appropriate for research focused on interpreting individual, human experiences as expressed in detailed , long-form accounts.

If you’d like to learn more about narrative analysis and qualitative analysis methods in general, be sure to check out the rest of the Grad Coach blog here . Alternatively, if you’re looking for hands-on help with your project, take a look at our 1-on-1 private coaching service .

Psst… there’s more (for free)

This post is part of our dissertation mini-course, which covers everything you need to get started with your dissertation, thesis or research project. 

You Might Also Like:

Thanks. I need examples of narrative analysis

Here are some examples of research topics that could utilise narrative analysis:

Personal Narratives of Trauma: Analysing personal stories of individuals who have experienced trauma to understand the impact, coping mechanisms, and healing processes.

Identity Formation in Immigrant Communities: Examining the narratives of immigrants to explore how they construct and negotiate their identities in a new cultural context.

Media Representations of Gender: Analysing narratives in media texts (such as films, television shows, or advertisements) to investigate the portrayal of gender roles, stereotypes, and power dynamics.

Where can I find an example of a narrative analysis table ?

Please i need help with my project,

how can I cite this article in APA 7th style?

please mention the sources as well.

My research is mixed approach. I use interview,key_inforamt interview,FGD and document.so,which qualitative analysis is appropriate to analyze these data.Thanks

Which qualitative analysis methode is appropriate to analyze data obtain from intetview,key informant intetview,Focus group discussion and document.

I’ve finished my PhD. Now I need a “platform” that will help me objectively ascertain the tacit assumptions that are buried within a narrative. Can you help?

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Home » Narrative Analysis – Types, Methods and Examples

Narrative Analysis – Types, Methods and Examples

Table of Contents

Narrative Analysis

Definition:

Narrative analysis is a qualitative research methodology that involves examining and interpreting the stories or narratives people tell in order to gain insights into the meanings, experiences, and perspectives that underlie them. Narrative analysis can be applied to various forms of communication, including written texts, oral interviews, and visual media.

In narrative analysis, researchers typically examine the structure, content, and context of the narratives they are studying, paying close attention to the language, themes, and symbols used by the storytellers. They may also look for patterns or recurring motifs within the narratives, and consider the cultural and social contexts in which they are situated.

Types of Narrative Analysis

Types of Narrative Analysis are as follows:

Content Analysis

This type of narrative analysis involves examining the content of a narrative in order to identify themes, motifs, and other patterns. Researchers may use coding schemes to identify specific themes or categories within the text, and then analyze how they are related to each other and to the overall narrative. Content analysis can be used to study various forms of communication, including written texts, oral interviews, and visual media.

Structural Analysis

This type of narrative analysis focuses on the formal structure of a narrative, including its plot, character development, and use of literary devices. Researchers may analyze the narrative arc, the relationship between the protagonist and antagonist, or the use of symbolism and metaphor. Structural analysis can be useful for understanding how a narrative is constructed and how it affects the reader or audience.

Discourse Analysis

This type of narrative analysis focuses on the language and discourse used in a narrative, including the social and cultural context in which it is situated. Researchers may analyze the use of specific words or phrases, the tone and style of the narrative, or the ways in which social and cultural norms are reflected in the narrative. Discourse analysis can be useful for understanding how narratives are influenced by larger social and cultural structures.

Phenomenological Analysis

This type of narrative analysis focuses on the subjective experience of the narrator, and how they interpret and make sense of their experiences. Researchers may analyze the language used to describe experiences, the emotions expressed in the narrative, or the ways in which the narrator constructs meaning from their experiences. Phenomenological analysis can be useful for understanding how people make sense of their own lives and experiences.

Critical Analysis

This type of narrative analysis involves examining the political, social, and ideological implications of a narrative, and questioning its underlying assumptions and values. Researchers may analyze the ways in which a narrative reflects or reinforces dominant power structures, or how it challenges or subverts those structures. Critical analysis can be useful for understanding the role that narratives play in shaping social and cultural norms.

Autoethnography

This type of narrative analysis involves using personal narratives to explore cultural experiences and identity formation. Researchers may use their own personal narratives to explore issues such as race, gender, or sexuality, and to understand how larger social and cultural structures shape individual experiences. Autoethnography can be useful for understanding how individuals negotiate and navigate complex cultural identities.

Thematic Analysis

This method involves identifying themes or patterns that emerge from the data, and then interpreting these themes in relation to the research question. Researchers may use a deductive approach, where they start with a pre-existing theoretical framework, or an inductive approach, where themes are generated from the data itself.

Narrative Analysis Conducting Guide

Here are some steps for conducting narrative analysis:

• Identify the research question: Narrative analysis begins with identifying the research question or topic of interest. Researchers may want to explore a particular social or cultural phenomenon, or gain a deeper understanding of a particular individual’s experience.
• Collect the narratives: Researchers then collect the narratives or stories that they will analyze. This can involve collecting written texts, conducting interviews, or analyzing visual media.
• Transcribe and code the narratives: Once the narratives have been collected, they are transcribed into a written format, and then coded in order to identify themes, motifs, or other patterns. Researchers may use a coding scheme that has been developed specifically for the study, or they may use an existing coding scheme.
• Analyze the narratives: Researchers then analyze the narratives, focusing on the themes, motifs, and other patterns that have emerged from the coding process. They may also analyze the formal structure of the narratives, the language used, and the social and cultural context in which they are situated.
• Interpret the findings: Finally, researchers interpret the findings of the narrative analysis, and draw conclusions about the meanings, experiences, and perspectives that underlie the narratives. They may use the findings to develop theories, make recommendations, or inform further research.

Applications of Narrative Analysis

Narrative analysis is a versatile qualitative research method that has applications across a wide range of fields, including psychology, sociology, anthropology, literature, and history. Here are some examples of how narrative analysis can be used:

• Understanding individuals’ experiences: Narrative analysis can be used to gain a deeper understanding of individuals’ experiences, including their thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. For example, psychologists might use narrative analysis to explore the stories that individuals tell about their experiences with mental illness.
• Exploring cultural and social phenomena: Narrative analysis can also be used to explore cultural and social phenomena, such as gender, race, and identity. Sociologists might use narrative analysis to examine how individuals understand and experience their gender identity.
• Analyzing historical events: Narrative analysis can be used to analyze historical events, including those that have been recorded in literary texts or personal accounts. Historians might use narrative analysis to explore the stories of survivors of historical traumas, such as war or genocide.
• Examining media representations: Narrative analysis can be used to examine media representations of social and cultural phenomena, such as news stories, films, or television shows. Communication scholars might use narrative analysis to examine how news media represent different social groups.
• Developing interventions: Narrative analysis can be used to develop interventions to address social and cultural problems. For example, social workers might use narrative analysis to understand the experiences of individuals who have experienced domestic violence, and then use that knowledge to develop more effective interventions.

Examples of Narrative Analysis

Here are some examples of how narrative analysis has been used in research:

• Personal narratives of illness: Researchers have used narrative analysis to examine the personal narratives of individuals living with chronic illness, to understand how they make sense of their experiences and construct their identities.
• Oral histories: Historians have used narrative analysis to analyze oral histories to gain insights into individuals’ experiences of historical events and social movements.
• Children’s stories: Researchers have used narrative analysis to analyze children’s stories to understand how they understand and make sense of the world around them.
• Personal diaries : Researchers have used narrative analysis to examine personal diaries to gain insights into individuals’ experiences of significant life events, such as the loss of a loved one or the transition to adulthood.
• Memoirs : Researchers have used narrative analysis to analyze memoirs to understand how individuals construct their life stories and make sense of their experiences.
• Life histories : Researchers have used narrative analysis to examine life histories to gain insights into individuals’ experiences of migration, displacement, or social exclusion.

Purpose of Narrative Analysis

The purpose of narrative analysis is to gain a deeper understanding of the stories that individuals tell about their experiences, identities, and beliefs. By analyzing the structure, content, and context of these stories, researchers can uncover patterns and themes that shed light on the ways in which individuals make sense of their lives and the world around them.

The primary purpose of narrative analysis is to explore the meanings that individuals attach to their experiences. This involves examining the different elements of a story, such as the plot, characters, setting, and themes, to identify the underlying values, beliefs, and attitudes that shape the story. By analyzing these elements, researchers can gain insights into the ways in which individuals construct their identities, understand their relationships with others, and make sense of the world.

Narrative analysis can also be used to identify patterns and themes across multiple stories. This involves comparing and contrasting the stories of different individuals or groups to identify commonalities and differences. By analyzing these patterns and themes, researchers can gain insights into broader cultural and social phenomena, such as gender, race, and identity.

In addition, narrative analysis can be used to develop interventions that address social and cultural problems. By understanding the stories that individuals tell about their experiences, researchers can develop interventions that are tailored to the unique needs of different individuals and groups.

Overall, the purpose of narrative analysis is to provide a rich, nuanced understanding of the ways in which individuals construct meaning and make sense of their lives. By analyzing the stories that individuals tell, researchers can gain insights into the complex and multifaceted nature of human experience.

When to use Narrative Analysis

Here are some situations where narrative analysis may be appropriate:

• Studying life stories: Narrative analysis can be useful in understanding how individuals construct their life stories, including the events, characters, and themes that are important to them.
• Analyzing cultural narratives: Narrative analysis can be used to analyze cultural narratives, such as myths, legends, and folktales, to understand their meanings and functions.
• Exploring organizational narratives: Narrative analysis can be helpful in examining the stories that organizations tell about themselves, their histories, and their values, to understand how they shape the culture and practices of the organization.
• Investigating media narratives: Narrative analysis can be used to analyze media narratives, such as news stories, films, and TV shows, to understand how they construct meaning and influence public perceptions.
• Examining policy narratives: Narrative analysis can be helpful in examining policy narratives, such as political speeches and policy documents, to understand how they construct ideas and justify policy decisions.

Characteristics of Narrative Analysis

Here are some key characteristics of narrative analysis:

• Focus on stories and narratives: Narrative analysis is concerned with analyzing the stories and narratives that people tell, whether they are oral or written, to understand how they shape and reflect individuals’ experiences and identities.
• Emphasis on context: Narrative analysis seeks to understand the context in which the narratives are produced and the social and cultural factors that shape them.
• Interpretive approach: Narrative analysis is an interpretive approach that seeks to identify patterns and themes in the stories and narratives and to understand the meaning that individuals and communities attach to them.
• Iterative process: Narrative analysis involves an iterative process of analysis, in which the researcher continually refines their understanding of the narratives as they examine more data.
• Attention to language and form : Narrative analysis pays close attention to the language and form of the narratives, including the use of metaphor, imagery, and narrative structure, to understand the meaning that individuals and communities attach to them.
• Reflexivity : Narrative analysis requires the researcher to reflect on their own assumptions and biases and to consider how their own positionality may shape their interpretation of the narratives.
• Qualitative approach: Narrative analysis is typically a qualitative research method that involves in-depth analysis of a small number of cases rather than large-scale quantitative studies.

Advantages of Narrative Analysis

Here are some advantages of narrative analysis:

• Rich and detailed data : Narrative analysis provides rich and detailed data that allows for a deep understanding of individuals’ experiences, emotions, and identities.
• Humanizing approach: Narrative analysis allows individuals to tell their own stories and express their own perspectives, which can help to humanize research and give voice to marginalized communities.
• Holistic understanding: Narrative analysis allows researchers to understand individuals’ experiences in their entirety, including the social, cultural, and historical contexts in which they occur.
• Flexibility : Narrative analysis is a flexible research method that can be applied to a wide range of contexts and research questions.
• Interpretive insights: Narrative analysis provides interpretive insights into the meanings that individuals attach to their experiences and the ways in which they construct their identities.
• Appropriate for sensitive topics: Narrative analysis can be particularly useful in researching sensitive topics, such as trauma or mental health, as it allows individuals to express their experiences in their own words and on their own terms.
• Can lead to policy implications: Narrative analysis can provide insights that can inform policy decisions and interventions, particularly in areas such as health, education, and social policy.

Limitations of Narrative Analysis

Here are some of the limitations of narrative analysis:

• Subjectivity : Narrative analysis relies on the interpretation of researchers, which can be influenced by their own biases and assumptions.
• Limited generalizability: Narrative analysis typically involves in-depth analysis of a small number of cases, which limits its generalizability to broader populations.
• Ethical considerations: The process of eliciting and analyzing narratives can raise ethical concerns, particularly when sensitive topics such as trauma or abuse are involved.
• Limited control over data collection: Narrative analysis often relies on data that is already available, such as interviews, oral histories, or written texts, which can limit the control that researchers have over the quality and completeness of the data.
• Time-consuming: Narrative analysis can be a time-consuming research method, particularly when analyzing large amounts of data.
• Interpretation challenges: Narrative analysis requires researchers to make complex interpretations of data, which can be challenging and time-consuming.
• Limited statistical analysis: Narrative analysis is typically a qualitative research method that does not lend itself well to statistical analysis.

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• How to write a narrative essay | Example & tips

How to Write a Narrative Essay | Example & Tips

Published on July 24, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A narrative essay tells a story. In most cases, this is a story about a personal experience you had. This type of essay , along with the descriptive essay , allows you to get personal and creative, unlike most academic writing .

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Table of contents

What is a narrative essay for, choosing a topic, interactive example of a narrative essay, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about narrative essays.

When assigned a narrative essay, you might find yourself wondering: Why does my teacher want to hear this story? Topics for narrative essays can range from the important to the trivial. Usually the point is not so much the story itself, but the way you tell it.

A narrative essay is a way of testing your ability to tell a story in a clear and interesting way. You’re expected to think about where your story begins and ends, and how to convey it with eye-catching language and a satisfying pace.

These skills are quite different from those needed for formal academic writing. For instance, in a narrative essay the use of the first person (“I”) is encouraged, as is the use of figurative language, dialogue, and suspense.

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Narrative essay assignments vary widely in the amount of direction you’re given about your topic. You may be assigned quite a specific topic or choice of topics to work with.

• Write a story about your first day of school.
• Write a story about your favorite holiday destination.

You may also be given prompts that leave you a much wider choice of topic.

• Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself.
• Write about an achievement you are proud of. What did you accomplish, and how?

In these cases, you might have to think harder to decide what story you want to tell. The best kind of story for a narrative essay is one you can use to talk about a particular theme or lesson, or that takes a surprising turn somewhere along the way.

For example, a trip where everything went according to plan makes for a less interesting story than one where something unexpected happened that you then had to respond to. Choose an experience that might surprise the reader or teach them something.

Narrative essays in college applications

When applying for college , you might be asked to write a narrative essay that expresses something about your personal qualities.

For example, this application prompt from Common App requires you to respond with a narrative essay.

In this context, choose a story that is not only interesting but also expresses the qualities the prompt is looking for—here, resilience and the ability to learn from failure—and frame the story in a way that emphasizes these qualities.

An example of a short narrative essay, responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” is shown below.

Hover over different parts of the text to see how the structure works.

Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.

Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.

A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.

The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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If you’re not given much guidance on what your narrative essay should be about, consider the context and scope of the assignment. What kind of story is relevant, interesting, and possible to tell within the word count?

The best kind of story for a narrative essay is one you can use to reflect on a particular theme or lesson, or that takes a surprising turn somewhere along the way.

Don’t worry too much if your topic seems unoriginal. The point of a narrative essay is how you tell the story and the point you make with it, not the subject of the story itself.

Narrative essays are usually assigned as writing exercises at high school or in university composition classes. They may also form part of a university application.

When you are prompted to tell a story about your own life or experiences, a narrative essay is usually the right response.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

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Using narrative analysis in qualitative research

Last updated

7 March 2023

Reviewed by

Jean Kaluza

After spending considerable time and effort interviewing persons for research, you want to ensure you get the most out of the data you gathered. One method that gives you an excellent opportunity to connect with your data on a very human and personal level is a narrative analysis in qualitative research. 

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• What is narrative analysis?

Narrative analysis is a type of qualitative data analysis that focuses on interpreting the core narratives from a study group's personal stories. Using first-person narrative, data is acquired and organized to allow the researcher to understand how the individuals experienced something. 

Instead of focusing on just the actual words used during an interview, the narrative analysis also allows for a compilation of data on how the person expressed themselves, what language they used when describing a particular event or feeling, and the thoughts and motivations they experienced. A narrative analysis will also consider how the research participants constructed their narratives.

From the interview to coding , you should strive to keep the entire individual narrative together, so that the information shared during the interview remains intact.

Is narrative analysis qualitative or quantitative?

Narrative analysis is a qualitative research method.

Is narrative analysis a method or methodology?

A method describes the tools or processes used to understand your data; methodology describes the overall framework used to support the methods chosen. By this definition, narrative analysis can be both a method used to understand data and a methodology appropriate for approaching data that comes primarily from first-person stories.

• Do you need to perform narrative research to conduct a narrative analysis?

A narrative analysis will give the best answers about the data if you begin with conducting narrative research. Narrative research explores an entire story with a research participant to understand their personal story.

What are the characteristics of narrative research?

Narrative research always includes data from individuals that tell the story of their experiences. This is captured using loosely structured interviews . These can be a single interview or a series of long interviews over a period of time. Narrative research focuses on the construct and expressions of the story as experienced by the research participant.

• Examples of types of narratives

Narrative data is based on narratives. Your data may include the entire life story or a complete personal narrative, giving a comprehensive account of someone's life, depending on the researched subject. Alternatively, a topical story can provide context around one specific moment in the research participant's life. 

Personal narratives can be single or multiple sessions, encompassing more than topical stories but not entire life stories of the individuals.

• What is the objective of narrative analysis?

The narrative analysis seeks to organize the overall experience of a group of research participants' stories. The goal is to turn people's individual narratives into data that can be coded and organized so that researchers can easily understand the impact of a certain event, feeling, or decision on the involved persons. At the end of a narrative analysis, researchers can identify certain core narratives that capture the human experience.

What is the difference between content analysis and narrative analysis?

Content analysis is a research method that determines how often certain words, concepts, or themes appear inside a sampling of qualitative data . The narrative analysis focuses on the overall story and organizing the constructs and features of a narrative.

What is the difference between narrative analysis and case study in qualitative research?

A case study focuses on one particular event. A narrative analysis draws from a larger amount of data surrounding the entire narrative, including the thoughts that led up to a decision and the personal conclusion of the research participant. 

A case study, therefore, is any specific topic studied in depth, whereas narrative analysis explores single or multi-faceted experiences across time. ​​

What is the difference between narrative analysis and thematic analysis?

A thematic analysis will appear as researchers review the available qualitative data and note any recurring themes. Unlike narrative analysis, which describes an entire method of evaluating data to find a conclusion, a thematic analysis only describes reviewing and categorizing the data.

• Capturing narrative data

Because narrative data relies heavily on allowing a research participant to describe their experience, it is best to allow for a less structured interview. Allowing the participant to explore tangents or analyze their personal narrative will result in more complete data. 

When collecting narrative data, always allow the participant the time and space needed to complete their narrative.

• Methods of transcribing narrative data

A narrative analysis requires that the researchers have access to the entire verbatim narrative of the participant, including not just the word they use but the pauses, the verbal tics, and verbal crutches, such as "um" and "hmm." 

As the entire way the story is expressed is part of the data, a verbatim transcription should be created before attempting to code the narrative analysis.

Video and audio transcription templates

• How to code narrative analysis

Coding narrative analysis has two natural start points, either using a deductive coding system or an inductive coding system. Regardless of your chosen method, it's crucial not to lose valuable data during the organization process.

When coding, expect to see more information in the code snippets.

• Types of narrative analysis

After coding is complete, you should expect your data to look like large blocks of text organized by the parts of the story. You will also see where individual narratives compare and diverge.

Inductive method

Using an inductive narrative method treats the entire narrative as one datum or one set of information. An inductive narrative method will encourage the research participant to organize their own story. 

To make sense of how a story begins and ends, you must rely on cues from the participant. These may take the form of entrance and exit talks. 

Participants may not always provide clear indicators of where their narratives start and end. However, you can anticipate that their stories will contain elements of a beginning, middle, and end. By analyzing these components through coding, you can identify emerging patterns in the data.

Taking cues from entrance and exit talk

Entrance talk is when the participant begins a particular set of narratives. You may hear expressions such as, "I remember when…," "It first occurred to me when…," or "Here's an example…."

Exit talk allows you to see when the story is wrapping up, and you might expect to hear a phrase like, "…and that's how we decided", "after that, we moved on," or "that's pretty much it."

Deductive method

Regardless of your chosen method, using a deductive method can help preserve the overall storyline while coding. Starting with a deductive method allows for the separation of narrative pieces without compromising the story's integrity.

Hybrid inductive and deductive narrative analysis

Using both methods together gives you a comprehensive understanding of the data. You can start by coding the entire story using the inductive method. Then, you can better analyze and interpret the data by applying deductive codes to individual parts of the story.

• How to analyze data after coding using narrative analysis

A narrative analysis aims to take all relevant interviews and organize them down to a few core narratives. After reviewing the coding, these core narratives may appear through a repeated moment of decision occurring before the climax or a key feeling that affected the participant's outcome.

You may see these core narratives diverge early on, or you may learn that a particular moment after introspection reveals the core narrative for each participant. Either way, researchers can now quickly express and understand the data you acquired.

• A step-by-step approach to narrative analysis and finding core narratives

Narrative analysis may look slightly different to each research group, but we will walk through the process using the Delve method for this article.

Step 1 – Code narrative blocks

Organize your narrative blocks using inductive coding to organize stories by a life event.

Example: Narrative interviews are conducted with homeowners asking them to describe how they bought their first home.

Step 2 – Group and read by live-event

You begin your data analysis by reading through each of the narratives coded with the same life event.

Example: You read through each homeowner's experience of buying their first home and notice that some common themes begin to appear, such as "we were tired of renting," "our family expanded to the point that we needed a larger space," and "we had finally saved enough for a downpayment."

Step 3 – Create a nested story structure

As these common narratives develop throughout the participant's interviews, create and nest code according to your narrative analysis framework. Use your coding to break down the narrative into pieces that can be analyzed together.

Example: During your interviews, you find that the beginning of the narrative usually includes the pressures faced before buying a home that pushes the research participants to consider homeownership. The middle of the narrative often includes challenges that come up during the decision-making process. The end of the narrative usually includes perspectives about the excitement, stress, or consequences of home ownership that has finally taken place. 

Step 4 – Delve into the story structure

Once the narratives are organized into their pieces, you begin to notice how participants structure their own stories and where similarities and differences emerge.

Example: You find in your research that many people who choose to buy homes had the desire to buy a home before their circumstances allowed them to. You notice that almost all the stories begin with the feeling of some sort of outside pressure.

Step 5 – Compare across story structure

While breaking down narratives into smaller pieces is necessary for analysis, it's important not to lose sight of the overall story. To keep the big picture in mind, take breaks to step back and reread the entire narrative of a code block. This will help you remember how participants expressed themselves and ensure that the core narrative remains the focus of the analysis.

Example: By carefully examining the similarities across the beginnings of participants' narratives, you find the similarities in pressures. Considering the overall narrative, you notice how these pressures lead to similar decisions despite the challenges faced. 

Divergence in feelings towards homeownership can be linked to positive or negative pressures. Individuals who received positive pressure, such as family support or excitement, may view homeownership more favorably. Meanwhile, negative pressures like high rent or peer pressure may cause individuals to have a more negative attitude toward homeownership.

These factors can contribute to the initial divergence in feelings towards homeownership.

Step 6 – Tell the core narrative

After carefully analyzing the data, you have found how the narratives relate and diverge. You may be able to create a theory about why the narratives diverge and can create one or two core narratives that explain the way the story was experienced.

Example: You can now construct a core narrative on how a person's initial feelings toward buying a house affect their feelings after purchasing and living in their first home.

Narrative analysis in qualitative research is an invaluable tool to understand how people's stories and ability to self-narrate reflect the human experience. Qualitative data analysis can be improved through coding and organizing complete narratives. By doing so, researchers can conclude how humans process and move through decisions and life events.

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Exploring Narrative Research: A Comprehensive Guide for Qualitative Researchers

Explore the fascinating world of narrative research, where personal stories and experiences are analyzed to uncover deep insights. learn the foundations of this approach, including life histories, personal narratives, and auto-ethnographies, and how it can enrich your research endeavors..

What is Narrative Research?

Types of narrative research, key principles of narrative research, steps to conduct narrative research, benefits of narrative research.

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Designing Narrative Research

by Janet Salmons, PhD Sage Research Methods Community Manager

What is Narrative Research?

We think of narratives as stories, words in context. Just as stories sometimes involve images, artifacts, and other elements, narrative research can involve multiple forms of data. It might seem that this type of study would fall into the domain of qualitative researchers. However, as illustrated by the collection of open-access examples listed below, narratives can be used in qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods research. Pinnegar and Daynes (2012) note that what narrative researchers hold in common is the study of stories or narratives or descriptions of a series of events. They point out:

These researchers usually embrace the assumption that the story is one if not the fundamental unit that accounts for human experience. But what counts as stories, the kinds of stories they choose to study, or the methods they use for study vary.

The SAGE Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods explains narrative research as:

Narrative analysis in the human sciences refers to a family of approaches to diverse kinds of texts that have in common a storied form. As nations and governments construct preferred narratives about history, so do social movements, organizations, scientists, other professionals, ethnic/racial groups, and individuals in stories of experience. What makes such diverse texts “narrative” is sequence and consequence: Events are selected, organized, connected, and evaluated as meaningful for a particular audience. Storytellers interpret the world and experience in it; they sometimes create moral tales—how the world should be. Narratives represent storied ways of knowing and communicating (Hinchman & Hinchman, 1997). I focus here on oral narratives of personal experience.

Research interest in narrative emerged from several contemporary movements: the “narrative turn” in the human sciences away from positivist modes of inquiry and the master narratives of theory; the “memoir boom” in literature and popular culture; identity politics in U.S., European, and transnational movements—emancipation efforts of people of color, women, gays and lesbians, and other marginalized groups; and the burgeoning therapeutic culture—exploration of personal life in therapies of various kinds. “Embedded in the lives of the ordinary, the marginalized, and the muted, personal narrative responds to the disintegration of master narratives as people make sense of experience, claim identities, and ‘get a life’ by telling and writing their stories” (Langellier, 2001, p. 700).

Among investigators, there is considerable variation in definitions of personal narrative, often linked to discipline. In social history and anthropology, narrative can refer to an entire life story, woven from the threads of interviews, observation, and documents. In sociolinguistics and other fields, the concept of narrative is restricted, referring to brief, topically specific stories organized around characters, setting, and plot (e.g., Labovian narratives in answer to a single interview question). In another tradition (common in psychology and sociology), personal narrative encompasses long sections of talk—extended accounts of lives in context that develop over the course of single or multiple interviews. Investigators' definitions of narrative lead to different methods of analysis, but all require them to construct texts for further analysis, that is, select and organize documents, compose field notes, and/or choose sections of interview transcripts for close inspection. Narratives do not speak for themselves or have unanalyzed merit; they require interpretation when used as data in social research.

Narrative inquiry embraces narrative as both the method and phenomena of study. Through the attention to methods for analyzing and understanding stories lived and told, it can be connected and placed under the label of qualitative research methodology. Narrative inquiry begins in experience as expressed in lived and told stories. The method and the inquiry always have experiential starting points that are informed by and intertwined with theoretical literature that informs either the methodology or an understanding of the experiences with which the inquirer began (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000). In essence, narrative inquiry involves the reconstruction of a person's experience in relationship both to the other and to a social milieu (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000).

Clandinin, D. J. (2007). Handbook of narrative inquiry: Mapping a methodology . SAGE Publications, Inc., https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452226552

Lewis-Beck, M. S., Bryman, A., & Futing Liao, T. (Eds.) (2004). The SAGE encyclopedia of social science research methods . (Vols. 1-0). Sage Publications, Inc., https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412950589

Like many research approaches, narrative research is taking new directions in the digital age. Many historical narratives are being digitized and made freely available through libraries and archives. New stories are emerging, whether being told directly to a researcher or shared online in discussion groups or social media. Use these open access articles to learn about qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches for studying narrative sources.

Qualitative Methods for Narrative Research

Fontaine, C. M., Baker, A. C., Zaghloul, T. H., & Carlson, M. (2020). Clinical Data Mining With the Listening Guide: An Approach to Narrative Big Qual. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19 , 1609406920951746. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406920951746

Abstract. We developed a novel approach to narrative Big Qual research that combines Carol Gilligan and Lyn Mikel Brown’s Listening Guide with Irwin Epstein’s clinical data mining. We adapted the voice-based research methodology of the Listening Guide for use with a corpus of clinical case notes drawn from an integrated data system (IDS) of a social service intervention serving families in an immigrant enclave. This methodological innovation was inspired by the insight that the Listening Guide can be used to trace and name the layering of meaning within any narrative, whether that narrative reflects the experience of an individual person or, as in this case, the community and everyday life of a social service intervention. Critically, this approach pivots on theorizing the subject as the collective of the intervention itself, as narrated by case managers, who can be understood as narrating subjects within the cultural, figured world of the intervention. In the context of a larger process and outcome evaluation, marrying these two approaches provided context, texture, and depth to supplement existing data sources like self-report survey data and participant observation, and offered a glimpse inside the “black box” of the intervention. We adapted the Guide through three readings of the clinical case notes: once for stanza structure, once inspired by the I-Poem technique but modified for these third-person narratives, and once with an eye to the contrapuntal voices of the inner and outer worlds of the intervention. As a methodological innovation this approach represents an advance in Big Qual and a promising approach to conducting narrative research on large qualitative data sets within mixed methods studies.

Guthrie, K. (2022). (Re)fractional narrative inquiry: A methodological adaptation for exploring stories. Methodological Innovations , 15 (1), 3-15. https://doi.org/10.1177/20597991221077902

Abstract. Narrative inquiry is relational inquiry in which inquirers come alongside the living, telling, re-living, and re-telling of stories. In this article, I present how I adapted narrative inquiry to explore parent perspectives of their gifted adolescent daughters’ experiences of belonging. At the time, I was conducting this study as part of my doctoral dissertation work and as a novice researcher, I struggled with (1) gaining access by a school district to interview adolescent students, (2) believing I could relationally come alongside adolescents as an outsider, and (3) questioning their developmental ability to think reflectively about their stories of belonging. Ultimately, I had to rethink my narrative inquiry approach. Here in this article, I share how I re-conceptualized my methodological approach as (re)fractional narrative inquiry to better understand gifted girls’ experiences from the perspectives of those who have relationally lived alongside them. I also present the context and methods of the study, provide a sample of co-negotiated narratives, discuss justifications of my inquiry, and conclude with reflections and evaluations of my adaptations.

Harris, L. M. (2022). Towards enriched narrative political ecologies. Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space , 5 (2), 835-860. https://doi.org/10.1177/25148486211010677

Abstract. Work on narrative, story, and storytelling has been on the rise across the humanities and social sciences. Building on significant work on these themes from Indigenous, Black, and Feminist scholarship, and other varied traditions, this piece explores and elaborates the potential regarding the elicitation, sharing, and analysis of stories for nature-society studies. Specifically, the piece examines core contributions along these lines to date, as well as the methodological, analytical, political, and transformative potential of story and storytelling to enrich, broaden, and deepen work in nature-society, political ecology, and environmental justice. All told, focus on story and storytelling, offers a number of relevant and rich openings to understand and engage complex, unequal, and dynamic socio-natures. While these elements have been present in nature-society work from some traditions and lines of inquiry, the time is ripe to broaden and deepen these engagements to more fully imagine, and respond to, key nature-society challenges.

Li, B. (2022). Navigating Through the Narrative Montages: Including Voices of Older Adults With Dementia Through Collaborative Narrative Inquiry. International Journal of Qualitative Methods , 21 , 16094069221083368. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069221083368

Abstract. Having the opportunity to express oneself is an important right to every human being. However, narratives of older adults with moderate to severe dementia are constantly ignored for their incoherence and inaccuracy. In most studies, their narratives were solely collected to measure their cognitive function, rendering their lived stories untold, unheard and undocumented. To include voices of older adults with moderate to severe dementia in research and liberate them from the patient identity, this article proposes collaborative narrative inquiry as a method to explore the meaning-making mechanisms and selfhood construction processes embedded in their incoherent narratives. Integrating narrative inquiry and collaborative analysis, collaborative narrative inquiry aims to collect, construct and deconstruct narratives of participants through an iterative and reflective way, in collaboration with caregivers. This method requires a paradigm shift from generating one essential truth of people’s lived experience to co-creating plural lived truths situated in different temporal, social and cultural backgrounds. Facilitating the proliferation of identities beyond the patient identity among older adults with moderate to severe dementia, collaborative narrative inquiry generates counter narratives against a single disease narrative. It de-marginalizes this group by inviting their voices back into the society, and destigmatises them by creating a new way to engage with them.

Moen, T. (2006). Reflections on the Narrative Research Approach. International Journal of Qualitative Methods , 5 (4), 56-69. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690600500405

Abstract. In her reflections on the narrative research approach, the author starts by placing narrative research within the framework of sociocultural theory, where the challenge for the researcher is to examine and understand how human actions are related to the social context in which they occur and how and where they occur through growth. The author argues that the narrative as a unit of analysis provides the means for doing this. She then presents some of the basic premises of narrative research before she reflects on the process of narrative inquiry and addresses the issue of the “true” narrative. Throughout the article, the author refers to educational research and in the concluding section argues that the results of narrative research can be used as thought-provoking tools within the field of teacher education.

Qualitative Methods for Narrative Research Over Time

Bruce, A., Beuthin, R., Sheilds, L., Molzahn, A., & Schick-Makaroff, K. (2016). Narrative Research Evolving: Evolving Through Narrative Research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods , 15 (1), 1609406916659292. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406916659292

Abstract. Narrative research methodology is evolving, and we contend that the notion of emergent design is vital if narrative inquiry (NI) is to continue flourishing in generating new knowledge. We situate the discussion within the narrative turn in qualitative research while drawing on experiences of conducting a longitudinal narrative study. The philosophical tensions encountered are described, as our understanding and application of narrative approaches evolved. We outline challenges in data collection and analysis in response to what we were learning and identify institutional barriers within ethics review processes that potentially impede emergent approaches. We conclude that researchers using NI can, and must, pursue unanticipated methodological changes when in the midst of conducting the inquiry. Understanding the benefits and institutional barriers to emergent aspects of design is discussed in this ever-maturing approach to qualitative research.

Mueller, R. A. (2019). Episodic Narrative Interview: Capturing Stories of Experience With a Methods Fusion. International Journal of Qualitative Methods , 18 , 1609406919866044. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406919866044

Abstract. Episodic narrative interview is an innovative, phenomenon-driven research method that was developed by integrating elements from several qualitative approaches in a methods fusion. Episodic narrative interview draws on critically oriented theoretical foundations and principles of experience-centered narrative and includes features from narrative inquiry, semistructured interview, and episodic interview. The purpose of episodic narrative interview is to better understand a phenomenon by generating individual stories of experience about that phenomenon. As such, an episodic narrative interview participant provides nested narrative accounts of their experiences with a social phenomenon, within the context of a bounded situation or episode. In this article, the author details the foundations of the episodic narrative interview approach and describes how the method is designed and implemented. The significance of episodic narrative interview is also explored, especially in terms of the ways in which it produces tightly focused, phenomenon-centered narratives that are reflective of particular bounded circumstances.

Quinn, K. (2021). Taking Live Methods slowly: inhabiting the social world through dwelling, doodling and describing . Qualitative Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687941211012222

Abstract. This article contributes to literatures on sociological live method by advocating for ‘playing’ with the concept of slow methods. Slow methods include a reflexive disposition towards the unfolding of social life in ordinary spaces (dwelling), the use of drawing as an embodied tool for understanding this unfolding (doodling) and the combination of these approaches into writing which deliberately seeks to evoke the liveness of the social world (describing). It draws on an ethnography of a joint-use public-academic library and several scenes selected from its fieldwork. I make three arguments: first, I argue for analogue methods to compliment digitally focussed live methods. Second, I explore the value of slow methods for being drawn into a scene and drawn to see its micro-happenings, particularly in spaces where the social world unfolds in mundane and uneven ways. Third, I argue the approach allows ‘shy researchers’ to engage attentively and reflexively in the field.

Mixed Methods or Multimodal Narrative Research

Doran, P., Burden, S., & Shryane, N. (2022). Integration of Narratives Into Mixed Methods Research: An Example From a Study on the Value of Social Support to Older People With Cancer. Journal of Mixed Methods Research , 16 (4), 418-437. https://doi.org/10.1177/15586898211056747

Abstract. While many advances have been made mixing other methodologies with mixed methods research (MMR), there are few examples of narrative MMR or detailed procedures for integrating the narrative approach into mixed methods studies. This article contributes to the MMR field an example of integrating narratives in MMR by applying a methodological approach that is shaped by stories. The example integrated findings from cancer narratives with survey data to explore emotional support and quality of life of older people living with cancer. Integration was achieved by, firstly, following a thread through the research phases, and secondly, by using joint displays to align findings. The narrative MMR methodology presented is a tool for putting stories at the center of the research process.

Gencel Bek, M., & Prieto Blanco, P. (2020). (Be)Longing through visual narrative: Mediation of (dis)affect and formation of politics through photographs and narratives of migration at DiasporaTürk. International Journal of Cultural Studies , 23 (5), 709-727. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367877920923356

Abstract. Our article explores how diasporic journeys and identities are remembered and represented through the visual narratives of DiasporaTürk, a Turkish diasporic media presence consisting of a Twitter account, an Instagram page, and two books. These engagements revive past (dis)affects and highlight the contemporary relevance of nostalgia, sorrow and victimization as key themes in the migration experience of ‘guest-workers’ from Turkey. The evidentiary force of the index, inhabiting fictional characters while looking like factual and archival material, seems thus to both acknowledge and validate migrated ‘guest-workers’, who, as subaltern groups, have otherwise received little praise or recognition in Turkey or ‘host’ countries. At the same time, while converging past and present (dis)affects associated with Turkish migration, DiasporaTürk contributes to reaffirming the reduction and homogenization of official/normative collective memories of migration via concrete visibilities/presences and invisibilities/absences.

Nasheeda, A., Abdullah, H. B., Krauss, S. E., & Ahmed, N. B. (2019). Transforming Transcripts Into Stories: A Multimethod Approach to Narrative Analysis . International Journal of Qualitative Methods. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406919856797

Abstract. Stories are essential realities from our past and present. As the primary sources of data in narrative research, interview transcripts play an essential role in giving meaning to the personal stories of research participants. The pragmatic narratives found in transcripts represent human experience as it unfolds. Analyzing the narratives found in interview transcripts thus moves beyond providing descriptions and thematic developments as found in most qualitative studies. Crafting stories from interview transcripts involves a complex set of analytic processes. Building on the first author's personal experience in working on a doctoral thesis employing narrative inquiry, this article presents a multimethod restorying framework to narrative analysis. A step-by-step progression within the framework includes choosing interview participants, transcribing interviews, familiarizing oneself with the transcripts (elements of holistic-content reading), chronologically plotting (elements of the story), use of follow-up interviews as a way to collaborate (an important procedure in narrative inquiry), and developing the story through structural analysis. It is hoped that this article will encourage other researchers embarking on narrative analysis to become creative in presenting participants’ lived experiences through meaningful, collaborative strategies. This article demonstrates the fluidity of narrative analysis and emphasizes that there is no single procedure to be followed in attempting to create stories from interview transcripts.

Saint Arnault, D., & Sinko, L. (2021). Comparative Ethnographic Narrative Analysis Method: Comparing Culture in Narratives. Global Qualitative Nursing Research , 8 , 23333936211020722. https://doi.org/10.1177/23333936211020722

Abstract. Narrative data analysis aims to understand the stories’ content, structure, or function. However narrative data can also be used to examine how context influences self-concepts, relationship dynamics, and meaning-making. This methodological paper explores the potential of narrative analysis to discover and compare the processes by which culture shapes selfhood and meaning making. We describe the development of the Comparative Ethnographic Narrative Analysis Method as an analytic procedure to systematically compare narrators’ experiences, meaning making, decisions, and actions across cultures. This analytic strategy seeks to discover shared themes, examine culturally distinct themes, and illuminate meta-level cultural beliefs and values that link shared themes. We emphasize the need for a shared research question, comparable samples, shared non-biased instruments, and high-fidelity training if one uses this qualitative method for cross-cultural research. Finally, specific issues, trouble-shooting practices, and implications are discussed.

Sherry, K., Dabula, X., Duncan, E. M., & Reid, S. (2020). Decolonizing Qualitative Research With Rural People With Disabilities: Lessons From a Cross-Cultural Health Systems Study. International Journal of Qualitative Methods , 19 , 1609406920932734. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406920932734

Abstract. Decolonization of research is nowhere more pressing than in post-apartheid South Africa, where cross-cultural encounters characterize every aspect of society. The health system plays a critical role in realizing the rights of marginalized populations, particularly rural communities and people with disabilities. However, cultural divides between service users and health care workers render health care provision unexpectedly complex. Such divides likewise obscure the meanings embedded in qualitative data, rendering research interpretations challenging. A study of the engagement between rural isiXhosa-speaking people with disabilities and primary health care workers was conducted by the first author, a White English-speaking female health care worker, in partnership with the second author, a Xhosa male research implementer. Ethnographic and narrative methods were used to create an embedded case study of 11 households of people with disabilities. Lessons on conducting ethical and culturally congruent research with this population are presented, important limitations in the qualitative paradigm raised, and alternative stances explored.

Simmonds, S., Roux, C., & Avest, I. t. (2015). Blurring the Boundaries between Photovoice and Narrative Inquiry: A Narrative-Photovoice Methodology for Gender-Based Research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods , 14 (3), 33-49. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940691501400303

Abstract. Photovoice provides alternative ways of doing research with schoolgirls, who are vulnerable and often under-acknowledged research participants. It is particularly valuable in dealing with sensitive topics such as gender-based violence, poverty and HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses. Photovoice is thus widely employed in disciplines such as health, education, economics, sociology, anthropology, and geography. Up until now, however, it has been predominantly underpinned by participatory action research and other community-based participatory related methodologies. This article explores the possibility of blurring the boundaries between photovoice and narrative inquiry to create a narrative-photovoice methodology for gender-based research. In this study, South African schoolgirls participate as coresearchers employing narrative-photovoice and reflect on the value and limitations of this methodology for making meaning of gender (in)equity in their everyday lives. The main findings are categorized into the following themes: (a) superstition and suspicion: a gatekeeper to gaining access, (b) embracing creativity, (c) moving beyond the abstract, (d) digital versus disposable camera, (e) and having fun while learning. In the conclusion, the authors reflect on the participants' experiences of doing narrative-photovoice and highlight particular considerations for using this methodology.

Sonday, A., Ramugondo, E., & Kathard, H. (2020). Case Study and Narrative Inquiry as Merged Methodologies: A Critical Narrative Perspective. International Journal of Qualitative Methods , 19 , 1609406920937880. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406920937880

Abstract. Case study and narrative inquiry as merged methodological frameworks can make a vital contribution that seeks to understand processes that may explain current realities within professions and broader society. This article offers an explanation of how a critical perspective on case study and narrative inquiry as an embedded methodology unearthed the interplay between structure and agency within storied lives. This case narrative emerged out of a doctoral thesis in occupational therapy, a single instrumental case describing a process of professional role transition within school-level specialized education in the Western Cape, South Africa. This case served as an exemplar in demonstrating how case study recognized the multiple layers to the context within which the process of professional role transition unfolded. The embedded narrative inquiry served to clarify emerging professional identities for occupational therapists within school-level specialized education in postapartheid South Africa.

Quantitative Methods for Narrative Research

Fage-Butler, A., Ledderer, L., & Nielsen, K. H. (2022). Public trust and mistrust of climate science: A meta-narrative review. Public Understanding of Science , 31 (7), 832-846. https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625221110028

Abstract. This systematic meta-narrative literature review aims to explore the narratives of trust evident in literature on public (mis)trust relating to climate science published up until May 2021, and to present the main findings from these papers. We identified six narratives of trust: attitudinal trust, cognitive trust, affective trust, contingencies of trust, contextual trust and communicated trust. The papers’ main findings spanned theoretical conclusions on the importance of positionality to trust and morality to trustworthiness, to qualitative findings that the scientific community was mainly trusted, to quantitative findings that explored how trust functioned as an independent, dependent or mediating variable. This literature review sheds important light on the interrelationship between climate science and publics, highlights areas for further research, and in its characterisation of trust narratives provides a language for conceptualising trust that can further interdisciplinary engagement.

László, J., Csertő, I., Fülöp, É., Ferenczhalmy, R., Hargitai, R., Lendvai, P., Péley, B., Pólya, T., Szalai, K., Vincze, O., & Ehmann, B. (2013). Narrative Language as an Expression of Individual and Group Identity: The Narrative Categorical Content Analysis. SAGE Open , 3 (2), 2158244013492084. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244013492084

Abstract. Scientific Narrative Psychology integrates quantitative methodologies into the study of identity. Its methodology, Narrative Categorical Analysis, and its toolkit, NarrCat, were both originally developed by the Hungarian Narrative Psychology Group. NarrCat is for machine-made transformation of sentences in self-narratives into psychologically relevant, statistically processable narrative categories. The main body of this flexible and comprehensive system is formed by Psycho-Thematic modules, such as Agency, Evaluation, Emotion, Cognition, Spatiality, and Temporality. The Relational Modules include Social References, Semantic Role Labeling (SRL), and Negation. Certain elements can be combined into Hypermodules, such as Psychological Perspective and Spatio-Temporal Perspective, which allow for even more complex, higher level exploration of composite psychological processes. Using up-to-date developments of corpus linguistics and Natural Language Processing (NLP), a unique feature of NarrCat is its capacity of SRL. The structure of NarrCat, as well as the empirical results in group identity research, is discussed.

Books from Sage Publishing

Doing Narrative Research Second Edition by Molly Andrews, Corinne Squire, Maria Tamboukou (2013)

Using Narrative in Research by Christine Bold (2011)

Handbook of Narrative Inquiry : Mapping a Methodology by D. Jean Clandinin (2006)

Narrative Inquiry : A Dynamic Approach by Colette Daiute (2013)

Biographical Research Methods by Marta J. Eichsteller and Howard H. Davis (2022)

Quantitative Narrative Analysis by Roberto Franzosi (2009)

Understanding Narrative Inquiry : The Crafting and Analysis of Stories as Research by Jeong-Hee Kim (2015)

Discourse and Narrative Methods : Theoretical Departures, Analytical Strategies and Situated Writings by Mona Livholts, Maria Tamboukou (2015)

Narrative as Topic and Method in Social Research by Donileen R. Loseke (2021)

More Sage Research Methods Community posts about narratives and stories in research

What are narrative methods ? In this post find a description, and a collection of books and open-access exemplars that use qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches.

Find posts and open-access articles about storytelling in the data collection stage, and in communication about research that reaches diverse readers.

This collection of open-access SAGE journal articles show a variety of creative and participatory methods used when studying youth.

Stories can reveal otherwise hidden truths. Read about ways that storytelling can enhance research.

Learn about using qualitative data visualization in visual storytelling.

Theorizing Through Literature Reviews: The Miner-Prospector Continuum

Sample selection in systematic literature reviews.

150 Narrative Essay Topics

If you're looking for a more creative approach to writing essays, narrative essays might be a great option for you. With narrative essays, you have the freedom to tell a story and use your own personal experiences to make a point.

Whether you're writing a personal narrative or an experiential essay, you'll want to make sure that you're engaging your reader and conveying your message effectively. This is where custom essay writing services and coursework writing services can be incredibly helpful. With the assistance of professional writers, you can develop a compelling narrative essay that is both engaging and informative.

Overall, writing a narrative essay can be a fun and rewarding experience. Whether you're reflecting on a personal experience or sharing an anecdote, remember that the goal is to make a point and connect with your audience. So why not give it a try and see what stories you can tell? And if you need any assistance, don't hesitate to reach out to a " write my essay" or " write a paper for me" service for help.

What is a Narrative Essay?

A narrative essay is a less formal form of academic writing where the goal is to see whether you can tell a story clearly in an engaging manner. It follows the typical format of an essay with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion but also incorporates classic story writing elements like plot, setting, character, climax, and ending. 

This kind of essay is written from a defined point of view, usually yours, so writing in the first person is recommended unlike most other forms of academic writing. You still need to make a point though, so include a thesis statement in your first paragraph and refer to it again in the conclusion. 

Many college application essay prompts are narrative writing, for example - describe the most significant achievement of your life. Learning how to write a good narrative paper has use beyond just college essays though, a majority of online content now is based on telling engaging stories. Read on to know more about narrative papers and find a list of 150 fascinating topics for narrative essays.

How to Choose a Topic for a Narrative Essay

Choosing good narrative essay topics are crucial for a few reasons. The story you tell will most often draw from your own experiences and thoughts, so choose a topic that you know well or are well-informed about. Additionally, since the story has to have a purpose, select a topic that has broad potential and narrow it down to tell your unique story. Remember the following things when choosing a topic for a narrative essay.

The key thing to remember is that you’re telling a story

Because a narrative essay is so unlike most academic writing assignments, a common mistake is writing sections like a dry academic assignment. It’s for school, but that doesn’t mean you can’t deliver an experience. It’s about crafting an engaging piece of storytelling while revealing something impactful through the story.

Choose an interesting or meaningful idea to explore

This is a great time to write about something that is particularly important in your life or something you are passionate about. Topics can range from your thoughts and ideas about a concept to an obscure activity that you enjoy.

The pre-writing stage is critically important

A good story flows well and includes details that draw the reader in, but it also has to deliver some idea or message. Collecting information and planning ahead to create an outline for your essay will smoothen your writing process.

Don’t forget to have fun with it!

The story you tell should be engaging, which means you have the freedom to experiment! Drawing from several different but interconnected life experiences, or telling the story from the perspective of an inanimate object are some interesting ways to make your essay stand out. 

But remember that it’s still an essay

Even though it’s storytelling, you’re still writing an essay, which means it needs to follow the classic essay structure. Based on the word count, plan how many body paragraphs you need (minimum 3 ALWAYS). Your first sentence should still have a hook, and your first paragraph still needs to have a thesis statement. The story that unfolds in the body paragraphs shouldn’t drift from your thesis statement, and your conclusion needs to end the story as well as reiterate your thesis. 

Struggling with the Topic for Your Narrative Essay Homework?

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150 Unique Topics for Narrative Essay 

It can be quite tough to think of something meaningful to write your essay about, but almost any experience you have can be an interesting topic. For one person, the first time they played a sport could be a traumatic experience, for another it could be life-changing. Only you know your experiences and thoughts. Here’s a list of narrative essay topics that you can use to start the brainstorming process and spark your imagination.

College narrative essay topics 

College is a time of new experiences. So much happens that it shouldn’t be difficult to choose something to write about. The essay you write can be more descriptive, focussing on your sensory observations of an experience, or more contemplative, focusing on new thoughts and feelings. Take a look at these narrative essay topics for college students. 

What was it like getting your first acceptance letter?

How you chose which college to go to

Your first day leaving home and coming to campus

Meeting your roommate and whether it went well or not

Your first college party 

Your favorite class 

Losing touch or staying in touch with friends from high school

The best day in college so far

The difference between sports in high school and college

How you realized college was easier or tougher than you thought it would be

What it was like being in a class with 200 students

Your experience with an extracurricular you had never tried before

Going home for the first time after attending college

Finding a subject you never thought you would like 

How did you start feeling truly comfortable in college?

Narrative essay topics for high school students

High school years are chaotic. The changes in students and their social expectations can be frustrating, challenging, and exhilarating. Essays about many important firsts can be drawn from high school. Here are a few examples of narrative essay topics related to high school.

The best day of freshman year

A time you were bullied and stood up for yourself

A time when you were bullied and felt helpless

Your most significant social accomplishment

What was a meaningful volunteering experience you had?

Your proudest moment in a sporting event

Losing a valued friend

Your first highschool dance

Why your favorite teacher became your favorite teacher

When you realized what you want to pursue as a career

The best video game moment you had 

An embarrassing moment in school and how you overcame it

Your best social media moment

The buildup to graduation day

An experience helping another student

Personal narrative essay topics

Since narrative essays are often written in the first person and rely on the experiences and thoughts of the author, they can all be considered personal, but a personal essay asks you to specifically tell a story about a time that changed you in a meaningful way. Here are some topics for writing a narrative essay about personal moments and revelations. 

A summer vacation adventure that involved heroics

Describe an experience you had in a foreign country that made you feel lucky to be from your country

Your first time following a YouTube tutorial 

Your excitement at watching the newest star wars/lord of the rings/Marvel Cinematic Universe etc. movie

Bonding with a new pet 

The moment you realized that you admire some traits in a person and want to be like them 

A situation that changed your relationship with your parents 

A situation when you had to deal with the police

Witnessing an event that needed you to call the police 

Your best leadership moment

Your experience attending a large event (politics, religion, sports, etc)

The most meaningful time in church or any religious moment of significance

An experience that humbled you 

A situation where you made a serious mistake 

A time you had to learn from adversity 

Narrative argument essay topics

Like any narrative essay - the goal is to tell a story, but like any argument essay - the goal is to convince or persuade the reader to agree with your viewpoint. Writing an effective narrative argument essay incorporates convincing arguments into the story itself. The trick is finding a balance between getting lost in telling the story and forgetting about storytelling and convincing the reader. Here are a few examples to help you find a topic for a narrative essay. 

A time when you convinced somebody against a conspiracy theory

A moment that made you more religious or spiritual

A moment that made you less religious or spiritual

Your favorite trip and why the place you went to is fantastic

How you discovered your favorite art style

The first time you played a new genre of game and why it’s the best 

Your experience attending a conference or event about climate change

Watching a movie, tv-show, youtube video, or any media that changed your mind

A situation where you had to verbally defend yourself or a friend

An observation about income disparity gained by working in a soup kitchen/homeless shelter etc.

An experience you’ve had talking to somebody with different political beliefs

A conversation about gender identity with an older person

Seeing the police behave appropriately or inappropriately

Your experience with love and how you developed your definition of it

A time you had to swallow your pride and hold your tongue

Easy narrative essay topics

Here’s a list of some good topics for a narrative essay that most people have experience with and can write about but are still interesting enough to create an engaging story for the reader. Below are some easy but interesting narrative essay topics.

A hike, picnic, or walk that made you appreciate nature

Visiting a particularly awesome amusement park

An especially romantic date

Your first trip to a big city 

Your first trip to a foreign country 

Discovering a new movie genre

The thrill of watching horror movies

A regular day in your life

A moment when you gained respect for your parents, teachers, or friends

The time you saved an animal

How you broke a bad habit 

How you developed a new skill

Your experience at a zoo

The first time you went bowling (tried any new game)

Your happiest day

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Cultural narrative essay topics

Some of the most mind-expanding experiences happen when looking at and understanding a different culture or by analyzing your own culture from an outsider’s perspective. Cultural narrative essay topics are particularly useful when applying to colleges or applying for grants or scholarships for exchange programs. 

What you learned from a trip abroad

How the lives of people in various socio-economic brackets are different

Observations on which basic things are different in different countries

How your cultural identity has changed over time

Sleeping over at a friends house from a different cultural background

Describe some unique personal family traditions

An experience where your culture/race/religion affected the situation around you

How you learned to fit in with a different culture

You first experience living in a foreign country

Discovering new subcultures like anime, gaming, k-pop, etc

Your favorite traditions from foreign cultures

How you understood your cultural heritage better

A time when you realized the impact of media on the perspective of other cultures

Getting over stereotypes because someone behaved differently than what you expected 

Celebrating a different festival for the first time

Autobiographical narrative essay topics

Autobiographical narrative essays as you to specifically describe and talk about things in your life that impacted you. Take a look at the narrative essay topics below for inspiration.  

Your first memory

Your first meaningful memory

Your first day of school

Your relationship with your grandparents

Finding out a shocking family secret

Your proudest achievement as a child

Your favorite childhood hobby

The best day of middle school

A time when you lost something important

How you dealt with losing someone close to you

Discovering your favorite musician

Your first kiss, date, or relationship

The worst day of your life 

Why certain things are so meaningful to you

Which people have influenced your life significantly?

Fictional narrative essay topics

Fictional narrative essay topics are an opportunity to flex your creativity. Put yourself in the shoes of someone else, or in a fantastic situation and write a story! These are some narrative essay topics to choose from down below.

What it would be like traveling to Mars

What you would do with a million dollars

Describe a particularly vivid dream 

A day in your life if you woke up as the opposite sex

What it would be like to be a professional gamer

What it would be like to have 100,000 Instagram followers

A day at the zoo from the perspective of an animal

A day in the life of a child from a very wealthy family

A day in the life of a child from a war-torn country

What it would be like to have your own talk show

What would you do if you were president?

What would you do if you were a dictator?

What it would be like to be a superhero

Tell a story based on your favorite work of art

A hypothetical dinner with your favorite celebrity

Best narrative essay topics - our choice

The best narrative essay topic ideas are going to be different for every individual. This section is going to choose some topics that offer the most space for creativity, are interesting to write about, or offer a broad chance for self-reflection. 

Your earliest sad memory

How you realized someone had become a role model

A day in the life of your favorite fictional character

The thrill of winning

The heartbreak of loss

Understanding gender identity

A clash of culture

A new discovery

Finding your favorite hobby 

Performing beyond expectation

Overcoming personal trauma

Helping someone in need

A life-changing trip 

Enjoying nature

Questioning the status quo

More interesting narrative essay topics

Think about these situations and ask yourself if any of these or something similar happened to you and makes for a good story. Enjoy these interesting narrative essay topics!

The best way to win at a particular video game

The process of creating a good TikTok 

Why binging a show is the best way to consume media

What it’s like being lost in a virtual world

A time you were convinced to try something new

Discovering a new favorite food 

What dancing means to you 

The saddest scene in media

The funniest babysitting moment

Your first day at a job

A time you asked for help

What it feels like to end a good book

A time where you panicked 

A time you were kind to someone 

Final thoughts

A narrative writing is unlike most other forms of academic writing. This can make it challenging for students, but as long as you think about it as writing a story and choose the right topic for a narrative essay, they are actually a joy to write! Here are a few key things to remember as you write your essay. 

A narrative essay uses the story structure - beginning, middle, and end, as well as plot, climax, setting, and characters

Spend time on the prewriting phase to gather your thoughts and plan an outline

Don’t lose track of the main purpose of the story

Generally, write in the first person, but the third person can be used as well

Use vivid words and explain sensory details

Above all, have fun and engage the reader as much as you can

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Last updated on: Dec 21, 2023

Narrative Essay Topics - Best Topic Ideas for Your Essay

By: Nathan D.

10 min read

Reviewed By: Rylee W.

Published on: May 19, 2020

A narrative essay is similar to storytelling.  Writing a narrative essay  means that the writer is narrating a story. It can be related to a person, place, personal experience, or event in your life.

Narrative essays tell the story of your life. When you write a narrative essay, you are telling someone about an important experience or event. A good narrative essay should have some kind of personal connection with the reader.

Also, the best narrative essay topics are ones that you can write about with passion. If you're not able to find the right topic for your narrative essay, try looking into some of the topics given in the blog.

Like any other essay, you need to choose an essay topic before starting with narrative essay writing. It may seem easy, but finding good narrative essay topics can be hard.

Therefore, you need to know how to find and choose a topic for your narrative essay.

On this Page

Narrative Essay Topics for Students

Now you know how to choose  essay topics  for a great narrative essay. The next step is to research and find a good topic idea on your own. However, if you are still struggling, we have given some great narrative essay ideas to choose from.

Personal Narrative Essay Topics for Middle School Students

• 3 Reasons Why disappointment is good
• What love means to you
• How to write a speech about a person you admire
• An unpleasant childhood experience
• Discuss loyal friends in your life
• Imagine living on another planet. How would it be?
• A memory from your vacations
• Talk about your school and what makes you love it.
• An experience that put you in danger
• Share the experience of your first trip abroad.

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 7

• A day when you got lost
• How did your father propose to your mom?
• What do you want to be and why?
• Describe your hero
• Imagine you were invisible. Describe what you would do
• Talk about the person you are most afraid to lose.
• A misunderstanding with another person
• An interesting episode from your school days
• How you lost your best friend

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 8

• One of your most amazing childhood shows and characters
• Describe the things in life that you are grateful for
• As a child, what is your role in the family?
• If you are a teacher, what would you do when your students feel bored?
• What things make you feel angry and why?
• What is your favorite commercial on TV?
• What friendship means to you
• An exciting experience that put you in danger
• A funny story that made you feel embarrassed
• A quick trip to your childhood
• A sneak peeks into learning a new skill.

Narrative Essay Topics for High School Students

• My favorite weather story.
• If I were president.
• If I had a million dollars.
• This made me laugh.
• The end of my first relationship
• The day I lost a loved one.
• When you experienced rejection.
• My greatest accomplishment.
• I would like to invent this.
• A story of you playing in the rain.

Narrative Essay Topics for College Students

• Interesting books for students to read this summer
• First day at college
• Poems you’ve read this year
• Do you have a diary or journal?
• Reasons you should start your own blog.
• How often do you use Facebook?
• Your favorite pop star
• Favorite childhood games
• Who is your role model?
• A teacher you will never forget.

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Narrative Argument Essay Topics

• Should nuclear weapons be outlawed?
• Is animal testing necessary?
• Pressure on teenagers to go to college
• Does religion cause war?
• Should abortion be illegal?
• Is it okay for parents to monitor teens’ Internet use?
• Humans are the main cause of natural disasters.
• Social media is the reason behind conflicts between family members.
• Share a memorable moment of your childhood in a scholarship essay.
• When you fought with your brother while playing a video game

Morality Narrative Essay Topics

• Does modern society lack the moral values of the past?
• What is your opinion about racial discrimination?
• What are the key moral values in your life?
• What is your personal view regarding morality?
• Have you inherited your moral values?
• Do you think your ancestors had different moral values?
• How do you understand other people's moral values? Is it difficult for you to accept them or not?
• What was the best morality lesson for you?
• Lack of morality is the root cause of social destruction. Discuss.
• How can we promote moral lessons in schools?

Relationship Narrative Essay Topics

• How do you know if there are no sparks in your relationship anymore?
• Does arguing with your parents affect your social life?
• When do you know you have met “the one”?
• Does being a feminist influence your relationships?
• Is marrying old-fashioned?
• Does forgiveness matter in a relationship?
• How do you eradicate misunderstandings and arguments from your relationships?
• Reasons for the distance between parents and children.
• Both partners need to work together to make a relationship successful. Discuss.
• Traditional Vs. Modern Household System. Which is better and why?

Childhood Narrative Essay Topics

• What was your first day of school like for you?
• What was your favorite school activity as a child?
• Who was your favorite teacher? And Why?
• What was the most mischievous event of your childhood?
• How did you manage the bullies of your school?
• Who was your role model when you were a child?
• Do you think teachers should be friendly? If yes, then why?
• Have you ever pranked anyone? What was the result?
• Did you like any particular subject when in school?
• Do childhood friends influence us? How?

Work Narrative Essay Topics

• How to engage employees in the work environment?
• How to reduce stress at the workplace?
• How do you manage strict deadlines?
• What kind of experience do you have while hiring an online employee?
• What to do when you think your work-life is falling apart?
• How to avoid harassment in the workplace?
• Promoting equality in the workplace.
• Men and women employees should be treated equally; discuss.
• Having a plant wall in the workplace is healthy.
• Companies should give healthy lunch options at subsidized prices. Discuss.

Traveling Narrative Essay Topics

• Do you need a large budget for traveling?
• Is it safe to travel the world on your own?
• Is travel photography a difficult art to master?
• Should you quit your job if you want to travel?
• Can too much traveling be boring?
• What to do when you travel to the city of your dreams?
• What can you learn from traveling to non-tourist areas?
• Is it possible to explore a location without knowing that place's language?
• How does traveling affect your worldview?
• How can you travel on a low budget?

Cultural Narrative Essay Topics

• What is called pop culture?
• How does the media influence our beliefs?
• What is a cultural norm?
• What does it mean to be Native American in the twenty-first century?
• What can a person learn from personal discovery?
• Why are food traditions still important to some people?
• Why do people take health for granted
• Tell us about your unique family tradition.
• A tradition that surprised you

Experience Narrative Essay Topics

• Discuss the most embarrassing moment of your life.
• Which is the scariest incidence of your life?
• Real-life values that you learned from an experience.
• The experience that taught you the value of family and friends.
• How did you learn to control your fear?
• The most helpful experience of your life.
• How did you learn to appreciate the value of life?
• When did you feel the happiest?
• A memorable family picnic.
• The experience of the first job.

Interesting Narrative Essay Topics

• Describe the most amazing movie that you ever watched.
• Describe the most touching song that you heard last time.
• The superpower that you want to have and why?
• Any book characters that you relate with?
• The movie that you want to direct and why?
• Do you have any hidden talent? When did you discover it?
• Which is your favorite TV character?
• Any TV stars who you would like to meet in real life?
• Are you a sports fanatic? Describe your favorite sport.
• Who is your favorite tennis player, and why?

General Narrative Essay Topics

• Write about the scariest moment in your life. How did a scary moment teach you to be brave?
• Challenges are important for improvement. Discuss.
• Describe your visit to a flea market. Did you get anything valuable there?
• Do you believe that you should treat others as you would like to be treated? Describe any relevant experience.
• Siblings help develop our personalities. Describe how you contribute to your personal development.
• Watching someone you love suffering is hard. Describe your experience when you felt this pain.
• Kindness keeps this world warm. Discuss the statement with relevant examples and personal life experiences.
• Imperfection is a blessing. Discuss a lesson learned through mistakes.
• Self-criticism is hard but useful. Write about your experience when you rectified your flaw.
• Being right does not mean being easy. Write about the event in your life when you had difficulty because you were right.

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How to Choose a Good Narrative Essay Topic?

Choosing a good topic for your high school or college narrative writing involves a set of steps. By following them, you will find relevant narrative topics that you could use in your essay.

The steps include:

1. Brainstorming

Brainstorming is important. Make a list of essay ideas and research them. See what information you can find about them and choose the essay topic that you are confident about.

2. Planning

Planning before writing is a rule of thumb. Research the stories, ideas and decide which ones you will add to your narrative essay. Decide the number of paragraphs and the ideas for them. Make points and refer to them when writing the essay.

3. Proving the Main Point

Every essay has the main point; what is yours? When you write a narrative essay, you share your experience and try to persuade the reader to share it. They may have a different viewpoint. But, through your essay, you tell an interesting story and convince them to agree with your point of view.

4. Storytelling

A good narrative essay is all about storytelling. This could be through the character’s voice or the writer’s voice. Feel free to choose any voice but be consistent. Do not shift from the first person to third-person narration and vice versa.

5. Essay Structure

No great narrative essay is without a proper structure. An essay structure includes an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. The usual number of paragraphs in the main body is three, but you can increase it if needed.

Choose the best topic from the list given above and start writing your narrative essay. You can use these topics for narrative speech as well. These narrative essay writing topics will make a great essay for any academic level.

Still wondering how you would write a great narrative essay?

We have a professional essay writer for you.  5StarEssays.com  writing service is expert and offers affordable writing help for high school, college, and higher-level students. We are diligent in choosing and hiring writers and work with only the best writers.

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College Admission Essay, Literature

Nathan completed his Ph.D. in journalism and has been writing articles for well-respected publications for many years now. His work is carefully researched and insightful, showing a true passion for the written word. Nathan's clients appreciate his expertise, deep understanding of the process, and ability to communicate difficult concepts clearly.

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Are you a student in 2023, looking for some awesome narrative essay topics that are easy to grasp and fun to write about? 

You're in luck! Narrative essays let you share your stories, making them a perfect choice for students. 

In this guide, we've put together a list of the best narrative essay topics for 2023. 

Whether you're an experienced writer searching for fresh ideas or a student hunting for an exciting topic for your next assignment, we've got your back. These topics will ignite your imagination and captivate your readers. 

So, let's dive in!

• 1. Narrative Essay Topics for Students
• 2. Unique Narrative Essay Topics for Students
• 3. How to Choose a Topic for a Narrative Essay?
• 4. Tips for Writing Narrative Essays

Narrative Essay Topics for Students

If you're a student looking for a diverse range of topics, we've got you covered with a diverse selection of narrative essay topics. 

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 5

• My First Day at a New School
• The Time I Learned to Ride a Bike
• A Visit to a Haunted House
• The Day I Met a Real-Life Superhero
• My Most Memorable Family Vacation
• A Surprising Encounter with an Animal
• The Mystery of the Missing Homework
• The Best Birthday Party I Ever Had
• When I Lost a Tooth
• My Adventure in a Fantasy World

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 6

• An Unforgettable Camping Trip
• The Day I Discovered a Hidden Talent
• A Mysterious Letter and Its Consequences
• A Time I Had to Stand Up for What's Right
• The Thrilling Mystery of a Forgotten Diary
• A Memorable Encounter with a Famous Person
• My Journey Through a Fantasy Land
• The Day I Learned a Valuable Life Lesson
• An Unexpected Act of Kindness
• A Secret Adventure in an Abandoned Place

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 7

• The Most Exciting Adventure of My Life
• The Day I Overcame a Fear
• A Memorable School Field Trip
• The Strangest Mystery I Ever Encountered
• An Unforgettable Encounter with Wildlife
• A Life-Changing Decision I Had to Make
• The Best Book I Ever Read and Why
• A Day in the Life of a Time Traveler
• The Importance of Friendship in My Life
• A Valuable Lesson Learned from a Mistake

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 8 

• A Time I Faced a Difficult Moral Dilemma
• The Most Memorable Summer Vacation
• The Impact of a Life-Altering Decision
• An Unexpected Act of Kindness I Received
• The Day I Stepped Out of My Comfort Zone
• A Historical Event I Would Like to Witness
• A Special Family Tradition and Its Significance
• A Personal Achievement I'm Proud Of
• A Challenging Obstacle I Overcame
• A Journey Through My Creative Imagination

Narrative Essay Topics for Grade 9

• The Transition to High School: Challenges and Triumphs
• A Life-Changing Encounter with an Inspiring Mentor
• My First Part-Time Job and What I Learned
• The Day I Realized the Power of Empathy
• The Impact of a Personal Passion or Hobby
• An Unforgettable Travel Experience Abroad
• A Meaningful Community Service Project I Participated In
• The Role of Technology in My Life
• A Defining Moment in My Cultural Identity
• My Vision for the Future: Dreams and Aspirations

Narrative Essay Topics for O-Levels 

• The Day I Took a Leap of Faith
• An Unforgettable Journey into the Unknown
• A Life-Altering Decision I Made in High School
• An Encounter with a Stranger That Changed My Perspective
• The Role of Resilience in Overcoming a Personal Challenge
• The Impact of a Cultural Exchange Experience
• A Lesson Learned from a Unique Life Experience
• The Importance of Perseverance in Achieving a Goal
• My Most Memorable Academic Achievement
• A Glimpse into My Future: Aspirations and Ambitions

Narrative Essay Topics for Highschool

• The Moment I Discovered My Passion
• A Life-Changing Journey Abroad
• A Challenging Decision That Shaped My Future
• An Unexpected Act of Kindness That Touched My Heart
• The Role of Resilience in Overcoming Adversity
• A Personal Experience That Shaped My Values
• The Impact of Technology on My Generation
• A Time I Took a Stand for a Cause I Believe In
• A Memorable Leadership Role I Assumed
• A Glimpse into My Ideal Future: Aspirations and Goals

Narrative Essay Topics for College

• The Journey to Finding My Academic Passion
• A Life-Altering Study Abroad Experience
• The Transformational Impact of a Challenging Decision
• Navigating the Transition from College to the Professional World
• An Unforgettable Encounter with a Mentor or Role Model
• The Role of Adversity in Shaping My Personal Growth
• A Significant Ethical Dilemma I Faced in College
• How My College Experiences Have Shaped My Worldview
• The Impact of Technology on My College Education
• A Personal Reflection on My Career Aspirations and Goals

Narrative Essay Topics for University

• The Evolution of My Academic and Career Goals at University
• An Eye-Opening Internship Experience That Impacted My Future
• A Transformative Study Abroad Journey
• Navigating the Complexities of Balancing Work, Academics, and Social Life at University
• The Role of a Unique Research Project in My Academic Growth
• A Personal Account of Overcoming a Significant Academic Challenge
• A Meaningful Leadership Role in a University Organization
• The Journey of Self-Discovery Through Elective Courses at University
• The Impact of Peer Relationships and Networking at University
• How My University Education Has Shaped My Perspective on Global Issues

Unique Narrative Essay Topics for Students

We've gathered distinct narrative topic ideas to fuel your creativity. Let’s look at some personal narrative ideas to inspire your narrative writing.

Descriptive Narrative Essay Topics

• A Peaceful Day by the Riverside
• Exploring a Haunted House
• My Favorite Childhood Memory
• A Walk Through an Ancient Forest
• The Perfect Winter Wonderland
• An Evening at a Carnival
• A Visit to a Vibrant Art Gallery
• The Spectacular Colors of Autumn
• A Day in the Life of a Beach
• An Exciting Night in the City

Personal Narrative Essay Topics

• A Life-Changing Decision I Made
• A Moment of Personal Triumph
• Overcoming My Greatest Fear
• A Meaningful Lesson from a Personal Challenge
• The Role of a Special Friend in My Life
• A Time When I Broke a Personal Record
• The Impact of a Mentor on My Life
• My Journey to Self-Discovery

Literacy Narrative Essay Topics

• My Earliest Memory of Learning to Read
• The Book That Sparked My Love for Reading
• A Life-Changing Experience in a Library
• The Impact of a Special Teacher on My Writing Skills
• How Technology Has Shaped My Writing Habits
• A Personal Reflection on My Writing Journey
• The Role of Literature in Shaping My Perspective
• Writing as a Tool for Self-Expression and Healing
• How I Overcame Writer's Block
• The Significance of Storytelling in My Life

Engaging Narrative Essay Topics

• The Mystery of a Lost Treasure Map
• An Unlikely Friendship That Changed My Life
• A Day in the Life of a Professional Athlete
• The Journey of Starting My Own Business
• A Haunting Experience in a Historic Place
• A Memorable Road Trip with Friends
• My Encounter with a Famous Celebrity
• The Day I Conquered My Greatest Fear
• An Adventure in a Foreign Land
• A Life-Altering Decision at a Crossroads

How to Choose a Topic for a Narrative Essay?

Choosing the right topic for your narrative essay can be a daunting task. Before you start writing, it is important to invest some time in researching and brainstorming. 

Here are a few tips to help guide you in selecting an interesting and engaging narrative essay topic: 

• Reflect on Your Personal Experiences: If you are writing about a personal narrative topic, consider the impactful moments in your life and think about experiences that have left a strong impression on you.
• Identify a Clear Message or Theme: Determine the central idea or theme of your narrative. Decide what lesson, insight, or emotion you want to convey.
• Engage Your Audience: Consider your target audience and what will resonate with them. Choose a topic that captures their interest and keeps them engaged.
• Play with Different Perspectives: Explore the option of incorporating different viewpoints. Combining personal and external perspectives can add depth to your narrative.
• Test Your Idea: Get feedback from a friend or classmate. Assess if your chosen topic is likely to resonate with your audience.
• Stay True to Your Voice: Balance considering your audience with being authentic. Let your unique voice and storytelling style shine through in your writing

Tips for Writing Narrative Essays

Once you have selected a topic for your narrative essay, it is time to start writing. 

Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you write your story: 

• Start with a Strong Hook: Begin your narrative essay with a captivating hook, such as an engaging anecdote, a thought-provoking question, or a vivid description. 
• Follow a Clear Structure: Organize your narrative essay outline with a clear structure. Most narratives follow a chronological order, but you can also use flashbacks or nonlinear storytelling when it serves your narrative. 
• Build Tension and Conflict:  Create tension and conflict in your narrative to add depth and maintain reader engagement. Whether it's a personal struggle, a moral dilemma, or an external challenge, these obstacles will keep readers eagerly anticipating what comes next.
• Revise and Edit:  After completing your first draft, take the time to revise and edit your work. Review it for grammar and spelling errors, but also examine the overall structure and flow of your narrative.
• Practice, Practice, Practice:  Like any form of writing, improving your narrative essay skills takes practice. Keep writing and experimenting with different topics, styles, and approaches to develop your storytelling abilities.

Before you start writing, make sure you read some narrative essay examples to learn how to organize your thoughts and structure your story.

In summary, no matter the type of essay you are writing about, you need a topic to start with. Our collection of narrative essay topics offers fresh, distinct ideas. 

These topics are crafted to ignite your creativity and captivate your audience. They cover a diverse range of experiences, making it easier for you to connect with your readers on a personal level.

Still, struggling to write a compelling narrative essay? Our narrative essay writing service is here to help you out!

MyPerfectWords.com stands as a legitimate essay writing service with a specialized focus on crafting exceptional essays designed for high school and college students. Our customer support team is also available 24/7, so don't hesitate to reach out whenever you need assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

How are narrative essay topics different from other essay types.

Narrative essay topics are usually based on personal experiences, so they are more emotional and creative than other types of essays. Also, they are often more open-ended, so you have more freedom to choose what to write about. 

Where can I find good narrative essay topics?

There are a few ways to find good topics for your narrative essay. You can look through books or magazines for ideas, or search online for inspiration. You can also brainstorm with friends or family members to come up with ideas. 

What do I write a narrative essay about?

You can write a narrative essay about anything, but it is usually based on personal experience. Try to recall interesting incidents from your life to develop a narrative about. 

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Narrative Analysis: Methods and Examples

Narrative analysis is a powerful qualitative research tool. Narrative research can uncover behaviors, feelings and motivations that aren’t expressed explicitly….

Narrative analysis is a powerful qualitative research tool. Narrative research can uncover behaviors, feelings and motivations that aren’t expressed explicitly. It also provides rich linguistic data that may shed light on various aspects of cultural or social phenomena.

Narrative analysis provides researchers with detailed information about their subjects that they couldn’t get through other methods. Narrative analysis in qualitative research reveals hidden motivations that aren’t easy to perceive directly. This is especially true in research conducted with cultural subjects where the researcher must peel the many layers of a culture.

Let’s look at how narrative research is performed, what it can tell us about the subject, and some examples of narrative research.

What Is Narrative Research?

Examples of narrative research, difference between narrative analysis and case study, analyzing results in the narrative method.

Narrative analysis is a form of qualitative research in which the researcher focuses on a topic and analyzes the data collected from case studies, surveys, observations or other similar methods. The researchers write their findings, then review and analyze them.

To conduct narrative analysis, researchers must understand the background, setting, social and cultural context of the research subjects. This gives researchers a better idea of what their subjects mean in their narration. It’s especially true in context-rich research where there are many hidden layers of meaning that can only be uncovered by an in-depth understanding of the culture or environment.

Before starting narrative research, researchers need to know as much about their research subjects as possible. They interview key informants and collect large amounts of text from them. They even use other sources, such as existing literature and personal recollections.

From this large base of information, researchers choose a few instances they feel are good examples of what they want to talk about and then analyze them in depth.

Through this approach, researchers can gain a holistic view of the subject’s life and activities. It can show what motivates people and provide a better view of the society that the subjects live in by enabling researchers to see how individuals interact with one another.

• It’s been used by researchers to study indigenous peoples of various countries, such as the Maori in New Zealand.
• It can be used in medicine. Researchers, for instance, can study how doctors communicate with their patients during end-of-life care.
• The narrative model has been used to explore the relationship between music and social change in East Africa.
• Narrative research is being used to explore the differences in emotions experienced by different generations in Japanese society.

Through these examples of narrative research, we can see its nature and how it fills a gap left by other research methods.

Many people confuse narrative analysis in qualitative research with case studies. Here are some key differences between the two:

• A case study examines one context in depth, whereas narrative research explores how a subject has acted in various contexts across time
• Case studies are often longer and more detailed, but they rarely provide an overview of the subject’s life or experiences
• Narrative analysis implies that researchers are observing several instances that encompass the subject’s life, which is why it provides a richer view of things

Both tools can give similar results, but there are some differences that lead researchers to choose one or the other or, perhaps, even both in their research design.

Once the narratives have been collected, researchers notice certain patterns and themes emerging as they read and analyze the text. They note these down, compare them with other research on the subject, figure out how it all fits together and then find a theory that can explain these findings.

Many social scientists have used narrative research as a valuable tool to analyze their concepts and theories. This is mainly because narrative analysis is a more thorough and multifaceted method. It helps researchers not only build a deeper understanding of their subject, but also helps them figure out why people act and react as they do.

Storytelling is a central feature of narrative research. The narrative interview is an interactive conversation. This process can be very intimate and sometimes bring about powerful emotions from both parties. Therefore, this form of qualitative research isn’t suitable for everyone. The interviewer needs to be a good listener and must understand the interview process. The interviewee also needs to be comfortable to be able to provide authentic narratives.

Understanding what kind of research to use is a powerful tool for a manager. We can use narrative analysis in many ways. Narrative research is a multifaceted method that has the potential to show different results based on the researcher’s intentions for their study.

Learning how to use such tools will improve the productivity of teams. Harappa’s Thinking Critically course will show you the way. Learners will understand how to better process information and consider different perspectives in their analysis, which will allow for better-informed decision making. Our faculty will provide real-world insights to ensure an impactful learning experience that takes professionals at every stage of their careers to the next level.

Explore Harappa Diaries to learn more about topics such as Phenomenological Research , Types Of Survey Research , Examples Of Correlational Research and Tips to Improve your Analytical Skills to upgrade your knowledge and skills.

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In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section Narrative Research in Education

Introduction, general overviews.

• Narrative Research in Kindergarten to Grade 12
• Focus on Postsecondary Students
• Focus on Postsecondary Teachers
• Health Sciences
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• Psychology and Counseling
• Life Study Narrative Research
• Youth Study Narrative Research
• Narrative Research with People Who Are Labeled Vulnerable

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Narrative Research in Education by D. Jean Clandinin , Vera Caine , Margot Jackson LAST REVIEWED: 03 May 2021 LAST MODIFIED: 27 March 2019 DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199756810-0175

While the study of narratology has a long history, narrative research became a methodology for the study of phenomena in the social sciences in the 1980s. Since that time there has been what some have called a narrative revolution, which is reflected in the rapid uptake in the use of narrative methodology across disciplines. There are diverse definitions of narrative research with different ontological and epistemological commitments, which range from semiotic studies and discourse analysis of spoken and written text to analysis of textual structures of speech and performances of texts as in narrative analysis to the relational studies of narrative inquiry where a focus on lived and told experience is central.

Here we attend to narrative research in education rather than only focusing on narrative research embedded in institutions of schooling. Doing this acknowledges that life’s experiences may be educational, whether they occur inside or outside of, and perhaps at times in spite of, the institutions of schooling. For us education occurs in community, peer group, and family, as well as in vast geographic places and with diverse people. This way of thinking speaks to our understanding of education as reflective of intergenerational linkages and inclusive of anticipated future events, places, and contexts. Education attends carefully to the larger social, cultural, linguistic, familial, and institutional narratives in which schooling also occurs. While debate is ongoing about the ways to engage in narrative research, researchers do agree that narrative research is the study of experience. For narrative inquirers, experience is the stories that people live and tell over time, in different places, and in diverse and unfolding relationships. Informed by Dewey 1938 , Connelly and Clandinin 1990 notes that experience is understood as narrative phenomena. Bruner 1987 furthers our understanding by differentiating between narrative and paradigmatic knowing and, in this, points out fundamental differences from other research methodologies and ways to understand life. Polkinghorne 1988 adds a more nuanced understanding of analytic processes and emphasizes the importance of looking at the complexity and wholeness of a life. Since that time, scholarly works, such as Rosiek 2013 and Clandinin 2007 , have articulated the strong link to pragmatist traditions, and they have situated narrative traditions more clearly in epistemological and ontological ways. Concepts of relational ethics were first made central in Clandinin and Connelly 2000 , and they were developed further in Clandinin, et al. 2018 , while Morris 2002 has differentiated thinking with from about stories as a central aspect.

Bruner, J. 1987. Life as narrative. Social Research 54.1: 11–32.

An important early article that introduced narrative knowing as distinct from paradigmatic knowing. While some of these ideas were present in Bruner’s Acts of Meaning (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1990), the naming of narrative knowing marked an important shift.

Clandinin, D. J., ed. 2007. Handbook of narrative inquiry: Mapping a methodology . Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

First overview of research methods and concepts within narrative inquiry. Important text for social science researchers interested in narrative research and distinctions within narrative research. Introduces concepts of borderlands between narrative inquiry and post-positivist, neo-Marxist, and post-structuralist research. Translated into Korean and Chinese.

Clandinin, D. J., V. Caine, and S. Lessard. 2018. Relational ethics in narrative inquiry . London: Routledge.

DOI: 10.4324/9781315268798

Outlines an ethical stance appropriate to narrative inquiry. Building on Bergum and Dosseter’s understanding on relational ethics in clinical practice, the authors use six illustrative studies to show relational ethics as lived in narrative inquiry. Includes narrative inquiry that directly engages relational tensions between persons often seen as vulnerable and broader social forces. Afterword by pragmatist scholar J. Rosiek.

Clandinin, D. J., and F. M. Connelly. 2000. Narrative inquiry: Experience and story in qualitative research . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

First text to outline narrative inquiry as methodology and phenomenon. Widely used to introduce researchers to narrative inquiry. Illustrates narrative inquiry processes as moves from field to field texts to research texts. Introduces relational ethics as well as the importance of narrative beginnings. Translated into Korean, Japanese, Portuguese, and Chinese.

Connelly, F. M., and D. J. Clandinin. 1990. Stories of experience and narrative inquiry. Educational Researcher 19.5: 2–14.

DOI: 10.3102/0013189X019005002

First article that linked narrative to inquiry in an explicit way. Published in a leading research journal, the article signaled narrative inquiry as a research methodology as well as a way to understand experience as a narrative phenomenon.

Dewey, J. 1938. Experience and education . New York: Collier.

Outlines experiential view of experience as life. Often cited as philosophical grounding for narrative inquiry. Introduces Dewey’s criteria of experience as continuity and interaction in situations that are linked to the three-dimensional narrative inquiry space of temporality, sociality, and place.

Morris, D. B. 2002. Narrative, ethics, and pain: Thinking with stories. In Stories matter: The role of narrative in medical ethics . Edited by Rita Charon and Martha Montello, 196–218. New York: Routledge.

Introduces distinction between thinking with stories as distinct from thinking about stories.

Polkinghorne, D. E. 1988. Narrative knowing and the human sciences . New York: State Univ. of New York Press.

Brought concept of narrative knowing into developing understandings of narrative research in social sciences. Differentiated narrative analysis from analysis of narratives: The former focused more on contextual and holistic realms in narrative research while the latter focused more on the analysis of the texts themselves.

Rosiek, J. 2013. Pragmatism and post-qualitative studies. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education 26.6: 692–705.

DOI: 10.1080/09518398.2013.788758

Significant in this article is the return to pragmatist philosophy and the thinking about practice in relation to narrative. Pragmatist practice, which shapes narrative inquiry research, is related to political action, imagination, and future possibilities.

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164 Narrative Essay Topics for School & College Students

A narrative essay tells a story about a series of events. At the core of this kind of essay can be a personal experience or a fictional plot. Any story can be a basis for a narrative essay!

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Narratives can look similar to descriptions. Still, they are different. A descriptive essay aims to explain the details of a specific moment. Narrative writing focuses on a sequence of events to tell a complete story.

In this article, we have prepared a list of narrative essay topics for high school, college, and university students. The topic ideas are divided by spheres. In the collection below, you’ll find the ideas based on personal experience as well as fictional narrative essay topics. Make use of resources offered by our custom writing experts to write any paper!

• 🔝 Top 10 Topics
• 📖 Fictional Topics
• 🧑✍️ Personal Narrative
• ✈️ Traveling
• 🧒 Elementary

✏️ Middle School

🧑‍🏫 high school.

• 👫 Relationships
• 🧸 Childhood
• 💡 Writing Guide and Tips

🔝 Top 10 Narrative Essay Topics: High School

• Your childhood role model
• How you overcame hardship
• The best news you have ever heard
• The time you experienced culture shock
• A story of how you mistreated someone
• The most memorable encounter you’ve had
• An unexpected event that changed your life
• The most embarrassing conversation you’ve had
• When you realized you were wrong in an argument
• A person who changed your opinion on something

📖 Fictional Narrative Essay Topics

The art of writing fiction is all about narrating a story. In a fictional narrative, you are free to create a tale that doesn’t relate to real life. Take a look at the fictional narrative essay topics below:

• Write a narrative where a girl discovers her superpower.
• A story about a land that has 25 hours in a day.
• Describe your version of the future .
• Fiction narrative where a person discovers big city life.
• Come up with an apocalyptic story.
• A group of scientists discovering a new world inside the Earth.

• Write about a hamster that prevented a house robbery .
• A person who saves the country from mass-produced poisoned food .
• A group of high school students helping to improve their city.
• A new civilization in a far away galaxy.
• Write about a grandfather who was secretly a spy.
• A narrative about a person waking up from the surgery with a different identity .
• Create a story about a mysterious musical instrument .
• A college student who won the presidential election .
• Compose a story about a painting that looks different in every new house.
• An anonymous person sends lots of money to the poor.
• Come up with a fictional narrative about a family with unusual tendencies.
• A movie star who lives out their roles in real life.
• Passengers of an airplane encounter a UFO .
• A narrative where a farmer grows strange plants.
• Write about an orphan who finds out about their inheritance .
• Story of siblings who resolve a long-lasting argument.

🧑✍️ Personal Narrative Essay Topics

A personal narrative is devoted to the author’s own experience. Therefore, feel free to write in first person. Include your thoughts and emotions. Do your best to describe the details of your narrative. This will help the reader to relive the story with you. Here is the list of excellent topic ideas for your essay:

• Memories of your first sports coach .
• A story of how you dyed your hair.
• Write about something you did against your parents’ will.
• Recall a day when you got in a fight with your best friend .
• What was the most exciting adventure in your life?
• An unfortunate situation that had a good ending.
• Write about the time when you had to train hard for a competition.
• Describe the turning point of your life.
• An experience when you had to overcome your fear.
• Write about the circumstances that brought you and your parents closer.
• Describe a memorable conversation with someone.

• An imaginary world you’ve created as a child.
• Who gave you the most valuable lesson in your life?
• One time when you regretted doing something.
• A particularly embarrassing situation you went through.
• Your memories of seeing something very beautiful .
• A moment that made you proud of yourself.
• Recall a time when you taught a child to do something.
• What was the most memorable news report you saw in your life?
• Describe a day when you stood up for someone.
• Write about the best birthday party you’ve ever had.
• Share your experience of being lost.

📚 Literacy Narrative Essay Topics

Literacy narrative revolves around reflecting on feelings connected to reading and writing. For this type of essay, think of yourself as a reader and a writer. You can describe any reading experience, whether it is a book, email, or social media post.

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• The most touching piece of writing you’ve ever read.
• Write about a book that impacted you the most.
• A news article that changed your view on life.
• What book character do you most identify with?
• Talk about a piece of fiction that captured your imagination.
• What was your favorite novel growing up?
• The scariest story you’ve ever read.
• Recall your emotions after reading a heartfelt social media post.
• What is the most boring book you’ve read?
• Describe a book that you would reread over and over again.

• Your experience of reading a story to a child.
• Have you ever read something that taught you a lesson?
• Do you see yourself becoming a professional writer?
• Recall the day when you had to complete your first writing assignment.
• How does sharing thoughts on social media make you feel?
• If you were to write a book, who would be the main character?
• Talk about the most personal thing you’ve ever written.
• Describe your experience of composing a poem.
• Why can someone have difficulty with writing ?
• Recall what it was like to read for the first time.
• What does journaling mean to you?
• Have you ever been proud of something you wrote?

✈️ Narrative Essay Topics about Traveling

In this section, you get to engage your creativity! A narrative essay about traveling is supposed to show the reader what it’s like to explore the world. Present a story taking place in a real or imaginary location:

• Your first time traveling to another country.
• Friends taking a trip to the Great Canyon.
• Write a narrative about traveling to your dream location.
• Describe a trip to the Taj Mahal.
• A day-long road trip.
• Share your experience of visiting a historical site.
• Come up with a story about getting around the airport .
• What to do if you are lost in a foreign country?
• A day in the life of a flight attendant .
• Write about eating unusual foods from around the world.
• Describe talking to a local in a foreign language .
• A narrative about going on a seven-day cruise .
• Tell the reader about the most breathtaking view you’ve ever seen.
• Write a story about riding a train.
• A short narrative about an out-of-state road trip .

• Traveling to see your family on holidays.
• Come up with a narrative about hitchhiking across America.
• What is it like to travel in the air balloon?
• How to prepare for a trip around the world.
• What to do if your luggage got lost in a foreign country.
• Describe packing a suitcase for a long trip.
• A story about a person missing their plane.

🏫 Narrative Essay Topics about School

This section is for all grades! Writing a narrative essay about school gives you a chance to share your personal experience as a student. You can write about precious memories, challenges, or influential people in your school career. Pick one of the narrative essay topics about school from this list:

🧒 Elementary School

• Write a story with your favorite teacher as the main character.
• Describe your first day at school.
• A fun memory with your best friend.
• What is your favorite thing to do during a break?
• Tell your reader about something interesting you learned in class recently.
• A day when you had to leave school early.
• Recall your favorite celebration with classmates.
• Write about your favorite school subject.
• A story about your most unusual day at school.
• How did you bond with your classmates?
• Come up with narrative about a memorable event at the cafeteria .
• The last day of school before the summer break .
• One time when you forgot to bring something to the class.
• Describe how you worked on a science project.
• The most challenging class you took in middle school.
• A story of how you pranked a friend.
• Have you ever won a school competition?
• The day when you’ve decided on your future profession.
• Write about the teacher who impacted you the most.
• A story of a serious conversation you had about your grades .
• The day when you got in trouble with the principal .
• Reflect on a class you will never forget.

👫 Narrative Essay Topics about Relationships

Narrative essay about relationships focuses on presenting a story about connections between people. You can write about your family, friends, or loved ones. Make sure to pick a statement that you will expand on in your story. Use the following list of narrative writing topics to come up with your narrative about relationships.

• A conflict between generations .
• What is it like to be in love ?
• Write about how hatred can destroy relationships.
• Describe an example of loyalty.
• A story about maintaining friendship via social media .
• Come up with a narrative where people with opposite personalities are getting along.
• Tell the reader about somebody being generous.
• Write about a couple being honest with each other.
• A story where classmates treat each other with respect.
• Describe a family that maintains loving relationship no matter what.
• A story where you help somebody who used to be your enemy .
• How friendliness can brighten up a person’s day.
• Talk about the pain of ending a relationship .

• Children learning from their parents about empathy .
• A narrative about food connecting people.
• Come up with a story about unfulfilled expectations.
• The importance of authentic conversations in a friendship.
• What relational patterns do you see in your family?
• Manifestations of real love in everyday life.
• A story when someone makes a sacrifice for the sake of others.
• Describe a situation where parents are bonding with their child.
• Talk about the most meaningful relationship in your life.

🧸 Childhood Narrative Essay Topics

Childhood narrative essays are about sharing memories from the time when you were little. You can write about playing with friends or a day when you fell off the bike. Or, ask your family members to recall some episodes from your childhood.

• A story of how you received your nickname.
• Write about playing with your favorite toys.
• What is the most memorable place you went to when you were little?
• What kind of friends did you have when you were little?
• Did you ever break anything?
• Recall your earliest childhood memories.
• What was the first valuable lesson you’ve learned as a kid?
• Share your favorite childhood sports memory.
• A story of your first triumph.
• What did you enjoy doing when you were little?

• A moment from your childhood that your parents often recall.
• Which talents did you have when you were a child?
• What was it like to grow up with your siblings?
• Write a narrative about your favorite pet.
• The most memorable childhood moment with your family.
• Were there any challenges you had to overcome as a kid?
• What was your favorite children’s book ?
• Did you ever get lost when you were little?
• An exciting sleepover you had with friends.
• Write a story about how you and your friends went on an adventure.
• A family holiday that you will remember forever.
• What was your favorite food in your early years?

💡 Narrative Essay Writing Guide and Tips

As you already know, writing a narrative essay is very similar to telling a story. Here are a few tips to remember for narrative writing:

Receive a plagiarism-free paper tailored to your instructions. Cut 20% off your first order!

• Tip 1: Use your memories. Take time to write down everything you can recall about the event. You can use it as a basis for your paper.
• Tip 2: Be clear. Stick to the main idea of the essay. It’s better not to add characters or details that are not relevant to the story you’re telling.
• Tip 3: Choose words carefully. In an essay words to are like paint on a canvas. The use of vivid language can help you create a story worth reading.

Now, pay attention to this step-by-step guide. It will help you outline an on-point narrative essay:

• Introduction. In the opening paragraph, determine the main idea of the paper. Make a clear thesis that reflects the purpose of your narrative. To help yourself with this part, you can try a narrative essay thesis generator .

In this essay, I want to share my happiest childhood memory of playing with my older brother.

• The body. Since you are writing the narrative essay as a story, make sure to tell the story well. Think through the plot with conflict, climax, and a powerful conclusion. Take your time to introduce the setting and the characters. All this will make your paper entertaining and easy to read.
• Conclusion. Bring your narrative to a logical end. Expanding on the thesis statement will help you write a great conclusion.

Playing with my older brother taught me the true meaning of family, and I’m very grateful for it.

We hope this article helped you figure out how to write a narrative essay!

You may be also interested in:

• How to Write a Narrative Essay: Easy Guide and Useful Tips
• How to Start an Autobiography about Yourself: Full Guide + Autobiography Examples
• How to Write a Creative Essay: Tips, Topics and Techniques
• Breaking Down the Types of Essays: a Complete Guide for Success

🔍 References

• Narrative Essays: Purdue University
• Nailing the Craft of Narrative Writing: WeAreTeachers
• Narrative and Reflection Writing Samples: Western Technical College
• Drafting a Narrative: Walden University
• Scholarly Personal Narrative: University of Vermont
• The Power of Personal Narratives in the Classroom: University of Washington
• Fiction Writing Basics: Purdue University
• How to Write a Literacy Narrative: Pen and the Pad
• Literacy Narratives: UNC Charlotte
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Narrative Research

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Narrative research aims to unravel consequential stories of people’s lives as told by them in their own words and worlds. In the context of the health, social sciences, and education, narrative research is both a data gathering and interpretive or analytical framework. It meets these twin goals admirably by having people make sense of their lived health and well-being in their social context as they understand it, including their self-belief-oriented stories. Narrative research falls within the realm of social constructivism or the philosophy that people’s lived stories capture the complexities and nuanced understanding of their significant experiences. This chapter presents a brief overview of the narrative research approaches as forms of inquiry based on storytelling and premised on the truth value of the stories to best represent the teller’s life world. The chapter also discusses data collection, analysis, and presentation utilizing narrative analysis. In doing so, this chapter provides illustrative examples applying narrative-oriented approaches to research in the health and social sciences. The chapter concludes by outlining the importance of narrative research to person-centric investigations in which the teller-informant view matters to the resulting body of knowledge.

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Ntinda, K. (2019). Narrative Research. In: Liamputtong, P. (eds) Handbook of Research Methods in Health Social Sciences. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5251-4_79

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Narrative as Topic and Method in Social Research

• Donileen R. Loseke - University of South Florida, USA
• Description

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• Develops a conceptual framework for treating narrative as a research topic.
• D efines the kinds of questions about narrative that can be explored through empirical research.
• Focuses on the epistemological foundation of narrative research and on the multiple practical issues raised by research questions about meaning.
• Provides guidance on the practicalities of designing and implementing narrative research.
• Offers empirical examples of how such research is done.

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter01-Conceptualizing Narrative For Social Research

Chapter02-Empirical Questions About Narrative

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50 Narrative Essay Topics

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but a narrative essay can also tell an exciting story and create vivid pictures in the reader’s mind! We’ve got 50 narrative essay topics designed to prompt students to craft memorable written narratives. These can be modified for students in elementary, middle and high school. Feel free to print the entire narrative essay topics list for plenty of inspiration for your next narrative essay assignment!

Narrative Essay Topics

• Your first day of school.
• Your most exciting day of school
• A field trip that your class took.
• Your favorite summer vacation.
• A trip that included something unexpected or surprising.
• A time that you experienced something spooky.
• A time that you experienced something truly frightening.
• A time that you learned something new that changed you in some way.
• The moment when you met someone who changed your life.
• The day that you got your first pet.
• A move from one place to another.
• Something funny that happened to you.
• Something funny that happened to one of your family members or friends.
• Something embarrassing that happened to you.
• Your favorite birthday party.
• A birthday that was disappointing.
• A big storm (rain, snow or even a tornado!).
• A time that the power went out.
• A summer day when the temperature got much higher than expected.
• A time when you went to an amusement park.
• A time when you got lost somewhere.
• A memorable experience with a favorite family member.
• A sad experience with someone about whom you care.
• Your most exciting moment playing sports.
• Your most exciting moment performing in a play, singing, playing music or dancing.
• An experience that left you feeling frustrated.
• An experience that was hard but ended up being worth it.
• A time that you experienced rejection.
• A weird encounter with a stranger.
• A random act of kindness.
• A time that you took a stand for someone or for an issue that you care about.
• A moment when you thought you might get hurt but didn’t.
• Breaking a bone (or otherwise suffering an injury).
• Your first time away from home for the night (or longer).
• A time when you experienced a historic event.
• Where you were when a major event happened. (Note: You don’t need to have been at the site of the event; this prompt is about where you were when you found out about the event and how you reacted.)
• A time when you rebelled against your parents or teacher.
• A dangerous experience.
• A misunderstanding between yourself and someone else.
• A difficult decision that you had to make.
• The end of a friendship or relationship.
• The beginning of a friendship or relationship.
• A time when you judged someone first and then realized that you were wrong about the person.
• A time when someone judged you first and then realized that he or she was wrong about you.
• A moment when you felt that you were starting to grow up.
• A time when you saw one or both of your parents in a different light.
• A time when you looked up to your older sibling.
• A time when your younger sibling looked up to you.
• A time when you were grateful to be an only child.
• An experience that you think has only ever happened to you!

Looking for more essay topics? Compare and Contrast Essay Topics Descriptive Essay Topics Cause and Effect Essay Topics Persuasive Essay and Speech Topics

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Narrative Reviews: Flexible, Rigorous, and Practical

Javeed sukhera.

Javeed Sukhera, MD, PhD, FRCPC , is Chair/Chief, Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Living and Hartford Hospital

Introduction

Narrative reviews are a type of knowledge synthesis grounded in a distinct research tradition. They are often framed as non-systematic, which implies that there is a hierarchy of evidence placing narrative reviews below other review forms. 1 However, narrative reviews are highly useful to medical educators and researchers. While a systematic review often focuses on a narrow question in a specific context, with a prespecified method to synthesize findings from similar studies, a narrative review can include a wide variety of studies and provide an overall summary, with interpretation and critique. 1 Examples of narrative review types include state-of-the-art, critical, and integrative reviews, among many others.

Foundations

Narrative reviews are situated within diverse disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. Most forms of narrative reviews align with subjectivist and interpretivist paradigms. These worldviews emphasize that reality is subjective and dynamic. They contrast with the positivist and post-positivist worldviews that are the foundations of systematic reviews: a single reality can be known through experimental research. Unlike systematic reviews, narrative reviews offer researchers the ability to synthesize multiple points of view and harness unique review team perspectives, which will shape the analysis. Therefore, insights gained from a narrative review will vary depending on the individual, organizational, or historical contexts in which the review was conducted. 1 - 5

Why Choose a Narrative Review?

Narrative reviews allow researchers to describe what is known on a topic while conducting a subjective examination and critique of an entire body of literature. Authors can describe the topic's current status while providing insights on advancing the field, new theories, or current evidence viewed from different or unusual perspectives. 3 Therefore, such reviews can be useful by exploring topics that are under-researched as well as for new insights or ways of thinking regarding well-developed, robustly researched fields.

Narrative reviews are often useful for topics that require a meaningful synthesis of research evidence that may be complex or broad and that require detailed, nuanced description and interpretation. 1 See Boxes 1 and 2 for resources on writing a narrative review as well as a case example of a program director's use of a narrative review for an interprofessional education experience. This Journal of Graduate Medical Education (JGME) special review series will continue to use the Case of Dr. Smith to consider the same question using different review methodologies.

Box 1 The Case of Dr. Smith

Dr. Smith, a program director, has been tasked to develop an interprofessional education (IPE) experience for the residency program. Dr. Smith decides that conducting a literature review would be a savvy way to examine the existing evidence and generate a publication useful to others. Using PubMed and a general subject search with “interprofessional education,” Dr. Smith identifies 24 000 matches. Dr. Smith begins to randomly sample the papers and notes the huge diversity of types and approaches: randomized trials, qualitative investigations, critical perspectives, and more.

Dr. Smith decides to do a meta-narrative review, because she notes that there are tensions and contradictions in the ways in which IPE is discussed by different health professions education communities, such as in nursing literature vs in medical journals.

Box 2 Resources

Ferrari R. Writing narrative style literature reviews. Med Writing . 2015;24(4):230-235. doi: 10.1179/2047480615Z.000000000329

Green BN, Johnson CD, Adams A. Writing narrative literature reviews for peer-reviewed journals: secrets of the trade. J Chiropr Med . 2006;5(3):101-117. doi: 10.1016/S0899-3467(07)60142-6

Gregory AT, Denniss AR. An introduction to writing narrative and systematic reviews—tasks, tips and traps for aspiring authors. Heart Lung Circ . 2018;27(7):893-898. doi: 10.1016/j.hlc.2018.03.027

Murphy CM. Writing an effective review article. J Med Toxicol . 2012;8(2):89-90. doi: 10.1007/s13181-012-0234-2

Process and Rigor

While each type of narrative review has its own associated markers of rigor, the following guidelines are broadly applicable to narrative reviews and can help readers critically appraise their quality. These principles may also guide researchers who wish to conduct narrative reviews. When engaging with a narrative review as a reader or a researcher, scholars are advised to be conversant with the following 5 foundational elements of narrative reviews.

Rationale for a Narrative Review

First, scholars should consider the framing of the research question. Does the topic being studied align with the type of knowledge synthesis performed through a narrative review? Authors should have a clear research question and a specific audience target. Authors should also provide a rationale for why a narrative review method was chosen. 6 The manuscript should include the initial research question as well as details about any iterative refinements to the question.

Clarity of Boundaries, Scope, and Definitions

Second, although narrative reviews do not typically involve strict predetermined inclusion or exclusion criteria, scholars should explicitly demarcate the boundaries and scope of their topic. They should also clearly define key terms related to the topic and research question and any definitions used. Authors should elaborate why they chose a particular definition if others were available. As narrative reviews are flexible, the initial scope may change through the review process. In such circumstances, authors should provide reasonable justification for the evolution of inclusion and exclusion criteria and a description of how this affected the literature search.

Justification for Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

Third, authors of narrative reviews should explain which search terms and databases were included in the synthesis and why. For example, did authors include research studies from a particular database, time frame, or study design? Did they include commentaries or empirical articles? Did they include grey literature such as trade publications, reports, or digital media? Each of the authors' choices should be outlined with appropriate reasoning. 7 Narrative reviews tend to be iterative and involve multiple cycles of searching, analysis, and interpretation. High-quality narrative reviews usually include pivotal or seminal papers that address the phenomenon of interest and other manuscripts that are relevant to the research question.

Reflexivity and a Saturation/Sufficiency Statement

Fourth, narrative reviews should clearly specify any factors that may have shaped the authors' interpretations and analysis. One fundamental distinction between narrative and non-narrative reviews is that narrative reviews explicitly recognize that they may not include all relevant literature on a topic. Since narrative reviews do not aim to be inclusive of all literature addressing the phenomenon of interest, a justification for the selection of manuscripts must be included. Authors should carefully outline how researchers conducted analyses and how they determined that sufficient analysis and interpretation was achieved. This latter concept is similar to considerations of saturation or thematic sufficiency in primary qualitative research. 8

Details on Analysis and Interpretation

Lastly, since several different categories of reviews fall under the narrative review umbrella, the analysis conducted in a narrative review varies by type. Regardless of the type of narrative review carried out, authors should clearly describe how analyses were conducted and provide justification for their approach. Narrative reviews are enhanced when researchers are explicit about how their perspectives and experiences informed problem identification, interpretation, and analysis. Given that authors' unique perspectives shape the selection of literature and its interpretation, narrative reviews may be reproduced, but different authors will likely yield different insights and interpretations.

Distinctive Methods and Subtypes

The narrative review has been commonly framed as an umbrella term that includes several different subtypes of reviews. These narrative medicine subtypes share the goals of deepening an understanding of a topic, while describing why researchers chose to explore and analyze the topic in a specific way.

There are several subtypes of narrative reviews with distinctive methodologies; each offers a unique way of approaching the research question and analyzing and interpreting the literature. This article will describe some common narrative review types that will also be discussed in upcoming JGME special articles on reviews: state-of-the-art , meta-ethnographic , critical , and theory integration reviews.

A state-of-the-art review attempts to summarize the research concerning a specific topic along a timeline of significant changes in understanding or research orientations. By focusing on such turning points in the history of evolving understandings of a phenomenon, state-of-the-art reviews offer a summary of the current state of understanding, how such an understanding was developed, and an idea of future directions. A state-of-the art review seeks to offer a 3-part description: where are we now in our understanding, how did we get here, and where should we go next?

A meta-ethnographic review involves choosing and interpreting qualitative research evidence about a specific topic. Working exclusively with qualitative data, this type of knowledge synthesis aims to generate new insights or new conclusions about a topic. It draws together insights and analyses from existing publications of qualitative research to construct new knowledge that spans across these individual, and often small scale, studies.

A meta-narrative review seeks to explore and make sense of contradictions and tensions within the literature. A meta-narrative review maps how a certain topic is understood in distinct ways, conducts a focused search to describe and compare narratives, and then seeks to make sense of how such narratives are interpreted across different disciplines or historical contexts, as part of the analysis. 9

A critical review is a narrative synthesis of literature that brings an interpretative lens: the review is shaped by a theory, a critical point of view, or perspectives from other domains to inform the literature analysis. Critical reviews involve an interpretative process that combines the reviewer's theoretical premise with existing theories and models to allow for synthesis and interpretation of diverse studies. First, reviewers develop and outline their interpretive theoretical position, which is informed by individual knowledge and experience. Next, a noncomprehensive search is completed to capture and identify dominant themes focused on a research question. 8 , 10

An integrative review typically has 1 of 2 different orientations. Empirical integrative reviews analyze and synthesize publications of evidence-based studies with diverse methodologies. In contrast, theoretical integrative reviews conduct an analysis of the available theories addressing a phenomenon, critically appraise those theories, and propose an advancement in the development of those theories. Both types of integrative reviews follow a multistage approach including problem identification, searching, evaluation, analysis, and presentation. 11

Strengths and Weaknesses

Narrative reviews have many strengths. They are flexible and practical, and ideally provide a readable, relevant synthesis of a diverse literature. Narrative reviews are often helpful for teaching or learning about a topic because they deliver a general overview. They are also useful for setting the stage for future research, as they offer an interpretation of the literature, note gaps, and critique research to date.

Such reviews may be useful for providing general background; however, a more comprehensive form of review may be necessary. Narrative reviews do not offer an evidence-based synthesis for focused questions, nor do they offer definitive guideline statements. All types of narrative reviews offer interpretations that are open to critique and will vary depending on the author team or context of the review.

Conclusions

Well-done narrative reviews provide a readable, thoughtful, and practical synthesis on a topic. They allow review authors to advance new ideas while describing and interpreting literature in the field. Narrative reviews do not aim to be systematic syntheses that answer a specific, highly focused question; instead, they offer carefully thought out and rigorous interpretations of a body of knowledge. Such reviews will not provide an exhaustive, comprehensive review of the literature; however, they are useful for a rich and meaningful summary of a topic.

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6 Common Leadership Styles — and How to Decide Which to Use When

• Rebecca Knight

Being a great leader means recognizing that different circumstances call for different approaches.

Research suggests that the most effective leaders adapt their style to different circumstances — be it a change in setting, a shift in organizational dynamics, or a turn in the business cycle. But what if you feel like you’re not equipped to take on a new and different leadership style — let alone more than one? In this article, the author outlines the six leadership styles Daniel Goleman first introduced in his 2000 HBR article, “Leadership That Gets Results,” and explains when to use each one. The good news is that personality is not destiny. Even if you’re naturally introverted or you tend to be driven by data and analysis rather than emotion, you can still learn how to adapt different leadership styles to organize, motivate, and direct your team.

Much has been written about common leadership styles and how to identify the right style for you, whether it’s transactional or transformational, bureaucratic or laissez-faire. But according to Daniel Goleman, a psychologist best known for his work on emotional intelligence, “Being a great leader means recognizing that different circumstances may call for different approaches.”

• RK Rebecca Knight is a journalist who writes about all things related to the changing nature of careers and the workplace. Her essays and reported stories have been featured in The Boston Globe, Business Insider, The New York Times, BBC, and The Christian Science Monitor. She was shortlisted as a Reuters Institute Fellow at Oxford University in 2023. Earlier in her career, she spent a decade as an editor and reporter at the Financial Times in New York, London, and Boston.

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Susan Smith Child Killer Research Paper

This essay about the Susan Smith documentary discusses its detailed portrayal of the tragic 1994 case involving the drowning of Smith’s two sons in South Carolina. The documentary is commended for its comprehensive examination, including the investigation, Smith’s psychological background, and the intense media scrutiny that followed. It highlights the filmmakers’ balanced approach, integrating interviews with various stakeholders to provide a multifaceted perspective. The essay also addresses how the documentary explores the impact of sensationalist media coverage on public perception and the ethical considerations of true crime storytelling. Through this analysis, the documentary is presented as not only a recount of a notorious crime but also a reflection on broader societal issues, including the complexities of human behavior and the justice system.

How it works

In the realm of factual misdeed documentaries, scarce are the chronicles as poignant and intricate as the narrative of Susan Smith. Unfolding in Union, South Carolina in 1994, the saga entails the sorrowful submersion of Michael and Alex Smith, Susan’s juvenile offspring. A documentary dissecting this chronicle plunges into the depths of the antecedents leading to the incident, the scrutiny, and the tribunal, furnishing a comprehensive portrayal of a saga that captivated the nation’s gaze and incited extensive media furor.

This exposition endeavors to scrutinize the documentary’s methodology in recounting Susan Smith’s narrative, its repercussion on societal perception, and the broader implications of how factual misdeeds are depicted in media.

The documentary meticulously assembles the chronology of events, commencing with Susan Smith’s inaugural assertion that a carjacker had abducted her progeny. As the scrutiny unravels, incongruities in her tale culminate in a startling avowal: Smith had steered her vehicle into John D. Long Lake, with her offspring ensconced within. The cinematographers present an equitable outlook of the scrutiny, spotlighting the assiduous endeavors of law enforcement alongside the burgeoning media pandemonium that enveloped the case. Conversations with scrutineers, kinfolk, and jurisprudential pundits provide a multidimensional viewpoint on the calamity, accentuating both the procedural facets of the case and its emotive toll on the populace.

One of the documentary’s pinnacles lies in its exploration of the psychological influences that might have engendered Smith’s actions. Through erudite scrutiny and discussions, it illuminates her tumultuous past, encompassing a chronicle of maltreatment and cerebral health quandaries. This modus humanizes Smith, proffering her not merely as a perpetrator of an abominable transgression but as a multifaceted entity grappling with profound-seated cerebral quandaries. However, the documentary exercises circumspection not to exculpate her actions, alternatively furnishing insights into how her individual chronicle might have impacted her unfathomable choice.

The documentary also peruses the function of the media in molding societal perception of the case. It underscores how sensationalist coverage and the hastiness to adjudicate can sway the entities involved and influence the court of societal estimation. The cinematographers scrutinize the ethics of factual misdeed reporting, prompting spectators to ponder the repercussions of assimilating these narratives as entertainment. This meta-commentary on the essence of factual misdeed media adds a stratum of profundity to the documentary, challenging audiences to ruminate on their individual consumption of such content.

In conclusion, the Susan Smith documentary furnishes a thorough and nuanced dissection of a case that etched an indelible imprint on the American awareness. By concentrating on the scrutiny, Susan’s cerebral backdrop, and the media’s sway, the cinematographers proffer a multidimensional perspective of a calamity that transcends sensationalism. This documentary not only serves as an exhaustive narrative of a notorious misdeed but also as a critique on the complexities of human comportment, the judicature system, and the ethical ponderations of factual misdeed storytelling. As spectators engage with this documentary, they are summoned to grapple with arduous interrogations about compassion, rectitude, and the assimilation of real-life calamities as media spectacle.

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