ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on my use of narrative inquiry as a way to engage respectfully and ethically with research participants, where voice is privileged, and meanings are co-constructed within the research interaction itself. Creative strategies are examined for their potential to elicit understandings that might otherwise elude expression; elements of photo- and metaphor-elicitation are included to add depth and texture to the storied lived experiences of ‘narrators’, and illustrative examples are drawn from my doctoral research study. The significance of narrative research to validate personal lived experience offers a way forward within the realm of early childhood to stimulate empathy and understanding within the sector.
