ABSTRACT
An Informing Story is an essential component of the Narrative Approach. This chapter discusses how informing stories can be developed and delivered, and describes the role that each part plays in delivering a developmentally appropriate informing and consenting process for young children. Drawing from an example Informing Story, the relationship between narrative, the research process and key ethical concepts is described, along with an exploration of the purpose of the two sections of the story – informing and consenting. Also discussed are the three major ideas of interaction, nonfiction, and narrative that comprise the Narrative Approach, and how these can be applied with young children in participatory research. The importance of the use of factual images showing people and places involved in the research is demonstrated. Suggestions for using the Informing Story to develop young children’s understanding through dialogic reading, sustained shared thinking and cycle telling are offered. Finally, the chapter describes how the Informing Story can evolve into a personalised participation record for the child, and ways the child can become a living character in their own Participation Story are presented.
