Oral History for the Qualitative Researcher

Oral history is a particularly useful way to capture ordinary people's lived experiences. This innovative book introduces the full array of oral history research methods and invites students and qualitative researchers to try them out in their own work. Using choreography as an organizing metaphor, the author presents creative strategies for collecting, representing, analyzing, and interpreting oral history data. Instructive exercises and activities help readers develop specific skills, such as nonparticipant observation, interviewing, and writing, with a special section on creating found data poems from interview transcripts. Also covered are uses of journals, court transcripts, and other documents; Internet resources, such as social networking sites; and photography and video. Emphasizing a social justice perspective, the book includes excerpts of oral histories from 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, among other detailed case examples.

Valerie J. Janesick, PhD, is Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of South Florida, Tampa, where she teaches classes in qualitative research methods, curriculum theory and inquiry, foundations of curriculum, ethics, and educational leadership. Her text Stretching Exercises for Qualitative Researchers includes ways to integrate the arts in qualitative research projects. Dr. Janesick’s writings have been published in Curriculum Inquiry, Qualitative Inquiry, Anthropology and Education Quarterly, and other major journals. Her chapters in the first and second editions of Handbook of Qualitative Research use dance and the arts as a metaphor for understanding research, and her chapter in Handbook of the Arts in Qualitative Inquiry: Perspectives, Methodologies, Examples, and Issues addresses John Dewey and the arts and education. She is completing oral history interviews of female school superintendents as part of a larger project on women leaders and is currently taking classes in yoga and meditation. Her most prized possession is her British Library Reader’s Card, in particular for her work on an archival project on John Dewey’s letters to international educators and their subsequent influence.

Order	p. 1
Reinventing Oral History for the Qualitative Researcher
Introduction	p. 1
Oral History Evolving and a Work in Progress	p. 5
Mnemosyne, Goddess of Memory	p. 12
Why Oral History Now?	p. 13
Sorting Out Oral Traditions	p. 14
Perspectives	p. 16
Oral History as a Social Justice Project	p. 16
On the Critical Importance of Testimony as Oral History	p. 17
An Excerpt from an Oral History Narrative: Toward Becoming an Educator: A Journey of Self-Discovery	p. 19
	p. 28
Summary	p. 38
Design And Tension	p. 43
The Tools of the Oral Historian: The Choreography of Techniques and Issues
Introduction	p. 43
Interviewing as a Creative Act of the Imagination	p. 44
Oral History Interviewing	p. 46
Types of Interview Questions	p. 46
Preparing Questions	p. 47
About Phone Interviews	p. 50
Some Interviewing Rules of Thumb from the Interviewer's Point of View	p. 51
Perennial Ethical Issues for the Interviewer	p. 52
IRBs and the Oral Historian: Lessons Learned as a Former IRB Member	p. 54
The Researcher-and-Participant Relationship	p. 55
Lessons Learned from the Case	p. 61
The Qualitative Researcher and Representations of Data	p. 62
The Qualitative Researcher as Co-Researcher with Participants in a Project	p. 63
About Approaching IRBs as an Innovation	p. 65
Practical Strategies for the Steps to Success	p. 68
Analyzing and Interpreting Oral History Interview Data	p. 70
An Oral History Co-Constructed Narrative: Assisting Others, Inspiring Self	p. 71
A Narrative Reflection on an Oral History Project	p. 81
Journal Writing for the Oral Historian and for the Narrator	p. 88
Documents as Data	p. 94
Documents, Artifacts, and Photographs to Augment Oral History Reports	p. 97
Summary	p. 101
Balance and Composition	p. 103
Becoming an Oral Historian
Introduction	p. 103
Writing Up the Narrative	p. 107
The Researcher's Reflexive Journal	p. 108
A Researcher's Reflective Journaling on Her Autobiography and What Brought Her to Do Research	p. 111
Response to a Question on the Transition from Teaching in the Public Schools to Becoming a University Professor	p. 122
Using Poetry in Oral History to Represent Someone's Story	p. 129
Found Data Poems in the Transcripts and Other Documents	p. 129
Poems Inspired by Leona's Story and the Opening Words of Her Story	p. 130
Poems Inspired by Alex's Work and His Reflections	p. 131
Excerpts from an Oral History Transcript of 36-Year Veteran Teacher Dan Rawls, Who Also Is a Mentor to New Teachers	p. 133
The Potential and Eloquence of the Narrative in Digital Storytelling	p. 136
Internet Inquiry, the Wiki World, and Copyleft Agreements for Oral Historians and Qualitative Researchers	p. 140
Finding Models of Digital Oral History Using Tools of the Web	p. 142
Holocaust Testimonies	p. 142
Truth Commissions	p. 143
9/11 Oral History Collections on the Web	p. 144
Hurricane Katrina Oral History Projects	p. 145
Awareness of Ethical and Legal Issues	p. 146
Blog Posting on Respectful Oral History Policy	p. 147
Putting Some Pieces Together: Crafting an Oral History Report	p. 149
Interviewing a Master Teacher and Making Sense of It	p. 150
Summary	p. 177
Harmony	p. 179
The Art of Making Sense of Oral History Projects with a Choreography of Social Justice
Introduction	p. 179
Why I Do Oral History	p. 181
Hawkins's Theory of Dance, Experience, and Art	p. 186
Equity and Access: Art Thou in the Arts?	p. 188
Introductory Remarks to the Observation Assignment, Followed by Observation 3 at the Site and Reflections on the Role of the Researcher	p. 200
Final Reflections	p. 211
Selected Electronic Resources: Websites and Listservs for the Oral Historian	p. 215
Selected Oral History Centers, Archives, and Collections	p. 219
Selected Journals That Publish Oral Histories and Related Issues	p. 220
Sample Consent Form for Project Undergoing IRB Review	p. 222
Basic Contract (Sample)	p. 223
Federal Statement on Oral History	p. 224
Statement on IRBs from the American Historical Association (Edited)	p. 226
List of Choreographers Used for Surnames of Participants	p. 229
Practicing the Techniques of Oral History: Strategies and Activities to Sharpen Your Writing Skills	p. 232
Excerpt from an Oral History of a 9/11 Firefighter	p. 233
Excerpt from an Oral History of Hurricane Katrina Survivors	p. 234
Example of a Nonparticipant Observation Assignment to Develop Observation Skills	p. 235
A Sample Rubric Assessing Writing	p. 236
Interview Project Assignment	p. 238
Example of a Qualitative Research Methods Syllabus	p. 240
An Excerpt of a Transcript (Edited) from an Interview with Jane A. de Mille	p. 248
Digital Equipment for the Oral Historian	p. 260
References	p. 261
Index	p. 265
About the Author	p. 271
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Oral History for the Qualitative Researcher Choreographing the Story

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