Exploring the Use of Vignettes: From Validity to Trustworthiness

Abstract

In this article one of the authors presents her experience of using vignettes in an action research case study, with particular emphasis on their trustworthiness. The research was carried out with a group of health care professionals who were working together to improve preoperative education for patients awaiting a hip replacement in one National Health Service Trust in the United Kingdom. The authors describe the exploration of three types of vignette--napshots, portraits, and composites--as a means of collecting, analyzing, and representing data. They provide an example of each and briefly present their evaluative use by the health care professionals. The vignettes were constructed to provide one account of the truth that was representative of events. Within this representation was the writer, researcher, and reader feature. The vignettes stimulated reflection and analysis within the action research cycle and thus contributed to the improvement of practice.

Experiences of Burnout Among Adolescent Female Gymnasts: Three Case Studies

“…First, individual cases were discussed through vignettes written in narrative form constructed to portray both the respondents' character and experiences (Spalding & Phillips, 2007). The vignettes are constructed sketches relaying experiences communicated by respondents, which aim to provide clear and concise profiles for readers.…”

“…The three case studies (forthcoming) will be presented as vignettes constructed to portray the respondents' experiences (Spalding & Phillips, 2007). It should be noted that there are three types of vignettes, each with a distinct purpose.…”

“The ripples are big”: Storying the impact of doping in sport beyond the sanctioned athlete

“…For the purposes of this paper and critically, to protect the anonymity of the participants, composite CNF stories are presented. Ensuing from their capacity to amalgamate mixed experiences STORYING THE IMPACT OF DOPING 8 into one all-encompassing narrative (Ely, Vinz, Downing, & Anzul, 1997;Spalding & Phillips, 2007), composite CNF offers a good compromise for staying true to the participants' words and experiences, while also making sure that their identities are protected. In writing the stories, a mix of experiences and voices from the participants were drawn upon and combined together, forming stories that depict a range of intersecting themes around the personal impact of PED use in sport.…”

The influence of sociocultural and structural contexts in academic change and development in higher education

“…Vignettes are frequently used in research to collect data (Hughes and Huby 2002) but can, as in the present study, also be used to present research data collected through interviews (Ely et al 1997). The vignettes presented are composite narratives depicting a mix of experiences merged into a single account (Spalding and Phillips 2007). The aim of the narratives is to reveal typical patterns found across participants within the departments and to identify contradictions experienced by participants.…”