Drawn In: Timelining as a Methodological Tool in Studying the Life Course

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Methods and Methodology

Abstract

This paper advocates for the use of timelining in research about the life course, demonstrating how this methodological tool can empower participants to recall and share their stories in their own voices while serving as an analytical tool for restorying and data triangulation. Drawing from the author’s experience using timelining in a study about the career development of postsecondary students enrolled in a STEM teacher recruitment program, this reflective paper provides narrative researchers a step-by-step guide of how to implement timelining in their own work, highlighting both successful strategies from this study and lessons learned.

Author

• Katie N. Smith, Seton Hall University