Personal Interwoven Narratives (PIN): An Oral Storytelling Method for Evaluators
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Abstract
Oral storytelling methods, such as oral history, are not often incorporated into program evaluations; as evaluators, we tend to develop interview protocols that are more structured. In this paper, I explain how evaluators can use Personal Interwoven Narratives (PIN), a method adapted from oral history, as a more open-ended approach to collect richer, fuller data than more-structured interviews tend to provide. Though not appropriate for all evaluations, PIN can greatly benefit evaluations that aim to honor stories and raise the voices of marginalized or otherwise underheard groups. I will describe how the Personal Interwoven Narratives method developed from the established oral history technique into an oral storytelling method that specifically meets evaluators’ needs, what types of evaluations it most benefits, and best practices and considerations for evaluators who seek to use this new method.
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Funding data
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National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Grant numbers UL1GM118976;TL4GM118977
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