The purpose of this paper is two‐fold: first, to provide a description and theoretical rationale for a methodological innovation used to explore relationships visitors form with a single museum over time; and second, to examine and critique the research outcomes in light of this approach.
To probe individual relationships with a museum, in this narrative inquiry, a unique method of data generation was developed – a “guided tour” of the museum. The guided tour, led by participants, provided a context and purpose for rich conversations between researcher and participant and deepened the relational quality of the research.
The quality of the researcher‐participant relationship played a critical role in shaping understandings, gained through the research process, about the phenomenon under investigation and self.
Findings from the study document that novel insights emerge when opportunities to strengthen the researcher‐participant relationship are built into the research design.
This paper illustrates the value of employing strategies that deepen the relational quality in narrative research.
