An exploration of what motivates people to participate in oral history projects
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence & Practice Previous     Next

An exploration of what motivates people to participate in oral history projects

Helen Atherton Lecturer in nursing, school of healthcare, University of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Stephanie Steels Lecturer in social work, University of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Vicky Ackroyd Director, Purple Patch Arts, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England

Aim To make the stories about former long-stay institutions available to a wider audience, preserve the history and improve societal attitudes to people with learning disabilities.

Method Three groups of people with links to the institution were interviewed using a semi-structured approach (n=40). Participants were asked why they felt it was important to tell their story.

Findings Responses were organised under three themes: being heard, preservation and education. A range of motivations exists for why people choose or conversely choose not to participate in oral history projects.

Conclusion Having knowledge and understanding of these factors can help potential researchers to recruit and retain those whose stories are a vital link between the past and the future.

Learning Disability Practice. 20, 2, 27-31. doi: 10.7748/ldp.2017.e1824

Correspondence

h.l.atherton@leeds.ac.uk

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Conflict of interest

None declared

Received: 07 December 2016

Accepted: 04 January 2017

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