Shared-story approaches in outdoor studies: the HEAR (Hermeneutics, Auto/Ethnography and Action Research) ‘listening’ methodological model

Capturing the voices of practitioners and participants in outdoor experiences as data in qualitative research, demands imaginative, creative and practical methodologies, embedded within sound ethical frameworks. In this chapter, we explore shared-story approaches as ways in which experiences can be considered, analysed critically and conceptualised to give ‘testimony’ - a recognisable way of constructing meaning and disseminating research findings. We illustrate HEAR (Hermeneutics, (Auto)Ethnographic Action Research) as a methodological ‘listening’ model and a form of praxiography, rooted in the use of fables and stories to convey findings. This transdisciplinary method has meaning and application within and out with outdoor contexts.