Qualitative research

This text walks the reader through the basics of gathering and analysing qualitative data. The book offers beginners unrivalled hands-on guidance to help them get the best out of a research methods course or research project. New to the fifth edition: A streamlined structure to aid navigation and guide readers smoothly through the research process. A new chapter on generalizing from case-study research which addresses the perennial issue of 'how many cases do you need?' New material on doing qualitative research online and the ethics of internet research. Additional sections covering organizational documents and documents of everyday life, including blogs and diaries. Many more recent case study examples drawn from a broad range of disciplines including business, education, social work and geography as well as health studies This is the perfect companion for all those new to qualitative research.

Offering practical advice, this book presents methods that enable researchers to analyse, interpret, and make sense of their data, and ultimately build theory from it. It offers a step-by-step guide through the research process--from the formation of the research question through several approaches to coding, analysis, and reporting. Packed with definitions and illustrative examples, this highly accessible book concludes with chapters that present criteria for evaluating a study, as well as responses to common questions posed by students of qualitative research.

This text takes a fresh look at the entire research process, from formulating a research question to writing up your research. Covering qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods, the book focuses on matching research questions to appropriate methods. Offering concise, balanced coverage, this book clearly explains the underlying principles of social research and shows you how to put this understanding into practice. It is an ideal introduction for any social science student taking a research methods course or embarking on their own undergraduate or postgraduate research project.

Real world research is a common responsibility of professionals and practitioners in a wide range of both public and private settings.  These include teachers, social workers and health service professionals, managers and specialists in business, architects, designers, criminologists and accountants among many others. Real World Research provides a clear route-map of the various steps needed to carry out a piece of applied research to a high professional standard.  It is accessible to those without a social science background while providing rigorous and fully up-to-date coverage of contemporary issues and debates.  It brings together materials and approaches from different social science disciplines, seeing value in both quantitative and qualitative approaches, as well as their combination in mixed-method designs. Essential reading for many higher education courses, at both undergraduate, taught postgraduate and doctoral level, as well as practitioners and others carrying out research as part of their job.

The Third Edition of Lyn Richards′ best-selling book is the perfect introduction to qualitative research for students and practitioners. Recognizing that for many new researchers dealing with data is the main point of departure, this book helps them to acquire an understanding of the skills and methodological issues that are central to qualitative research. Author Lyn Richards provides practical guidance on how to handle, reflect on and make sense of rich data, while at the same time showing how a consideration of methods and their philosophical underpinnings informs how we should best handle our data.Detailed sections cover: the processes of making, meeting, sorting, coding, documenting, and exploring qualitative data; how to see a study as a whole and write it, and making and justifying claims. Each chapter smoothly integrates software use with discussion of the main challenges that software users are likely to encounter. Novice researchers who use this book will be able to achieve valid and useful outcomes from qualitative analysis, and ensure they do justice to their data.

Provides a one-stop resource for all those approaching qualitative research for the first time, as well as those revisiting core concepts and issues. It presents a comprehensive overview of this rapidly developing field of inquiry, cleverly combined with practical, hands-on advice on how to conduct a successful qualitative study. Written in an engaging and accessible style, the authors break through difficult terminology to guide readers through the choices they will face during research design, implementation, and beyond. Each chapter is then brought to life by an array of relevant, real-life examples from expert researchers around the globe. Divided into seven sections, the text covers: Considering perspectives; Acknowledging a position; Framing the study; Choosing a research approach; Collecting data; Working with data and findings; Writing about the research

This edition offers guidance for success in small scale research projects, with new sections on ethics, Internet research, phenomenology, grounded theory and image-based methods.

A practical introduction to qualitative research across fields and disciplines It offers a hands-on introduction to qualitative research design, methods, data, and analysis. This book explores the different types of qualitative studies with relevant examples and analysis by the researchers themselves. While quantitative research is primarily concerned with numerical data, qualitative research methods are more flexible, responsive, and open to contextual information. To a qualitative researcher, a situation is defined by the participants' perspectives, making it the primary method of inquiry for understanding social phenomena through the lens of experience. This book introduces the essentials of qualitative research, bolstered by expert analysis and discussion that provides deeper insight than a traditional textbook format would allow.
Covers: Understand the fundamental nature of qualitative research Learn how to accurately assess and evaluate qualitative research Explore qualitative research's many forms and applications Gain insight on qualitative research in a variety of fields and disciplines How does one codify an experience? Is it possible to measure emotion in units? Qualitative research fills the void where numbers cannot reach. It is the best tool we have for studying the unquantifiable aspects of the human experience, and it is an essential tool in a wide variety of fields.

An essential guide to understanding, designing, conducting, and presenting a qualitative research study. It features new material covering mixed methods, action research, arts-based research, online data sources, and the latest in data analysis, including data analysis software packages as well as narrative and poetic analysis strategies. A new section offers multiple ways of presenting qualitative research findings. The reader-friendly, jargon-free style makes this book accessible to both novice and experienced researchers, emphasizing the role of a theoretical framework in designing a study while providing practical guidance. Qualitative research reaches beyond the what, where, and when of quantitative analysis to investigate the why and how behind human behaviour and the reasons that govern such behaviour, but this presents a number of significant challenges. This guide is an invaluable reference for students and practitioners alike, providing the deep understanding that this sometimes difficult area of research requires to produce accurate results. The book contains a step-by-step guide to analysing qualitative data and an addendum for graduate students with a template for a thesis, dissertation, or grant application.

Continuing to be THE guide to the whole qualitative research process for students, this book looks at both the theory behind qualitative research and how to put it into practice in your own work. For students across a range of social science disciplines and beyond, this is a must to help you enhance your research project.This edition introduces:    a decolonisation of methodologies    a range of indigenous, queer and feminist perspectives on methodologies assistance with defending a viva and alternative forms of assessment to suit a changing world. More additions to this seventh edition include a section on the subjectivity of a researcher, and how your identity will shape your research. The further reading has been curated to include more than just western voices, providing you with global perspectives on qualitative research. This text introduces how to sensitively undertake ethical and inclusive research with marginalised groups. This book will help you master a comprehensive understanding of qualitative research.

The SAGE Handbook for Social Research Methods is a must for every social-science researcher. It charts the new and evolving terrain of social research methodology, covering qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods in one volume. The Handbook includes chapters on each phase of the research process: research design, methods of data collection, and the processes of analysing and interpreting data. As its editors maintain, there is much more to research than learning skills and techniques; methodology involves the fit between theory, research questions, research design, and analysis. The book also includes several chapters that describe historical and current directions in social research, debating crucial subjects such as qualitative versus quantitative paradigms, how to judge the credibility of types of research, and the increasingly topical issue of research ethics. The Handbook serves as an invaluable resource for approaching research with an open mind. This volume maps the field of social research methods using an approach that will prove valuable for both students and researchers.

(In 4 volumes - available on shelves at 301.072)
Qualitative Research brings together all of the major topics and issues in qualitative research in this major work which assembles the best published material in this field. Collectively, the contributions: give a panoramic view of qualitative research today; reflect the international and interdisciplinary character of qualitative research; document the essential issues in qualitative research; and demonstrate the relations between different research traditions. Each of the four volumes carry an 8-10,000 word introduction which places the examination of qualitative research issues in the appropriate historical and intellectual context. Volume 1 covers the fundamental issues about qualitative research, including epistemological ones. A wide range of case-studies are included. Volume 2 covers the different methods with which qualitative research is associated. Volume 3 deals with the analysis and interpretation of qualitative data, as well as with writing up the results of research. Volume 4 contains selections relating to a wide range of specific issues in qualitative research in the appropriate historical and intellectual context.

Presents the state-of-the-art theory and practice of qualitative inquiry. Representing top scholars from around the world, the editors and contributors continue the tradition of synthesizing existing literature, defining the present, and shaping the future of qualitative research.