A Beginner S Guide To Doing Qualitative Research In Mass Communication

Mass media ethics and the classical liberal ideal of the autonomous individual are historically linked and professionally dominant--yet the authors of this work feel this is intrinsically flawed. They show how recent research in philosophy and social science--together with a longer tradition in theological inquiry--insist that community, mutuality, and relationship are fundamental to a full concept of personhood. The authors argue that "persons-in-community" provides a more defensible grounding for journalists' professional moral decision-making in crucial areas such as truthtelling, privacy, organizational culture, and balanced coverage. With numerous examples drawn from life as well as from theory, this book will interest journalists, editors, and professionals in media management as well as students and scholars of media ethics, reporting, and media law.

Reflexivity -- Analyzing and Interpreting Ethnographic Material -- Ethical Considerations -- Research Using Ethnography -- Participant Observation Exercises -- Chapter 8 Textual Analysis -- What Is a Text? -- The Development of Textual Analysis -- The Influence of Semiotics -- Theory and Interpretation -- Encoding and Decoding -- Ideological Analysis -- Genre Analysis -- Rhetorical Analysis -- Using New Technologies in Textual Analysis -- Ethical Considerations -- Research Using Textual Analysis -- Textual Analysis Exercises -- Acknowledgments -- Index

*Shortlisted for the BPS Book Award 2014 in the Textbook Category* *Winner of the 2014 Distinguished Publication Award (DPA) from the Association for Women in Psychology (AWP)* Successful Qualitative Research: A Practical Guide for Beginners is an accessible, practical textbook. It sidesteps detailed theoretical discussion in favor of providing a comprehensive overview of strategic tips and skills for starting and completing successful qualitative research. Uniquely, the authors provide a "patterns framework" to qualitative data analysis in this book, also known as "thematic analysis." The authors walk students through a basic thematic approach, and compare and contrast this with other approaches. This discussion of commonalities, explaining why and when each method should be used, and in the context of looking at patterns, will provide students with complete confidence for their qualitative research journey. This textbook will be an essential textbook for undergraduates and postgraduates taking a course in qualitative research or using qualitative approaches in a research project.

This book introduces the essential qualitative methods used in media research, with an emphasis on integrating theory with practice. Each method is introduced through step-by-step instruction on conducting research and interpreting research findings, alongside in-depth discussions of the historical, cultural, and theoretical context of the particular method and case studies drawn from published scholarship. This text is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to qualitative methods, ideal for media and mass communication research courses.

This fully updated third edition provides students and researchers with the tools they need to perform critically engaged, theoretically informed research using methods that include interviewing, focus groups, historical research, oral histories, ethnography and participant observation, textual analysis and digital research. Each chapter features step-by-step instructions that integrate theory with practice, as well as a case study drawn from published research demonstrating best practices for media scholars. Readers will also find in-depth discussions of the challenges and ethical issues that may confront researchers using a qualitative approach. With new case studies and examples throughout, this third edition also includes updated and expanded material on digital technologies and platforms, how to perform social media research, how to analyze a variety of multimedia texts, and reflections on the use of big data. A comprehensive and accessible guide for those hoping to explore this rich vein of research methodology, this book provides students and scholars with the all tools they need to be able to work in today’s convergent media environment.

Over the last decade there has been a growing use of qualitative research methods in the study of social and cultural change. Incorporating theoretical insights from discourse analysis, ethnograohy and reception theory such research has proven a fruitful and enlightening mode of analysis.The Handbook represents the first volume devoted to the utilization of such methods in mass media research. It includes contributions from those at the forefront o communication studies who apply a developing methodology to media contents, contexts and audiences. Among others, Gaye Tuchman writes on news production, Dave Morley and Roger Silverstone on media audiences, and Horace Newcombe applies qualitative methods to television drama.In view of the rapid changes which the media environment is now undergoing, the books systematic overview of qualitative research methods will benefit commercial organisations as well as academic institutions.

This book introduces the essential qualitative methods used in media research, with an emphasis on integrating theory with practice. Each method is introduced through step-by-step instruction on conducting research and interpreting research findings, alongside in-depth discussions of the historical, cultural, and theoretical context of the particular method and case studies drawn from published scholarship. This text is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to qualitative methods, ideal for media and mass communication research courses.