Basic Concepts For Qualitative Research

With the move towards evidence-based practice and emphasis placed on multidisciplinary research teams, there is a growing use of qualitative research methods. Qualitative research looks at processes as well as outcomes and enables data to be gathered on a range of human experience, taking a person-centred and holistic approach. Basic Concepts for Qualitative Research is a highly accessible text which provides researchers with quick access to descriptions and explanations of the concepts and methods used in qualitative research. The book's entries are ordered alphabetically for quick and easy access to the information. Links are included in each entry so that the reader can follow a particular line of enquiry. Suggested further reading is included to encourage deeper exploration of a particular approach or method. It will provide a comprehensive range of the most commonly used terms and methods within qualitative research.

The Second Edition of this best-selling textbook continues to offer immensely practical advice and technical expertise that will aid researchers in analyzing and interpreting their collected data, and ultimately build theory from it. The authors provide a step-by-step guide to the research act. Full of definitions and illustrative examples, the book presents criteria for evaluating a study as well as responses to common questions posed by students of qualitative research.

This book consists of three major sections. In the first, which includes chapters 1 to 7, the basic concepts of the methodology of the social social sciences are discussed. In the second, chapters 8 and 9, the most important concepts of part one are integrated in discussions on the writing of research proposals and research reports. The third section (appendices) consists of three "case studies" in which the most important methodological principles which were discussed in the preceding sections are illustrated.

This lively, practical text presents a fresh and comprehensive approach to doing qualitative research. The book offers a unique balance of theory and clear-cut choices for customizing every phase of a qualitative study. A scholarly mix of classic and contemporary studies from multiple disciplines provides compelling, field-based examples of the full range of qualitative approaches. Readers learn about adaptive ways of designing studies, collecting data, analyzing data, and reporting findings. Key aspects of the researcher's craft are addressed, such as fieldwork options, the five phases of data analysis (with and without using computer-based software), and how to incorporate the researcher's “declarative” and “reflective” selves into a final report. Ideal for graduate-level courses, the text includes:* Discussions of ethnography, grounded theory, phenomenology, feminist research, and other approaches.* Instructions for creating a study bank to get a new study started.* End-of-chapter exercises and a semester-long, field-based project.* Quick study boxes, research vignettes, sample studies, and a glossary.* Previews for sections within chapters, and chapter recaps.* Discussion of the place of qualitative research among other social science methods, including mixed methods research.

"We conceived of this book with the idea that critical explorations into the key philosophical issues in qualitative research could throw light on distortions, power relations, hidden assumptions and possibilities within the field, and could ultimately provide the groundwork for needed change and new directions. We wanted to do this with rigor, getting underneath the contemporary divisions in qualitative research, first building up philosophy and core concepts and then returning to specific practices in qualitative research. The book, in a way, then, is a statement of hope. We have seen many promising trends in the last few decades as academics from the groups who have traditionally been studied and spoken for in the past - indigenous peoples, women, minorities, gays and lesbians, for example - make their voices heard, as the «other» speaks back, and as the uses to which research is put receive more scrutiny. We see signs that qualitative research may begin to turn the tables on its own history and become a tool for emancipation rather than its opposite. The book is divided into five sections which each focus on different aspects of qualitative methodological practices and the concepts which are inherent in the practices themselves. The editors of this book are experienced with conducting qualitative research and two of the editors teach multiple university courses on research methodology and the social and epistemological theories associated with inquiry. Many of the books available for our courses divide qualitative research into a number of disparate types and then explain philosophical and epistemological positions according to those divisions. In our opinion, such approaches inadequately confront orienting questions of human knowledge implicit to all forms of social research. We intend to produce a new book that exemplifies theory and methods in qualitative research in relation to a sound presentation of social-theoretical core concepts."--Publisher's website.

Lecturers, click here to request an e-inspection copy of this text Qualitative Research Methods is based on the authors′ highly successful multidisciplinary qualitative methods workshops, which have been conducted for over a decade. In this book the authors propose a ′qualitative research cycle′ that leads students through the selection of appropriate methods, the collection of data and the transformation of findings into a finished project. It provides a clear explanation of the nature of qualitative research and its key concepts. Topics covered include: o formulating qualitative research questions o ethical issues o in-depth interviews o focus group discussions o observation o coding o data analysis o writing up qualitative research This text is ideal for any students taking a qualitative methods course or producing a qualitative research project at undergraduate or graduate level. It is illustrated throughout with case studies and field examples from a range of international contexts. The practical techniques are also accompanied by the author′s own research tools including interview guides, real coded data and comprehensive research checklists.

Qualitative Research: The Essential Guide to Theory and Practice 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, this unique 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 From the foundations of the subject through to its application in practice, Qualitative Research: The Essential Guide to Theory and Practice is an indispensable companion for qualitative researchers worldwide. VAT will be charged on this product for UK customers only. VAT is charged at standard rate on a part of this product only.

This edited text on qualitative research methods in health is aimed at a multi-professional, multi-disciplinary audience. It explains qualitative methods applied specifically to health care research and draws extensively on European examples.