Qualitative Research Practice: A Guide for Social Science Students and Researchers

Front Cover
Jane Ritchie, Jane Lewis
SAGE, Feb 19, 2003 - Social Science - 352 pages
′An excellent introduction to the theoretical, methodological and practical issues of qualitative research... they deal with issues at all stages in a very direct, clear, systematic and practical manner and thus make the processes involved in qualitative research more transparent′ - Nyhedsbrev

′This is a "how to" book on qualitative methods written by people who do qualitative research for a living.... It is likely to become the standard manual on all graduate and undergraduate courses on qualitative methods′ - Professor Robert Walker, School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Nottingham

What exactly is qualitative research? What are the processes involved and what can it deliver as a mode of inquiry?

Qualitative research is an exciting blend of scientific investigation and creative discovery. When properly executed, it can bring a unique understanding of people′s lives which in turn can be used to deepen our understanding of society. It as a skilled craft used by practitioners and researchers in the ′real world′; this textbook illuminates the possibilities of qualitative research and presents a sequential overview of the process written by those active in the field.

Qualitative Research Practice:

- Leads the student or researcher through the entire process of qualitative research from beginning to end - moving through design, sampling, data collection, analysis and reporting.

- Is written by practising researchers with extensive experience of conducting qualitative research in the arena of social and public policy - contains numerous case studies.

- Contains plenty of pedagogical material including chapter summaries, explanation of key concepts, reflective points for seminar discussion and further reading in each chapter

- Is structured and applicable for all courses in qualitative research, irrespective of field.

Drawn heavily on courses run by the Qualitative Unit at the National Centre for Social Research, this textbook should be recommended reading for students new to qualitative research across the social sciences.

From inside the book

Contents

Chapter 1 The Foundations of Qualitative Research
1
Chapter 2 The Applications of Qualitative Methods to Social Research
24
Chapter 3 Design Issues
47
Chapter 4 Designing and Selecting Samples
77
Chapter 5 Designing Fieldwork Strategies and Materials
109
Chapter 6 Indepth Interviews
138
Chapter 7 Focus Groups
170
Practices Principles and Processes
199
Chapter 9 Carrying out Qualitative Analysis
219
Chapter 10 Generalising from Qualitative Research
263
Chapter 11 Reporting and Presenting Qualitative Data
287
References
321
Index
331
Copyright

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About the author (2003)

Jane Ritchie is a psychologist and worked exclusively in social policy research throughout her career. She founded the Qualitative Research Unit at NatCen Social Research in 1985 and was the Unit's Director until 1998. She was one of the originators of the qualitative analytic tool, Framework, and teaches and writes about qualitative methods. Jane Lewis was Director of the Qualitative Research Unit at NatCen Social Research from 1998-2007, and then Director of Research and Evaluation at the National Children's Bureau. Her career has since focused on research utilisation and implementation in child and family services. She ran the national support agency for evidence-informed practice Research in Practice and is now centrally involved in the development of UK implementation science and practice as a Director of the Colebrooke Centre for Evidence and Implementation.

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