Qualitative Research in Social Work

Dr. Ian Shaw is S R Nathan Professor of Social Work at National University of Singapore and Professor Emeritus at the University of York, England. He was the first chair of the European Social Work Research Association (ESWRA) and a founder editor of the journal Qualitative Social Work. He has authored almost 100 peer-reviewed papers, more than 20 books, 60 book chapters, and various research reports. He has written extensively in the journals on issues arising from the relationship between social work and sociology over the last century. His more recent books include Social Work Science (2016) and Research and the Social Work Picture (2018). He is pursuing a graduate programme in creative writing, which sits alongside his interests in gardening, his local church, volunteering in his village shop, playing badminton (badly), and Bob Dylan.Nick Gould is Professor of Social Work and Director of Studies for Social Work. He holds degrees from the Universities of Oxford (MSc Applied Social Studies), Sussex (BA and MA Politics) and Bath (PhD). Since qualifying as a social worker over thirty years ago he has combined an academic career with maintaining involvement in front-line practice, including serving for many years as a member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal. He has held visiting academic appointments in Australia and Hong Kong. From 2003-6 he was the National Institute for Mental Health England′s Fellow in Social Care Research. Currently he is a consultant with the Social Care Institute for Excellence, and member of the management group of the Royal College of Psychiatry′s National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health. His most recent book is ′Mental Health Social Work in Context′ (2010, Routledge).

`A really fine book... an impressive work that adds much to the development of the use of qualitative methodology in social work research′ - William J Reid, University at Albany `This book is a significant milestone in the development of social work research. It is characterized by an unparalleled command of the field of qualitative research in social work, and by a commitment to an understanding of the demands and potential of day-to-day social work practice′ - Mike Fisher, Director of Research, National Institute for Social Research `Qualitative Research in Social Work edited by Ian Shaw and Nick Gould, provides a state-of-the-art exposition and analysis of qualitative inquiry in relation to social work.... The book has an unusual degree of coherence for one with several authors. The five chapters by the editors (parts one and three) do an exceptional job of providing the necessary background information and setting the context for the six application chapters and of highlighting and discussing the issues raised in those chapters. The editors are respected scholarswell-versed in the theory and practice of qualitative research. Similarly, the contributing authors represent both considerable experience in this field and a diversity of interests. This combination makes Qualitative Research in Social Work an excellent text for students, practitioners, and researchers alike. It is a benchmark for social work progress in this area and points the way for the continued development of qualitative inquiry′ - Professor Stanley L Witkin, Department of Social Work, University of Vermont

• PART ONE: THE SOCIAL WORK AGENDA FOR QUALITATIVE RESEARCH The Social Work Context for Qualitative ResearchA Review of Qualitative Research in Social WorkPART TWO: EXEMPLIFYING QUALITATIVE SOCIAL WORK RESEARCHCaught Not Taught - Tom HallEthnographic Research at a Young People′s Accomodation ProjectInterviewing Interviewers and Knowing about Knowledge - Jonathan ScourfieldPersonla Troubles as Social Issues - Catherine Kohler RiessmanA Narrative of Infertility in Context`People Listened to What We Had to Say′ - Elizabeth WhitmoreReflections on an Emancipatory Qualitative EvaluationAuto-Ethnography as Reflexive Inquiry - Sue WhiteTeh Research Act as Self-SurveillanceIndentifying Expert Social Work - Jan FookQualitative Practitioner ResearchPART THREE: QUALITATIVE WORK IN SOCIAL WORKFieldwork Choices in Context - Ian F Shaw and Nick G GouldQualitative Research and Professional PracticeInquiry and ActionQualitative Research and Professional PracticeThe Consequences of Qualitative Social Work Research