The Practice of Qualitative Research

Sharlene Nagy Hesse-Biber (PhD, University of Michigan) is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Women’s Studies & Gender Studies Program at Boston College in Massachusetts. She has published widely on the impact of sociocultural factors on women’s body image, including her book Am I Thin Enough Yet? The Cult of Thinness and the Commercialization of Identity, which was selected as one of Choice Magazine’s best academic books for 1996. She has also written widely on methodological and methods issues, including the role of technology and emergent methods in social research. Dr. Hesse-Biber is co-editor of Emergent Methods in Social Research and the Handbook of Emergent Methods, as well as co-author of The Practice of Qualitative Research. She is also editor of the Handbook of Feminist Research: Theory and Praxis, which was selected as one of the Critics’ Choice Award winners by the American Education Studies Association and was also chosen as one of Choice Magazine’s Outstanding Academic titles for 2007. Dr. Hesse-Biber is co-developer of the software program HyperRESEARCH, a computer-assisted program for analyzing qualitative data, and the new transcription tool HyperTRANSCRIBE. For more information, see www.researchware.com.

This lucid text covers nearly every aspect of qualitative research, with useful attention being paid to the thorny logistics and pragmatic problems often encountered by researchers in the field. It is a great introduction for students and a necessary resource for the more seasoned.

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorsPart I: Taking a Qualitative Approach to ResearchChapter 1: An Invitation to Qualitative ResearchWhat’s Wrong With This Picture?What Is Qualitative Research?A Holistic Approach to ResearchWhat to Learn From This BookGlossaryDiscussion QuestionsResourcesChapter 2: Paradigmatic Approaches to Qualitative ResearchWhat Are the Major Paradigmatic Approaches to Qualitative Research?PositivismThe Interpretive StrandThe Critical StrandConclusionGlossaryDiscussion QuestionsResourcesChapter 3: Designing Qualitative Approaches to ResearchHow Do We Know What We Know?What Is a Qualitative Approach to Research? Qualitative Research Inquiry: A Dynamic DanceConclusionGlossaryDiscussion QuestionsResourcesChapter 4: The Ethics of Social ResearchWhy Is Ethical Practice Important?A Short History of Ethics in ResearchHow Are Research Participants Protected Today?Beyond Informed Consent: What Are the Ethical Dilemmas in Social Research?How Can I Observe Ethical Values in My Research Practice?Do New Technologies Impact the Practice of Ethical Research?ConclusionGlossaryDiscussion QuestionsResourcesPart II. Qualitative Research PracticeChapter 5: In-Depth InterviewingWhat Is an In-Depth Interview?How Do You Design and Conduct an In-Depth Interview Study?How Do You Conduct an In-Depth InterviewHow Do You Analyze and Interpret Interviews?ConclusionGlossaryDiscussion QuestionsResourcesChapter 6: Focus Group ResearchWhat Are Focus Group Interviews?Online Focus GroupsEthics and Focus Group ResearchConclusionGlossaryDiscussion QuestionsResourcesChapter 7: EthnographyWhat Is Ethnography?Using an Ethnographic Approach: When Is It Appropriate?Virtual Ethnographic MethodsHow Do You Gather and Manage Your Ethnographic Data?ConclusionGlossaryDiscussion QuestionsResourcesChapter 8: Case StudyWhat Is a Case Study?Reasons for Adopting a Case Study ApproachWhy Conduct Case Study Research?Case Study ExamplesConclusionGlossaryDiscussion QuestionsResourcesChapter 9: Researching Mass Media: Images and Texts by Heather McIntosh and Lisa CuklantzWhat Is Content Analysis?Strengths and Weaknesses of Quantitative and Qualitative Content AnalysisQualitative Content Analysis of Online TextsHow Is the Research Database for Content Analysis Defined and Delimited?Making a Theoretical ContributionConclusionGlossaryDiscussion QuestionsResourcesAppendix: Formal Analysis in Film and TelevisionChapter 10: Mixed Methods ResearchWhat Is Mixed Methods Research?What Is a Mixed Methods Research Design?What Is a Qualitatively Driven Approach to Mixed Methods Research Inquiry?Why Do Qualitative Researchers Use Mixed Methods?What to Consider When Conducting a Mixed Methods Research ProjectConclusionGlossaryDiscussion QuestionsResourcesPart III: Tying the Strands TogetherChapter 11: Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative DataWhat Is Qualitative Data Analysis?What Is Coding?A Grounded Theory Approach to CodingHow Do You Code Data?Software for Qualitative Data AnalysisHow Can I Use a Software Program to Analyze My Qualitative Data?ConclusionGlossaryDiscussion QuestionsResourcesChapter 12: Writing and Representation of Qualitative Research ProjectsWho Is Your Audience?Getting It Done: Writing Up Your Qualitative Research ProjectEditing and Revising Your Research PaperHow Do I Represent the Voices of My Respondents?ConclusionGlossaryDiscussion QuestionsResourcesConclusion: Future Directions of Qualitative Research InquiryThe Future of Qualitative Research: Coming at Things DifferentlyWhat′s New in Qualitative Research Practice?Emergent Methods: New Approaches to Old MethodsImpact of Online Research on the Process of Qualitative InquiryStaying Centered and Building Ethical KnowledgeGlossaryDiscussion QuestionsResourcesReferencesIndex