Understanding Qualitative Research – serie

Autoethnography is a method of research that involves describing and analyzing personal experiences in order to understand cultural experiences. The method challenges canonical ways of doing research and recognizes how personal experience influences the research process. Autoethnography acknowledges and accomodates subjectivity, emotionality, and the researcher's influence on research. In this book, the authors provide a historical and conceptual overview of autoethnography. They share their stories of coming to autoethnography and identify key concerns and considerations that led to the development of the method. Next, they outline the purposes and practices--the core ideals--of autoethnography, how autoethnographers can accomplish these ideals, and why researchers might choose to do autoethnography. They describe the processes of doing autoethnography, conducting fieldwork, discussing ethics in research, and interpreting and analyzing personal experience, and they explore the various modes and techniques used and involved in writing autoethnography. They conclude with goals for creating and assessing autoethnography and describe the future of autoethnographic inquiry. Throughout, the authors provide numerous examples of their work and share key resources. This book will serve as both a guide to the practices of doing autoethnography and an exemplar of autoethnographic research processes and representations.

In Philosophies of Qualitative Research, Svend Brinkmann explores the different philosophical paradigms and ideas that influence qualitative research today. Adopting a historical perspective, the book shows readers exactly how philosophical ideas have evolved and influenced qualitative research in both the past and present. Today, qualitative researchers tend to report on their philosophical commitments in an altogether separate section of their research papers. However, as Philosophies of Qualitative Research asserts, the researcher's philosophical ideas influence everything from the conception of the topic to the final reporting of its results. Therefore, philosophy should not be thought of as a purely abstract discipline, disconnected from the practicalities of research, but rather as a concrete and pervasive aspect of all qualitative research practices. In this book, Brinkmann offers readers an important introduction and discussion of the philosophical issues that are relevant today, regardless of the specific methods employed by qualitative researchers in the field.

Perhaps the greatest strength of choosing video as a method for social research is its flexible and almost limitless potential for gathering, analyzing, writing up, and disseminating the research findings. Understanding the rich potential of video as both method and methodology is a process inextricably linked to epistemological, study design, analysis, and dissemination choices. As technology and media have evolved, video has become a primary tool of presenting information and ideas and a means of culture making. Video as Method provides researchers with a guide to understanding, designing, conducting, and disseminating video-based research, and the rapid proliferation of approaches, uses, and designs now available. In the face of large data sets, and the great range of types and uses of video as an effective research tool, many researchers struggle to know how best to represent both video-based methodologies and research findings. Anne Harris provides in-depth examples in each chapter, and guides readers step-by-step through the chapter topics in a methodical fashion that mirrors the research journey.

Qualitative diary research is a unique tool with strengths that set it apart from other research methods. The diary prioritizes events embedded in context and time, a perspective that serves to destabilize constants, revealing the complex intersectionality of experience. Over the last several centuries, the mechanics of diary-keeping have evolved from simple records of ephemera into a primary research method. Today both archival and solicited diaries are used by social scientists who employ a range of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method data collection technologies.Researchers may consider the very possibility of conducting a qualitative diary study with some hesitation--in addition to sounding like a good deal of work, the method seems somewhat off the beaten path, a bit mysterious, and even kitschy. With a better understanding of what is involved, those who are considering the method may come to find that a diary study is well worth their while. In Diary Methods, Laurie L. Hyers provides her readers with a wealth of guidance and expert insight to ensure the success of their qualitative diary studies. The history of the diary from cultural phenomenon to social scientific method are explored, followed by a discussion of the use of archival and solicited diaries in qualitative designs, diary data collection and management, qualitative analysis and coding, composition and diary report writing, evaluating diary research, and special ethical considerations when using diaries in research.

Most qualitative researchers work on teams at some point. Qualitative Research and Complex Teams charts new methodological territory by providing hands-on help for qualitative researchers working on team projects. Useful to those working with a purely qualitative research design or mixed methods, the text provides a unique focus on writing and communications, offering strategies for all stages of the process from research design to final product. This volume provides an overview of the research related to team-based work, as well as a discussion of relevant changes in approaches to writing in the field. Readers will learn how to initiate team-based work through a digital tool kit approach, organize systems to insure efficiency, and undertake the process of bringing together and training diverse teams. Jargon-free, this book provides strong guidance for thinking about the joint arenas of methodological and substantive writing, and it develops ways to further the aims of both as the project proceeds.

Oral History is part of the Understanding Qualitative Research series, which is designed to provide researchers with authoritative guides to understanding, presenting, and critiquing analyses and associated inferences. There are three subareas in this series: Quantitative Research, Measurement, and Qualitative Research. This volume fits in the Qualitative Research group and addresses issues surrounding oral history - how to both fully and succinctly report and present this material, as well as the challenges of evaluating it.

Qualitative researchers read journal articles, serve on masters' and doctoral committees, make careful decisions on whether conference proposals, manuscripts, or large-scale grant applications should be accepted or rejected; yet, best practices on how to do this work thoroughly and efficiently have gained little attention over the last few decades.Evaluating Qualitative Research provides expert insight and advice on how to evaluate the merit of qualitative research in the academic community. As one of the first works of literature to address this gap in the exploration of theory, practice, and reflection that comes with the evaluation of qualitative research, author Jeasik Cho constructs a typology of evaluation by examining actual information collected from a variety of websites and relevant journals. By analyzing a host of journals' established review guidelines and assessment apparatuses, Cho presents readers with the core criteria that stands out amongst these tools. As a result, readers will be able to confidently agree upon the standards for how to best evaluate qualitative research not only for their work but for the community at large.

Ethnography familiarizes readers with ethnographic research and writing traditions through detailed discussions of ethnography's history, exploratory design, representational conventions, and standards of evaluation. Responding to the proliferation of ethnography both within and outside of academia, in this book, Anthony Kwame Harrison grounds ethnographic practices within the anthropological principles of cultural awareness, thick description, and embodied understanding. At the same time, the book introduces new frameworks for grasping ethnography's simultaneous strategic and improvisational imperatives, as well as for appreciating its experimental conventions of social science and humanistic research reporting. Central to this process, Ethnography introduces the concept of ethnographic comportment-defined as an historically informed politics of position that impacts ethnographers' conduct and disposition-which serves as a standard for gauging and engaging ethnography throughout the text. Part research primer, writing guide, and assessment handbook, Ethnography provides readers with a comprehensive introduction to one of the richest and most expansive traditions of qualitative research.

The field of education is rife with calls to action and for research to improve higher-level thinking and learning outcomes in primary, secondary, and tertiary education. With the No Child Left Behind Act and even more recently the Every Student Succeeds Act, policymakers are acknowledging the need for accountability and for an education system that works for everyone. Thankfully, psychologists and educators are coming together to share best methods for how to design better learning environments, assessments and tests, but are also probing learners for how they process the content material with which they are faced.Jacqueline P. Leighton's Using Think-Aloud Interviews and Cognitive Labs in Educational Research provides the first volume focused on distinguishing related - but specific - methods for probing these distinct forms of student cognition.Unlike volumes focused on interview techniques for questionnaire design and analysis, this book builds on the seminal 1993 work of psychologists K. Anders Ericsson and Herbert A. Simon for using think-aloud and protocol analysis to generate evidence of student problem solving in education, while also distinguishing this work from cognitive interviews used to generate evidence of human understanding comprehension within the educational and psychological settings. Here, Leighton not only presents the theoretical basis for the two interview and analytical techniques, but also advances how to use cognitive models in the planning of interviews, collecting data, training those who work with this data, and generating evidence for claims about higher-level thinking and learning.Using Think-Aloud Interviews and Cognitive Labs in Educational Research includes sample instructions, cautions, and schematic visuals to help readers identify these distinct procedures, while also integrating the work with established standards such as the 2014 Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing published by the American Educational Research Association, the National Council on Measurement in Education, and the American Psychological Association.

Fundamentals of Qualitative Research approaches qualitative inquiry as a strategically selected composite of genres, elements, and styles. Saldaña, author of the bestselling book, The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers, brings clear writing and explanatory prowess to this new textbook for learning the fundamentals of qualitative research methods.This book presents a concise yet rigorous description of how to design and conduct fieldwork projects and how to examine data in multiple ways for interpretive insight. Saldaña, a master teacher and qualitative data analyst, acquaints readers with the major genres of qualitative research available and the elements of interviewing, participant observation, and other data collection methods to inform emergent research design decisions. An extended chapter on qualitative data analysis is one of the book's unique features. Saldaña devotes necessary coverage to conceptual foundations, coding, analytic memo writing, thematic analysis, assertion development, grounded theory, narrative and poetic inquiry, and ethnodramatic approaches to the data. Eight distinctive styles of qualitative writing are presented. The book concludes with a list of recommended readings in the field, as well as additional resources on organizations and associations dedicated to qualitative research.Fundamentals of Qualitative Research is an ideal introduction for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in education, sociology, psychology, anthropology, human communication, and health care.

Duoethnography is a collaborative research methodology in which two or more researchers engage in a dialogue on their disparate histories in a given phenomenon. Their goal is to interrogate and re-conceptualize existing beliefs through a conversation that is written in a play-script format. The methodology of duoethnography serves as the focus of this book. Duoethnography facilitates stratified, nested, auto-ethnographic accounts of a given research context or question, designed to emphasize the complex, reflexive, and aesthetic aspects of both the work in process and the product. As a curriculum and a research method, duoethnography explores two seminal issues: representation in qualitative research (how to represent findings when findings are created within a dynamic phenomenonological text), and praxis (how research contributes to a sense of personal change). Duoethnography allows researchers to explore their hybrid identities and to see how their lives have been situated socially and culturally. Recent duoethnographic studies have examined a range of topics, including forms of institutionalized racism, beauty, post-colonialism, multicultural identity construction, and professional boundaries between patient and practitioner in mental health professions.

As use of the Internet has become increasingly widespread, the Internet has also become a natural site for qualitative research. New researchable populations emerge, and illuminating discussions on every conceivable topic have become accessible to researchers. The Internet also presents many challenges, however, raising the questions of how to develop ethical and achievable research projects, and how to present findings to the widest possible audience. This book focuses on the process of writing qualitative Internet research, from the construction of the initial proposal to the preparation of different types of research reports, including conventional dissertations and more innovative media forms. Covering ethnographic, interview-based, and documentary analysis, Understanding Qualitative Research: The Internet offers clear guidance on the challenges and opportunities posed by the application of these approaches to Internet settings, drawing on a wide array of published examples and rooting its advice in the established principles of qualitative research. The author emphasizes the importance of reflexivity and developing awareness of the various genres of qualitative writing, together with building research reports that are significant as mainstream social research.Although the emphasis of this book is on qualitative research, it also draws on quantitative research techniques, since the sheer wealth of data available on the Internet prompts consideration of new ways of visualizing and summarizing data. Understanding Qualitative Research: The Internet also explores initiatives by Internet researchers to make use of new media technologies for analyzing and presenting their research, and to allow for new forms of interaction with research participants and audiences.

Research that occurs in the context of emergencies and disasters requires attention to challenging contexts and circumstances. Qualitative Disaster Research walks readers through the ways in which those contexts can be managed to produce careful, rigorous, and scholarly work. Each chapter provides an overview of approaches, methods, and techniques with illustrations from established disaster studies. Step-by-step instructions outline ways to gather, analyze, and write up qualitative field data. User-friendly examples show readers how to move from initial research ideas to final publication. Throughout the volume, readers find helpful suggestions for a range of field-based scenarios. Qualitative Disaster Research stands out of the first volume of its kind with the singular intent to serve as a guide to those new to or wanting a refresher course in disaster studies. Students and faculty will find the book approachable and ideal for use in training the next generation of disaster researchers.

The Understanding Research series focuses on the process of writing up social research. The series is broken down into three categories: Understanding Statistics, Understanding Measurement, and Understanding Qualitative Research. The books provide researchers with guides to understanding, writing, and evaluating social research. Each volume demonstrates how research should be represented, including how to write up the methodology as well as the research findings. Each volume also reviews how to appropriately evaluate published research. Focus Group Discussions addresses the challenges associated with conducting and writing focus group research. It provides detailed guidance on the practical and theoretical considerations in conducting focus group discussions including: designing the discussion guide, recruiting participants, training a field team, moderating techniques and ethical considerations. Monique Hennink describes how a methodology section is read and evaluated by others, such as journal reviewers or thesis advisors. She provides readers with guidance on specific aspects of presenting research findings, such structuring narrative accounts, developing an argument, using quotations, reporting focus group interaction, visual presentation formats, and strategies for grounding study results. She describes the challenges in assessing focus groups and details practical strategies for assessing scientific rigor. The book includes case study examples of field research across a range of disciplines and international contexts. Hennink concludes the volume with an overview of current debates relating to the evaluation of qualitative research, suggesting ways to critique the research design, methodology and results of focus group research.

Qualitative interviewing has today become one of the most common research methods across the human and social sciences, but it is an approach that comes in different guises. Qualitative Interviewing will help its readers write, represent, understand, and critique qualitative interview research in its many forms as currently practiced. The book begins with a theoretically informed introduction to qualitative interviewing by presenting a variegated landscape of how conversations have been used for knowledge-producing purposes. Particular attention is paid to the complementary positions of experience-focused interviewing (phenomenological positions) and language-focused interviewing (discourse-oriented positions), which focus on interview talk as reports (of the experiences of interviewees) and accounts (occasioned by the situation of interviewing), respectively. The following chapters address various ways of designing qualitative interview studies and a guide to writing up the methodological procedures and results of an interview study. The book concludes with a presentation of the most common errors in interview reports, offering a range of solutions and strategies for evaluating research findings based on qualitative interviews.