Synopses & Reviews
The Oxford Handbook of Qualitative Research presents a comprehensive overview of the field of qualitative research. It is intended for students of all levels, faculty, and researchers across the social sciences. The contributors represent some of the most influential and innovative researchers in the field as well as emerging scholars. This handbook provides a broad introduction to the field of qualitative research to those with little to no background in the subject, while simultaneously providing substantive contributions to the field that will be of interest to even the most experienced researchers. It serves as a user-friendly teaching tool suitable for a range of undergraduate or graduate courses, as well as individuals working on their thesis or other research projects. With a focus on methodological instruction, this volume offers both a retrospective and prospective view of the field. The first two sections explore the history of the field, ethics, and philosophical/theoretical approaches. The next three sections focus on the major methods of qualitative practice as well as newer approaches (such as arts-based research and internet research); area studies often excluded (such as museum studies and disaster studies); and mixed methods and participatory methods (such as community-based research). The next section covers key issues including data analysis, interpretation, writing and assessment. The final section offers a commentary about politics and research and the move towards public scholarship.
Review
"Patricia Leavy has pulled together an impressive collection of essays from many of the leading scholars in qualitative inquiry. Including pieces that reflect more traditional as well as the most cutting edge work in qualitative research, this book will be a joy to use in the classroom and a necessary resource for any researcher working with qualitative methods."
--Ronald J. Pelias, Professor Emeritus, Southern Illinois University
"A book of quality and utility. Indeed everything you need to know about Qualitative Research but were too afraid to ask." --Carl Bagley PhD FRSA, Professor of Educational Sociology and Head of the School of Education, Durham University, United Kingdom
"The Oxford Handbook of Qualitative Research comes at just the right moment in the qualitative endeavor. At the threshold of the 21st Century, when existing disciplines are exploring new frontiers and transdisciplinarity stretches the limits of inquiry and understanding, Patricia Leavy's Handbook strengthens our grasp of philosophical and practical foundations. At the same time, we discover in this volume an enthusiastic advancement of innovative strategies and tools toward creating new and useful knowledge for the complex challenges that researchers face. Leavy's handbook is already the preferred bookmark for my own research and will become a required text for my students for years to come." --Candace Jesse Stout, Professor of Art Education at The Ohio State University
About the Author
Patricia Leavy, PhD, is a leading researcher, acclaimed author, and public speaker. She has published a dozen non-fiction books including the best-seller
Method Meets Art: Arts-Based Research Practice, Essentials of Transdisciplinary Research: Using Problem-Centered Methodologies, Fiction as Research Practice and
Oral History: Understanding Qualitative Research as well as two academic novels,
American Circumstance and
Low-Fat Love. She is the editor for four book series, is frequently called on by the media, has appeared on national television and radio, and is a blogger for
The Huffington Post. The New England Sociological Association named Leavy the 2010 New England Sociologist of the Year and she has been nominated for a lifetime achievement award by the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry and a Special Achievement award by the American Creativity Association.
Table of Contents
Preface
1. Introduction
Patricia Leavy
Part One: The Qualitative Tradition
2. Historical Overview of Qualitative Research in the Social Sciences
Svend Brinkmann, Michael Hviid Jacobsen, and Søren Kristiansen
3. The History of Historical-Comparative Methods in Sociology
Chares Demetriou and Victor Roudometof
4. The Centrality of Ethics in Qualitative Research
Anna Traianou
Part Two: Approaches to Qualitative Research
5. Philosophical Approaches to Qualitative Research
Renée Spencer, Julia M. Pryce, and Jill Walsh
6. Applied Interpretive Approaches
Sally E. Thorne
7. The Grounded Theory Method
Antony Bryant
8. Feminist Qualitative Research: Toward Transformation of Science and Society
Maureen C. McHugh
9. Critical Approaches to Qualitative Research
Kum-Kum Bhavnani, Peter Chua, and Dana Collins
10. Decolonizing Research Practice: Indigenous Methodologies, Aboriginal Methods, and Knowledge/Knowing
Mike Evans, Adrian Miller, Peter Hutchinson, and Carlene Dingwall
Part Three: Narrative Inquiry, Field Research, and Interview Methods
11. Practicing Narrative Inquiry
Arthur P. Bochner and Nicholas A. Riggs
12. Ethnography
Anthony Kwame Harrison
13. The Purposes, Practices, and Principles of Autoethnographic Research
Carolyn Ellis and Tony E. Adams
14. Unstructured and Semi-Structured Interviewing
Svend Brinkmann
15. Oral History Interviewing: Issues and Possibilities
Valerie J. Janesick
16. Focus Group Research: Retrospect and Prospect
George Kamberelis and Greg Dimitriadis
17. Museum Studies
Erica L. Tucker
Part Four: Text, Arts-Based, and Internet Methods
18. Content Analysis
Lindsay Prior
19. Photography as a Research Method
Gunilla Holm
20. Arts-Based Research Practice: Merging Social Research and the Creative Arts
Gioia Chilton and Patricia Leavy
21. Qualitative Approaches in Internet-Mediated Research: Opportunities, Issues, Possibilities
Claire Hewson
Part Five: Multi-Method, Mixed-Method, and Participatory Designs
22. Case Study Research: In-Depth Understanding in Context
Helen Simons
23. Program Evaluation
Paul R. Brandon and Anna L. Ah Sam
24. Community-Based Research: Understanding the Principles, Practices, Challenges, and Rationale Margaret R. Boyd
25. Lineages: A Past, Present, and Future of Participatory Action Research
Sarah M. Zeller-Berkman
26. Qualitative Disaster Research
Brenda D. Phillips
27. Conducting Mixed Methods Research: Using Dialectical Pluralism and Social Psychological Strategies
R. Burke Johnson, Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Susan A. Tucker, and Marjorie L. Icenogle
Part Six: Analysis, Interpretation, Representation, and Evaluation
28. Coding and Analysis Strategies
Johnny Saldaña
29. Computer-Assisted Analysis of Qualitative Research
Christina Silver and Ann F. Lewins
30. Interpretation Strategies: Appropriate Concepts
Allen Trent and Jeasik Cho
31. Writing Up Qualitative Research
Jane F. Gilgun
32. Evaluating Qualitative Research
Jeasik Cho and Allen Trent
Part Seven: Conclusion: Politics and the Public
33. The Politics of Research
Michael D. Giardina and Joshua I. Newman
34. A Brief Statement on the Public and the Future of Qualitative Research
Patricia Leavy