Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences

by Berg, Bruce L.

• ISBN13: 9780205318476
• ISBN10: 0205318479
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-06-01
• Publisher: Pearson College Div

Summary

This book offers the most comprehensive and straightforward coverage of doing qualitative research on the market, now with a new chapter on Action Research.The author's central purpose remains a desire to instruct inexperienced researchers in ways of effectively collecting, organizing, and making sense of qualitative data, while stressing the importance of ethics in research and in taking the time to properly design and think through any research endeavor. After reading this book, fledgling researchers should be able to design, collect, and analyze data and then present their results to the scientific community.

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
Introduction	1	(14)
Quantitative versus Quanlitative Schools of Thought	2	(2)
Use of Triangulation Research Methodology	4	(2)
Qualitative Strategies: Defining an Orientation	6	(2)
From a Symbolic Interactionist Perspective	8	(2)
Why Use Qualitative Methods?	10	(1)
A Plan of Presentation	11	(1)
References	12	(3)
Designing Qualitative Research	15	(24)
Theory and Concepts	15	(1)
Ideas and Theory	16	(3)
Literature Review	19	(5)
The Two-Card Method	21	(3)
Framing Research Problems	24	(1)
Operationalization and Conceptualization	25	(3)
Designing Projects	28	(5)
Setting and Population Appropriateness	29	(1)
Sampling Strategies	30	(3)
Data Collection and Organization	33	(3)
Data Storage, Retrieval, and Analysis	35	(1)
Dissemination	36	(1)
Trying it Out	37	(1)
References	37	(2)
Ethical Issues	39	(27)
Research Ethics in Historical Perspective	40	(4)
From Guidelines to Law: Regulations on the Research Process	44	(1)
Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)	45	(7)
IRBs and Their Duties	46	(2)
Clarifying the Role of IRBs	48	(2)
Active versus Passive Consent	50	(1)
Membership Criteria for IRBs	51	(1)
Ethical Codes	52	(1)
Some Common Ethical Concerns in Behavioral Research	53	(1)
Physical and Ethical Dangers in Covert Research	54	(2)
Informed Consent and Implied Consent	56	(1)
Confidentiality and Anonymity	57	(2)
Keeping Identifying Records	58	(1)
Strategies for Safeguarding Confidentiality	58	(1)
Securing the Data	59	(1)
Objectivity and Careful Research Design	60	(2)
Trying it Out	62	(1)
References	63	(3)
A Dramaturgical Look at Interviewing	66	(45)
Dramaturgy and Interviewing	67	(1)
Types of Interviews	68	(4)
The Standardized Interview	69	(1)
The Unstandardized Interview	69	(1)
The Semistandardized Interview	70	(2)
The Interview Schedule	72	(2)
Schedule Development	74	(3)
Question Order, Content, and Style	74	(3)
Communicating Effectively	77	(1)
A Few Common Problems in Question Formulation	78	(2)
Affectively Worded Questions	78	(1)
The Double-Barreled Question	79	(1)
Complex Questions	79	(1)
Question Sequencing	79	(1)
Pretesting the Schedule	80	(1)
Long Versus Short Interviews	80	(2)
Telephone Interviews	82	(2)
Conducting an Interview: A Natural or an Unnatural Communication?	84	(1)
The Dramaturgical Interview	85	(8)
Interviewer Roles and Rapport	86	(3)
The Interviewer as a Self-Conscious Performer	89	(1)
Social Interpretations and the Interviewer	90	(3)
The Interviewer's Repertoire	93	(7)
Interviewers' Attitudes and Persuading a Subject	95	(1)
Developing an Interviewer Repertoire	96	(1)
Techniques to Get New Researchers Started	97	(1)
Taking the Show on the Road	98	(1)
The Ten Commandments of Interviewing	99	(1)
Know Your Audience	100	(2)
Curtain Calls	101	(1)
Analyzing Data Obtained from the Dramaturgical Interview	102	(3)
Beginning an Analysis	103	(1)
Systemetic Filling Systems	103	(2)
Short-Answer Sheets	105	(1)
Analysis Procedures: A Concluding Remark	105	(1)
Trying it Out	105	(2)
Notes	107	(1)
References	107	(4)
Focus Group Interviewing	111	(22)
What Are Focus Group Interviews?	111	(1)
The Evolution of Focus Group Interviews	112	(2)
Advantages and Disadvantages of Focus Group Interviewing	114	(6)
Focus Group Interviewing and Face-to-Face Interviewing	115	(2)
Focus Group Interviewing and Participant Observation	117	(1)
Focus Group Interviewing and Unobtrusive Measures	118	(2)
Facilitating Focus Groups Dynamics: How Focus Groups Work	120	(1)
The Moderator's Guide	121	(2)
Introduction and Introductory Activities	121	(1)
Statement of the Basic Rules or Guidelines for the Interview	122	(1)
Short Question-and-Answer Discussions	122	(1)
Special Activities or Exercises	122	(1)
Guidance for Dealing with Sensitive Issues	123	(1)
Basic Ingredients in Focus Groups	123	(4)
Confidentiality and Focus Group Interviews	127	(2)
Recent Trends in Focus Groups	129	(1)
Conclusion	130	(1)
Trying it Out	130	(1)
Notes	130	(1)
References	131	(2)
Ethnographic Field Strategies	133	(45)
Accessing a Field Setting: Getting in	136	(3)
Reflectivity and Ethnography	139	(8)
The Attitude of the Ethnographer	139	(1)
The Researcher's Voice	140	(4)
Gaining Entry	144	(3)
Becoming Invisible	147	(4)
Dangers of Invisibility	148	(2)
A New Problem in Data Protection: The Case of Mario Brajuha	150	(1)
Other Dangers During Ethnographic Reserach	151	(2)
Watching, Listening, and Learning	153	(12)
How to Learn: What to Watch and Listen for	155	(3)
Field Notes	158	(6)
Analyzing Ethnographic Data	164	(1)
Other Analysis Strategies: Typologies, Sociograms, and Metaphors	165	(6)
Typologies	166	(1)
Sociograms	167	(4)
Metaphors	171	(1)
Disengaging: Getting Out	171	(2)
Trying it Out	173	(1)
Note	173	(1)
References	173	(5)
Action Research	178	(11)
The Basics of Action Research	180	(1)
Identifying the Research Question(s)	181	(1)
Gathering the Information to Answer the Question(s)	182	(1)
Analyzing and Interpreting the Information	182	(2)
Procedures for Using Interview and Ethnographic Data	183	(1)
Guiding Questions of Analysis: Why, What, How, Who, Where, When?	183	(1)
Descriptive Accounts and Reports	184	(1)
Sharing The Results with the Participants	184	(1)
The Action Researcher's Role	185	(1)
Types of Action Research	185	(2)
Technical/Scientific/Collaborative Mode	186	(1)
A Practical/Mutual Collaborative/Deliberate Mode	186	(1)
Emancipating/Enhancing/Critical Science Mode	187	(1)
Trying it Out	187	(1)
References	188	(1)
Unobtrusive Measures in Research	189	(21)
Archival Strategies	190	(13)
Public Archives	191	(9)
Private Archives: Solicited and Unsolicited Documents	200	(3)
A Last Remark about Archival Records	203	(1)
Physical Erosion and Accretion: Human Traces as Data Sources	203	(3)
Erosion Measures	203	(1)
Accretion Measures	204	(1)
Some Final Remarks about Physical Traces	205	(1)
Trying it Out	206	(1)
References	207	(3)
Historiography and Oral Traditions	210	(15)
What is Historical Research?	210	(3)
Life Histories and Historiography	213	(1)
What are the Sources of Data of Historical Researchers?	214	(1)
Doing Historiography: Tracing Written History as Data	214	(5)
External Criticism	216	(2)
Internal Criticism	218	(1)
What are Oral Histories?	219	(3)
Trying it Out	222	(1)
References	222	(3)
Case Studies	225	(13)
The Nature of Case Studies	225	(1)
The Individual Case Study	226	(3)
The Use of Interview Data	226	(1)
The Use of Personal Documents	227	(2)
Intrinsic, Instrumental, and Collective Case Studies	229	(1)
Case Study Design Types	229	(2)
Exploratory Case Studies	230	(1)
Explanatory Case Studies	230	(1)
Descriptive Case Studies	230	(1)
The Scientific Benefit of Case Studies	231	(2)
Objectivity and the Case Method	231	(1)
Generalizability	232	(1)
Case Studies of Organizations	233	(1)
Case Studies of Communities	233	(3)
Data Collection for Community Case Studies	234	(1)
Community Groups and Interests	235	(1)
Trying it Out	236	(1)
References	236	(2)
An Introduction to Content Analysis	238	(30)
Analysis of Qualitative Data	238	(2)
Interpretative Approaches	239	(1)
Social Anthropological Approaches	239	(1)
Collaborative Social Research Approaches	240	(1)
Content Analysis as a Technique	240	(1)
Content Analysis: Quantitative or Qualitative?	241	(2)
Manifest versus Latent Content Analysis	242	(1)
Blending Manifest and Latent Content Analysis Strategies	243	(1)
Communication Components	243	(1)
What to Count: Levels and Units of Analysis	244	(1)
Category Development: Building Grounded Theory	245	(6)
What to Count	246	(1)
Combinations of Elements	247	(1)
Units and Categories	248	(2)
Classes and Categories	250	(1)
Open Coding	251	(2)
Coding Frames	253	(5)
A Few More Words on Analytic Induction	255	(1)
Interrogative Hypothesis Testing	256	(2)
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Content Analysis Process	258	(1)
Computers and Qualitative Analysis	259	(4)
Word Processors	261	(1)
Text Retrievers	261	(1)
Textbase Managers	261	(1)
Code-and-Retrieve Programs	262	(1)
Code-Based Theory Builders	262	(1)
Conceptual Network Builders	262	(1)
Qualitative Research at the Speed of Light	263	(2)
Trying it Out	265	(1)
References	265	(3)
Writing Research Papers: Sorting the Noodles from the Soup	268	(21)
Identifying the Purpose of the Writing: Arranging the Noodles	268	(1)
Delineating a Supportive Structure: Visual Signals for the Reader	269	(11)
The Abstract	271	(2)
The Introduction	273	(1)
Literature Review	273	(2)
Methodology	275	(1)
Findings or Results	276	(1)
Discussion/Conclusion	277	(1)
References, Notes, and Appendices	278	(2)
Presenting Research Material	280	(4)
Disseminating the Research: Professional Meetings and Publications	280	(4)
A Word About the Content of Papers and Articles	284	(1)
Write it, Rewrite it, Then Write it Again!	284	(2)
A Final Note	286	(1)
Notes	287	(1)
References	287	(2)
Name Index	289	(7)
Subject Index	296