Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences

by Berg, Bruce L.

• ISBN13: 9780205482634
• ISBN10: 0205482635
• Edition: 6th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-01-01
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon

Summary

This text uses hands-on activities and real-life examples to provide the most comprehensive and straightforward coverage of doing qualitative research on the market. The author's central purpose is to show inexperienced researchers how to design, collect, and analyze data and then present their results to the scientific community, while stressing the importance of ethics in research and taking the time to properly design and think through any research endeavor.

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
Chapter 1 Introduction	1	(18)
Quantitative Versus Qualitative Schools of Thought	2	(3)
Use of Triangulation in Research Methodology	5	(3)
Qualitative Strategies: Defining an Orientation	8	(1)
From a Symbolic Interactionist Perspective	9	(4)
Why Use Qualitative Methods?	13	(2)
A Plan of Presentation	15	(1)
References	16	(3)
Chapter 2 Designing Qualitative Research	19	(34)
Theory and Concepts	19	(2)
Ideas and Theory	21	(4)
Reviewing the Literature	25	(8)
Evaluating Web Sites	27	(3)
The Two-Card Method	30	(3)
Theory, Reality, and the Social World	33	(1)
Framing Research Problems	34	(1)
Operationalization and Conceptualization	35	(3)
Designing Projects	38	(7)
Setting and Population Appropriateness	39	(2)
Sampling Strategies	41	(4)
Data Collection and Organization	45	(1)
Data Storage, Retrieval, and Analysis	46	(2)
Dissemination	48	(1)
Trying It Out	49	(1)
References	49	(4)
Chapter 3 Ethical Issues	53	(36)
Research Ethics in Historical Perspective	54	(6)
From Guidelines to Law: Regulations on the Research Process	60	(1)
Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)	61	(10)
IRBs and Their Duties	62	(3)
Clarifying the Role of IRBs	65	(2)
Active Versus Passive Consent	67	(2)
Active Versus Passive Consent in Internet Research	69	(1)
Membership Criteria for IRBs	70	(1)
Ethical Codes	71	(1)
Some Common Ethical Concerns in Behavioral Research	71	(2)
New Areas for Ethical Concern: Cyberspace	73	(2)
Protection for Children	74	(1)
Debriefing the Subjects	74	(1)
Physical and Ethical Dangers in Covert Research	75	(3)
Informed Consent and Implied Consent	78	(1)
Confidentiality and Anonymity	79	(2)
Keeping Identifying Records	79	(1)
Strategies for Safeguarding Confidentiality	80	(1)
Securing the Data	81	(1)
Objectivity and Careful Research Design	82	(1)
Trying It Out	83	(1)
References	84	(5)
Chapter 4 A Dramaturgical Look at Interviewing	89	(55)
Dramaturgy and Interviewing	90	(2)
Types of Interviews	92	(5)
The Standardized Interview	92	(2)
The Unstandardized Interview	94	(1)
The Semistandardized Interview	95	(2)
The Interview Schedule	97	(2)
Schedule Development	99	(3)
Question Order, Content, and Style	99	(3)
Communicating Effectively	102	(1)
A Few Common Problems in Question Formulation	103	(2)
Affectively Worded Questions	104	(1)
The Double-Barreled Question	104	(1)
Complex Questions	105	(1)
Question Sequencing	105	(1)
Pretesting the Schedule	105	(1)
Long Versus Short Interviews	106	(2)
Telephone Interviews	108	(2)
Advantages of the Telephone Interview	109	(1)
Disadvantages of the Telephone Interview	110	(1)
Computer-Assisted Interviewing	110	(4)
Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI)	110	(1)
Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI)	111	(1)
Web-Based In-Depth Interviews	112	(2)
Conducting an Interview: A Natural or an Unnatural Communication?	114	(1)
The Dramaturgical Interview	115	(8)
Interviewer Roles and Rapport	116	(2)
The Role of the Interviewee	118	(1)
The Interviewer as a Self-Conscious Performer	119	(1)
Social Interpretations and the Interviewer	120	(3)
The Interviewer's Repertoire	123	(8)
Interviewers' Attitudes and Persuading a Subject	125	(2)
Developing an Interviewer Repertoire	127	(1)
Techniques to Get New Researchers Started	127	(2)
Taking the Show on the Road	129	(1)
The Ten Commandments of Interviewing	129	(2)
Know Your Audience	131	(2)
Curtain Calls	132	(1)
Analyzing Data Obtained from the Dramaturgical Interview	133	(4)
Beginning an Analysis	134	(1)
Systematic Filing Systems	134	(2)
Short Answer Sheets	136	(1)
Analysis Procedures: A Concluding Remark	136	(1)
Trying It Out	137	(1)
Notes	138	(1)
References	139	(5)
Chapter 5 Focus Group Interviewing	144	(27)
What Are Focus Group Interviews?	144	(2)
The Evolution of Focus Group Interviews	146	(2)
Advantages and Disadvantages of Focus Group Interviewing	148	(7)
Focus Group Interviewing and Face-to-Face Interviewing	149	(2)
Focus Group Interviewing and Participant Observation	151	(1)
Focus Group Interviewing and Unobtrusive Measures	152	(3)
Facilitating Focus Group Dynamics: How Focus Groups Work	155	(1)
The Moderator's Guide	155	(3)
Introduction and Introductory Activities	156	(1)
Statement of the Basic Rules or Guidelines for the Interview	156	(1)
Short Question-and-Answer Discussions	157	(1)
Special Activities or Exercises	157	(1)
Guidance for Dealing with Sensitive Issues	157	(1)
Basic Ingredients in Focus Groups	158	(4)
Analyzing Focus Group Data	162	(1)
Confidentiality and Focus Group Interviews	163	(2)
Recent Trends in Focus Groups: Online Focus Groups	165	(1)
Conclusion	166	(1)
Trying It Out	167	(1)
Notes	167	(1)
References	168	(3)
Chapter 6 Ethnographic Field Strategies	171	(51)
Accessing a Field Setting: Getting in	175	(3)
Reflectivity and Ethnography	178	(8)
The Attitude of the Ethnographer	179	(1)
The Researcher's Voice	179	(5)
Gaining Entry	184	(2)
Becoming Invisible	186	(4)
Dangers of Invisibility	188	(2)
Other Dangers During Ethnographic Research	190	(2)
Watching, Listening, and Learning	192	(12)
How to Learn: What to Watch and Listen For	194	(3)
Field Notes	197	(7)
Computers and Ethnography	204	(1)
Analyzing Ethnographic Data	205	(2)
Other Analysis Strategies: Typologies, Sociograms, and Metaphors	207	(6)
Typologies	207	(1)
Sociograms	208	(5)
Metaphors	213	(1)
Disengaging: Getting Out	213	(2)
Trying It Out	215	(1)
References	215	(7)
Chapter 7 Action Research	222	(17)
The Basics of Action Research	224	(2)
Identifying the Research Question(s)	226	(1)
Gathering the Information to Answer the Question(s)	227	(1)
Analyzing and Interpreting the Information	227	(2)
Procedures for Using Interview and Ethnographic Data	227	(1)
Guiding Questions of Analysis: Why, What, How, Who, Where, When?	228	(1)
Descriptive Accounts and Reports	228	(1)
Sharing the Results with the Participants	229	(1)
The Action Researcher's Role	230	(1)
Types of Action Research	230	(3)
Technical/Scientific/Collaborative Mode	231	(1)
A Practical/Mutual Collaborative/Deliberate Mode	231	(1)
Emancipating/Enhancing/Critical Science Mode	232	(1)
Photovoice and Action Research	233	(2)
The Goal in Photovoice	234	(1)
Action Research: A Reiteration	235	(1)
Trying It Out	236	(1)
References	237	(2)
Chapter 8 Unobtrusive Measures in Research	239	(25)
Archival Strategies	241	(15)
Public Archives	242	(10)
Private Archives: Solicited and Unsolicited Documents	252	(4)
A Last Remark about Archival Records	256	(1)
Physical Erosion and Accretion: Human Traces as Data Sources	256	(3)
Erosion Measures	256	(1)
Accretion Measures	257	(1)
Some Final Remarks about Physical Traces	258	(1)
Trying It Out	259	(1)
References	260	(4)
Chapter 9 Historiography and Oral Traditions	264	(19)
What is Historical Research?	264	(4)
Life Histories and Historiography	268	(1)
What are the Sources of Data of Historical Researchers?	268	(1)
Doing Historiography: Tracing Written History as Data	269	(6)
External Criticism	271	(3)
Internal Criticism	274	(1)
What are Oral Histories?	275	(4)
Trying It Out	279	(1)
References	279	(4)
Chapter 10 Case Studies	283	(20)
The Nature of Case Studies	283	(1)
Theory and Case Studies	284	(2)
The Individual Case Study	286	(5)
The Use of Interview Data	288	(1)
The Use of Personal Documents	289	(2)
Intrinsic, Instrumental, and Collective Case Studies	291	(1)
Case Study Design Types	292	(2)
Exploratory Case Studies	292	(1)
Explanatory Case Studies	292	(1)
Descriptive Case Studies	293	(1)
The Scientific Benefit of Case Studies	294	(2)
Objectivity and the Case Method	294	(1)
Generalizability	295	(1)
Case Studies of Organizations	296	(1)
Case Studies of Communities	297	(3)
Data Collection for Community Case Studies	298	(1)
Community Groups and Interests	298	(2)
Trying It Out	300	(1)
References	300	(3)
Chapter 11 An Introduction to Content Analysis	303	(37)
What is Content Analysis	303	(1)
Analysis of Qualitative Data	304	(2)
Interpretative Approaches	304	(1)
Social Anthropological Approaches	305	(1)
Collaborative Social Research Approaches	305	(1)
Content Analysis as a Technique	306	(1)
Content Analysis: Quantitative or Qualitative?	307	(2)
Manifest versus Latent Content Analysis	308	(1)
Blending Manifest and Latent Content Analysis Strategies	309	(1)
Communication Components	309	(1)
What to Count: Levels and Units of Analysis	310	(1)
Category Development: Building Grounded Theory	310	(7)
What to Count	312	(1)
Combinations of Elements	313	(1)
Units and Categories	314	(2)
Classes and Categories	316	(1)
Open Coding	317	(3)
Coding Frames	320	(5)
A Few More Words on Analytic Induction	322	(1)
Interrogative Hypothesis Testing	323	(2)
Stages in the Content Analysis Process	325	(2)
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Content Analysis Process	327	(2)
Computers and Qualitative Analysis	329	(5)
Word Processors	331	(1)
Text Retrievers	331	(1)
Textbase Managers	331	(1)
Code-and-Retrieve Programs	331	(1)
Code-Based Theory Builders	332	(1)
Conceptual Network Builders	332	(2)
Qualitative Research at the Speed of Light	334	(1)
Trying It Out	335	(1)
References	336	(4)
Chapter 12 Writing Research Papers: Sorting the Noodles from the Soup	340	(27)
Plagiarism: What It Is, Why It's Bad, and How to Avoid It	341	(3)
Why Plagiarism Occurs	341	(1)
How to Avoid Plagiarism	342	(2)
Identifying the Purpose of the Writing: Arranging the Noodles	344	(1)
Delineating a Supportive Structure: Visual Signals for the Reader	345	(12)
The Title	347	(1)
The Abstract	348	(1)
The Introduction	349	(1)
Literature Review	350	(1)
Methodology	351	(2)
Findings or Results	353	(1)
Discussion/Conclusion	354	(1)
References, Notes, and Appendices	354	(3)
Presenting Research Material	357	(4)
Disseminating the Research: Professional Meetings and Publications	357	(4)
A Word About the Content of Papers and Articles	361	(1)
Write It, Rewrite It, Then Write It Again!	361	(2)
A Final Note	363	(1)
Notes	364	(1)
References	364	(3)
Index	367