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A practical introduction to qualitative research across fields and disciplines
Qualitative Research in Practice offers a hands-on introduction to qualitative research design, methods, data, and analysis. Designed as a companion text for any course involving qualitative research, this book explores the different types of qualitative studies with relevant examples and analysis by the researchers themselves. The workbook format makes it easy to use in the classroom or the field, and the depth of information makes it a valuable resource for students of social work, psychology, counseling, management, education, health care, or any field in which qualitative research is conducted.
While quantitative research is primarily concerned with numerical data, qualitative research methods are more flexible, responsive, and open to contextual information. To a qualitative researcher, a situation is defined by the participants’ perspectives, making it the primary method of inquiry for understanding social phenomena through the lens of experience. This book introduces the essentials of qualitative research, bolstered by expert analysis and discussion that provides deeper insight than a traditional textbook format would allow.
How does one codify an experience? Is it possible to measure emotion in units? Qualitative research fills the void where numbers cannot reach. It is the best tool we have for studying the unquantifiable aspects of the human experience, and it is an essential tool in a wide variety of fields. Qualitative Research in Practice provides translatable skills in a practical format to quicken your transition from “learning” to “using.”
SHARAN B. MERRIAM is a professor emerita of adult and continuing education and qualitative research at the University of Georgia, in Athens. She is the author, coauthor, or editor of more than thirty books, including Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation, co-authored with Elizabeth Tisdell.
ROBIN S. GRENIER is an associate professor of adult learning at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. She has taught qualitative research courses at the graduate level for over 14 years, along with researching and consulting on qualitative inquiry in education and human resource development.
Preface ix
About the Editors xiii
Part One: The Nature of Qualitative Inquiry 1
1 Introduction to Qualitative Research 3
2 Assessing and Evaluating Qualitative Research 19
Part Two: Examples of Qualitative Research for Discussion and Analysis 33
Interpretive Qualitative Research 33
3 Roles Traditional Healers Play in Cancer Treatment in Malaysia: Implications for Health Promotion and Education 37
How Context Shapes the Design and Implementation of a Qualitative Study 54
Sharan B. Merriam
4 The Influence of Mentorship and Role Models on University Women Leaders’ Career Paths to
University Presidency 57
Mutual Reflections on Conceptual Frameworks in Qualitative Research 84
Lilian H. Hill, Celeste A. Wheat
Phenomenology 87
5 Hiking Leisure: Generating a Different Existence Within Everyday Life 91
Hiking the Phenomenological Psychological Method 109
Rob Bongaardt, Børge Baklien, Idun Røseth
6 Being In-Between: The Lived Experience of Becoming a Prosthesis User Following the Loss of a Leg 113
Caught Up Between Ethics and Methodology: Reflections Addressing the Unintended Presence of a Participant’s Partner During a Phenomenological Interview 131
Annelise Norlyk
Ethnography 135
7 Boxing Culture and Serious Leisure Among North American Youth: An Embodied Ethnography 139
Embodied Ethnography as a Research Approach: Further Reflections and Insights on Boxing as Serious Leisure 158
Nuno F. Ribeiro
8 A Sojourn Experience in the Land of Fire and Ice: Examining Cultural Competence and Employee Well-Being Through an Autoethnographic Exploration 161
Managing the Burden and Blessing of Autoethnography 182
Robin S. Grenier
Grounded Theory 185
9 A Grounded Theory of Professional Learning in an Authentic Online Professional Development Program 189
Navigating the Sea of Data With Grounded Theory 212
Hanna Teräs
10 Openness and Praxis: Exploring the Use of Open Educational Practices in Higher Education 215
Why Constructivist Grounded Theory? and the Importance of Researcher Reflexivity 235
Catherine Cronin
Narrative Inquiry 239
11 Chandra’s Story: An Adult Education Student Journeys From Fear to Gratitude 243
Narrative Inquiry: Good Things Take Time 255
Robin L. Danzak
12 Youths’ and Adults’ Stories Related to the Background for ADHD Assessment 259
Reflections on a Narrative Approach to Autobiographical Stories 280
Bjørg Mari Hannås
Arts-Based Research 283
13 Drama, Performance Ethnography, and Self-Esteem:Listening to Youngsters With Dyslexia and Their Parents 287
When Participants Become Researchers 313
Ruth Falzon, Dione Mifsud
14 Voices From the Field: Preparing Teachers for High Need Schools 317
Dramatizing Data, Creating Art, and Finding Community:Ethnodrama/Arts-Based Research 331
Tabitha Dell’Angelo
Qualitative Action Research 335
15 Action Research by Practitioners: A Case Study of a High School’s Attempt to Create Transformational Change 339
Reflecting on Taking Action: Three Suggestions 361
Jeffrey Glanz
16 Collective Voices: Engagement of Hartford Community Residents Through Participatory Action Research 365
Trust the Process: Reflections on Participatory Action Research 382
Karen Brown McLean, Kenneth Williamson
Mixed Methods 385
17 College Students and Yik Yak: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study 389
The Best of Both Worlds: Mixed Methodologies 409
Cathlin V. Clark-Gordon
18 “Talk to Me”: A Mixed-Methods Study on Preferred Physician Behaviors During End-of-Life Communication from the Patient Perspective 413
The Sum Is Greater Than Its Parts: Using Mixed Methods to Answer a Complex Healthcare Question 431
Amane Abdul-Razzak
Name Index 435
Subject Index 451
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