The Quality of Qualitative Research

by Clive Seale

• ISBN13: 9780761955986
• ISBN10: 0761955984
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-09-13
• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd

Summary

'Apart from its inherent readability, I found three other attractive features about the book: First is the use of exemplars based on case studies from qualitative studies, including Whyte's Street Corner Society; second, is the quotes from key methodological texts reflecting on a range of qualitative research traditions; and third, is the use of philosophical argument and reference in the book which provided an added depth to the debate, often lacking in more practically oriented books. These deliberations take readers to a higher plane, whilst still allowing the novice to philosophy to gain an insight into theory' - Forum for Qualitative Research'Seale steers a dispassionate course - both pragmatic and thoughtful - through the sometimes stormy waters of qualitative analysis. Anyone wanting an up-to-date picture of qualitative analysis will benefit from this book. It is truly a quality contribution to the field' - Nigel Fielding, University of Surrey'Clearly and engagingly written, this book covers crucially important issues such as the generalisability of findings, the grounding of theory and the validity and reliability of research reports. With frequent summaries of key points, criteria for evaluating research reports and discussions exercises, this is an extremely useful text for students and professionals alike' - Derek Layder, University of Leicester'This is a brilliant, carefully crafted, even-handed, comprehensive analysis of the multiple ways in which quality is assessed in contemporary qualitative inquiry. Clive Seale provides a balanced, subtly nuanced treatment of this key problem' - Norman Denzin, University of Illinois, Urbana-Chanpaign'The coverage is impressive and the depth of scholarship impeccable. Both students and seasoned investigators will find the author's pragmatic approach refreshing and helpful. It will appeal to the naturalistic researcher as well as to empirically-oriented scholars smitten by postmodern questions. I would definitely recommend it to my students. A splendid leading text for classroom adoption' - Jaber F Gubrium, University of Florida'Clive Seale has performed an important service for social science researchers by finding a sane middle ground between the twin fanaticisms of radical interpretivism and quantiative scientism. His book is practical, telling people who want to get research done how to do that in an effective and reasonable way. His explanations are clear and concise, his examples well chosen, and the practices he recommends are doable. You can learn a lot about how to approach research from this book' - Howard S Becker, University of California, Santa Barbara'For the undergraduate, or postgraduate looking for a comfortable drive through an increasingly unmanageable literature, this book provides an outstanding introduction' - Qualitative Research

Table of Contents

Preface and acknowledgements	ix
PART I GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS	1	(50)
Why Quality Matters	2	(7)
Denzin's alternative	4	(3)
Conclusion	7	(2)
Postscientific Critiques	9	(10)
Political perspectives	9	(4)
Multiple voices	13	(4)
Conclusion	17	(2)
Trust, Truth and Philosphy	19	(13)
Positive science	21	(2)
Knowing a real world	23	(6)
Constructing a research community	29	(1)
Conclusion	30	(2)
Guiding Ideals	32	(19)
Positivist criteria	34	(8)
Measurement validity	34	(1)
Internal validity	34	(5)
Casuality in qualitative research	39	(1)
External validity	40	(1)
Reliability and replicability	41	(1)
Interpretivist criteriology	42	(7)
Constructivist `criteria'	45	(2)
Permissive criteria	47	(2)
Conclusion	49	(2)
PART II RESEARCH PRACTICE	51	(147)
Converging on a Point?	52	(21)
Triangulation	53	(8)
Criticism of triangulation	56	(1)
The ethnomethodological critique	57	(2)
The philosophical critique	59	(2)
Member validation	61	(10)
Examples of member validation	65	(1)
Psychiatric emergency teams	65	(1)
Surgeons' decision making	66	(2)
The annihilation of place: member validation as rhetoric	68	(1)
Member validation and discourse analysis	69	(1)
Conversation analysis as self-validating	70	(1)
Conclusion	71	(2)
Accounting for Contradiction	73	(14)
Searching and accounting for negative instances	74	(9)
Studies lacking negative instances	75	(1)
`Hearing' talk as a negative instance	75	(1)
Adding to textual analysis	76	(2)
Studies that account for negative instances	78	(1)
Deviant cases give additional support	78	(2)
Deviant cases lead to modification of ideas	80	(1)
Deviant cases are explainable	81	(2)
Analytic induction	83	(2)
Description of the method with examples	83	(2)
Criticisms and limitations	85	(1)
Conclusion	85	(2)
Grounding Theory	87	(19)
Grounding theoretical statements	88	(3)
The discovery of grounded theory	91	(11)
Theoretical sampling and theoretical saturation	92	(2)
Thick description and theoretical saturation	94	(1)
The historical context	95	(1)
Constant comparison	96	(1)
Staying on the ground	97	(2)
Later development of grounded theory	99	(1)
Quantitative data	100	(2)
Limitations and criticisms of grounded theory	102	(2)
Critique from postmodernism	103	(1)
Conclusion	104	(2)
Generalizing from Qualitative Research	106	(13)
Naturalism and thick description	107	(2)
Theoretical generalization	109	(4)
Using numbers to generalize	113	(5)
Combining survey with case study: an example	113	(2)
Sampling within the case	115	(3)
Conclusion	118	(1)
Using Numbers	119	(21)
Counting the countable: an example	121	(2)
Other uses of numbers	123	(15)
Quantitative research facilitates qualitative research	123	(1)
Combination of the two to produce a general picture	124	(2)
Structure and process	126	(1)
Researchers' and subjects' perspectives	127	(1)
Simple counts	128	(2)
Counting to mislead	130	(2)
Counting interactions	132	(1)
Facilitating the interpretation of relations between variables	133	(1)
Measuring meaning	133	(3)
Advanced statistics and qualitative method	136	(1)
Truth tables and Qualitative Comparison Analysis (QCA)	136	(2)
Conclusion	138	(2)
Reliability and Replicability	140	(19)
External reliability	141	(1)
Replication	142	(5)
Mead and Freeman on Samoa	142	(2)
Other replications	144	(1)
The constructivist critique: Street Corner Society	145	(2)
Internal reliability	147	(10)
Low-inference descriptors	148	(1)
`Recording' fieldnotes	149	(1)
`Constructing' fieldnotes	150	(1)
Transcription in conversation analysis	151	(3)
Reliability of coding	154	(1)
Using computers	154	(2)
Showing data	156	(1)
Conclusion	157	(2)
Reflexivity and Writing	159	(19)
Confession versus reflexive accounting	160	(9)
A non-fallibilistic example	161	(1)
Explaining methods	162	(1)
Making theories explicit	163	(2)
Deciphering a confessional tale: investigating health beliefs	165	(4)
Postmodern reflexivity	169	(8)
Examples of textual radicalism	170	(1)
Methodological angst	170	(2)
Removing the author's voice: examples from Moroccan ethnography	172	(2)
Poetic and fictional forms	174	(3)
Conclusion	177	(1)
Reinstating the Author	178	(20)
Reporting the American city	179	(1)
The art of the hustler	179	(1)
A night in a shooting gallery	180	(3)
Aesthetics	183	(4)
Humour in Goffman	185	(2)
Summary and conclusion	187	(2)
Appendices
Appendix A: Criteria for the Evaluation of Qualitative Research Papers	189	(4)
Appendix B: Discussion Exercises	193	(5)
References	198	(13)
Index	211