Winner of the 2013 American Educational Studies Association's Critics Choice Award!Thinking With Theory In Qualitative Research shows how to use various philosophical concepts in practices of inquiry; effectively opening up the process of data analysis in qualitative research. It uses a common data set and utilizes various theoretical perspectives
Modes of Thinking for Qualitative Data Analysis argues for engagement with the conceptual underpinnings of five prominent analytical strategies used by qualitative researchers: Categorical Thinking, Narrative Thinking, Dialectical Thinking, Poetical Thinking, and Diagrammatical Thinking. By presenting such disparate modes of research in the space of a single text, Freeman not only draws attention to the distinct methodological and theoretical contributions of each, she also establishes a platform for choosing among particular research strategies by virtue of their strengths and limitations. Experienced qualitative researchers, novices, and graduate students from many disciplines will gain new insight from the theory-practice relationship of analysis advanced in this text.
This book provides invaluable guidance for thinking through and planning a qualitative study. Rather than offering recipes for specific techniques, master storyteller Robert Stake stimulates readers to discover "how things work" in organizations, programs, communities, and other systems. Topics range from identifying a research question to selecting methods, gathering data, interpreting and analyzing the results, and producing a well-thought-through written report. In-depth examples from actual studies emphasize the role of the researcher as instrument and interpreter, while boxed vignettes and learning projects encourage self-reflection and critical thinking. Other useful pedagogical features include quick-reference tables and charts, sample project management forms, and an end-of-book glossary. After reading this book, doctoral students and novice qualitative researchers will be able to plan a study from beginning to end.
Empirical data is one of the cornerstones of knowledge in the social sciences, and yet the researcher often takes it for granted, reserving his or her imaginative faculties for finding a theory that ′fits the data′. This revealing account of the theory-data relationship calls this faith in data into question and establishes a reflexive framework and vocabulary to explore the creative, political and philosophical elements of data production. Rather than thinking about the theory-data ′fit′, Alvesson and Karreman will encourage you to consider the research process as one of theory-data interplay, asking if creative empirical material can challenge established theory and inspire new lines of development, and if breakdowns and mysteries encountered in research can be a constructive rather than destructive process. They will encourage you to think critically about empirical data in terms of construction rather than verification, and most importantly they will encourage you to develop theory that is interesting and novel, rather than naive or irrelevant, making this title essential reading for those who often find the traditional vocabulary and frameworks of social science research obvious or simplistic.
"The authors take a ′user friendly′ systematic approach to qualitative research, something that has long been missing in the field. I consider this to be a groundbreaking work, one that will hit home with students and faculty alike." —Justin M. Laird, SUNY Brockport "This book does an excellent job of integrating design, methods, and analysis. . . . The real beauty of the book is that it overturns many of the age-old assumptions about how ′good′ research should be done. . . . The authors′ pleasant and refreshing style, coupled with subtle irreverence for outmoded or constraining paradigms of inquiry, makes for highly enjoyable reading." —Roger Rennekamp, University of Kentucky Interactive Qualitative Analysis: A Systems Method for Qualitative Research aims to help students unscramble the mysteries of qualitative data collection, coding, and analysis by showing how to use a systematic, qualitative technique: interactive qualitative analysis. The authors synthesize ideas from grounded theory, path and factor analysis, quality management theory, Foucauldian concepts of power and knowledge, and systems theory. A dialectical revision of Guba and Lincoln′s theory of rigor is offered which, combined with systems theory, offers new insights into the meaning of reliability and validity in qualitative research. Unlike many theoretical works, Interactive Qualitative Analysis develops the theory into a complete and transparent set of protocols for research design, observation, analysis, and interpretation. The construction, interpretation, and comparison of recursive systems of meaning, or mindmaps, is articulated in detail. The book is organized so that those not interested in theory can skip to the applied chapters. Case studies illustrate each stage of the research process with an emphasis on interpretation. The combination of theory and practice perfectly suits the book for advanced qualitative research courses across the social sciences, especially those that address epistemology. Professional researchers and evaluators will also find this an invaluable guide to qualitative analysis. Key Features * Advice boxes alert readers to potential pitfalls in qualitative research, and offer the appropriate steps to take in order to avoid such issues * Sidebars provide clear and concise snapshots of the theoretical basis for research decisions * Interactive CD contains sample data and exercises to provide students with effective practice as well as reinforce and clarify principles explained in the book * Provides a "road map" to using interactive qualitative inquiry in dissertation writing
W. Newton Suter argues that what is important in a changing education landscape is the ability to think clearly about research methods, reason through complex problems and evaluate published research. He explains how to evaluate data and establish its relevance.
The substantially updated and revised Fifth Edition of The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research by editors Norman K. Denzin and Yvonna S. Lincoln presents the state-of-the-art theory and practice of qualitative inquiry. Representing top scholars from around the world, the editors and contributors continue the tradition of synthesizing existing literature, defining the present, and shaping the future of qualitative research. The Fifth Edition contains 19 new chapters, with 16 revised—making it virtually a new volume—while retaining six classic chapters from previous editions. New contributors to this edition include Jamel K. Donnor and Gloria Ladson-Billings; Margaret Kovach; Paula Saukko; Bryant Keith Alexander; Thomas A. Schwandt and Emily F. Gates; Johnny Saldaña; Uwe Flick; Mirka Koro-Ljungberg, Maggie MacLure, and Jasmine Ulmer; Maria Elena Torre, Brett G. Stoudt, Einat Manoff, and Michelle Fine; Jack Bratich; Svend Brinkmann; Eric Margolis and Renu Zunjarwad; Annette N. Markham; Alecia Y. Jackson and Lisa A. Mazzei; Jonathan Wyatt, Ken Gale, Susanne Gannon, and Bronwyn Davies; Janice Morse; Peter Dahler-Larsen; Mark Spooner; and David A. Westbrook.
Based on the author′s own wealth of experience this timely, engaging book helps first-time researchers to discover the excitement of grounded theory. Fresh, innovative and clear this book traces the history and development of grounded theory method, and examines how the method is evolving for new contexts today. It sets out the principles involved in using grounded theory and explains the process and theory associated with coding in grounded theory. The book introduces us to the practicalities of research design, theory building, coding and writing up and gives us the tools to tackle key questions: - What is grounded theory? - How do we code and theorise using grounded theory? - How do we write up a grounded theory study? This is an exciting new text for students and researchers across the social sciences who want to use grounded theory.
