Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive Approach: v. 41 (Applied Social Research Methods) - Hardcover

Maxwell, Joseph A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0761926070 ISBN 13: 9780761926078

Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc, 2005

Synopsis

This book gives researchers and students a user-friendly, step-by-step guide to planning qualitative research. Based on a course that the author taught for 7 years at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, it is written in an informal, jargon-free style and incorporates many examples and hands-on exercises. Rather than the rigid, linear approach to design usually found in research methods textbooks, which is particularly unsuited to qualitative research, the book presents a flexible, systemic model of design. This model not only better fits what experienced qualitative researchers actually do, but provides a clear framework for designing a study and developing a research proposal. This edition includes new or substantially expanded discussions of research paradigms, defining a research problem, site and participant selection, relationships with research participants, data analysis, and validity, as well as more examples and exercises.

About this title

Review:

"Using sage advise and specific examples directly from his research methods courses and actual dissertation proposals, the author provides an easy-to-read guide to many of the design issues that often seem vague, mysterious, and daunting to novices when planning qualitative studies. Maxwell delivers on his promise to present "an approach to qualitative research design that both captures what qualitative researchers really do, and provides support and guidance for those embarking for the first time on designing a qualitative study". He creatively uses folktales, movie plots, real-life examples, and the personal stories of graduate students to bring out his and the students' passions for qualitative research." (Karen Skibba 2006-06-09)

"Nice, easy to read, step by step process-oriented text for undergrads." (Kim Powell)

"The practical checklists, exercises, stories and scripts, together with the analogies with quantitative research, are extremely useful in helping both graduate students and novice researchers conduct qualitative research. Experienced researcher, too, can find the book helpful, especially in writing proposals for funding." (Marzieh Tafaghodtari Comparative Book Review 2010-06-02)

About the Author:

Joseph A. Maxwell is a Professor in the Graduate School of Education at George Mason University, where he teaches courses on research design and methods and on writing a dissertation proposal. He has published work on qualitative research and evaluation, mixed method research, sociocultural theory, Native American social organization, and medical education. He has also worked extensively in applied settings. He has presented seminars and workshops on teaching qualitative research methods and on using qualitative methods in various applied fields, and has been an invited speaker at conferences and universities in the United States, Puerto Rico, Europe, and China. He has a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Chicago.

About this edition

• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0761926070
• ISBN 13: 9780761926078
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 192