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100 Questions (and Answers) About Qualitative Research
100 Questions (and Answers) About Qualitative Research , by Lisa M. Given, addresses the practical decisions that researchers must make in their work, from the design of the study, through ethics approval, implementation, and writing. The book’s quick-scan, question-and-answer format make it ideal as a supplementary text or as a ready reference for graduate students preparing for comprehensive exams and writing research proposals, undergraduates in affiliated programs who will not be taking a primary course in qualitative research methods, and researchers working across disciplines in academic or practice environments.
206 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 4, 2017
I don't think I'll ever be finished reading this book. I keep going back to remind myself. Absolutely the most useful thing I've read this year.
October 10, 2015
This book just scratched into the two star category. Historians, sociologists, cultural studies, communication studies and media studies scholars will throw this book across the room. Throughout the reading process, I questioned the identity of the audience for this book. It is far too basic for honours students or even for scholars completing a third-year research project. Probably for second year students being introduced into the basics of research, they may gain something from this text.
The problems are many. I will outline a few. The questions that structure the book seem odd and arbitrary. But also the generalizations are so extraordinary that the book becomes deeply problematic. Consider this definition: “Qualitative research is an interesting and engaging approach to studying the ways that people experience their world.” Dated theorizations of objectivity and subjectivity attend this sentence. Further, there is a profound confusion between "conceptual framework" and "theory." Indeed, any theorists reading this book - in this time of extraordinary and provocative theorization of politics, economics and social structures - will be shaking their heads by the end of the fifth 'question.' Similarly, 'discourse analysis' and 'qualitative content analysis' have not been described or defined in the fashion of this book since the early 1980s.
Question 53 is, "I’ve heard that there are some interesting visual methods that I can use – what are they?” This is a bizarre, naive and basic question which is greeted with the answer "textual methods" and "photographic methods." Semiotics, social semiotics, visual ethnography, creative-led methods and photovoice are unmentioned. For historians, the discussion of 'documents' is below what we would receive in a first year lecture.
The discussion of digitization is also dated: “Although some online journals do allow researchers to upload audio files or other materials to supplement the written article, these remain few in number." I would be intrigued to probe the definition of 'few' here.
Where the book may be useful for second year students - and therefore granting the book 2 stars rather than a single star - is that there is some attention to research design. However the question remains - is there an audience for a book that is so basic? If this was used by 'research students' - the simple definitions and descriptions would be destroyed by examiners. For an undergraduate taking their first steps in research, it may have a role.
The key issue for SAGE is while they continue to publish these very basic textbooks, Routledge and Springer are developing new and innovative modes of scholarship that mesh effectively with these complex 'theoretical times.' SAGE is losing its market and audience.
The problems are many. I will outline a few. The questions that structure the book seem odd and arbitrary. But also the generalizations are so extraordinary that the book becomes deeply problematic. Consider this definition: “Qualitative research is an interesting and engaging approach to studying the ways that people experience their world.” Dated theorizations of objectivity and subjectivity attend this sentence. Further, there is a profound confusion between "conceptual framework" and "theory." Indeed, any theorists reading this book - in this time of extraordinary and provocative theorization of politics, economics and social structures - will be shaking their heads by the end of the fifth 'question.' Similarly, 'discourse analysis' and 'qualitative content analysis' have not been described or defined in the fashion of this book since the early 1980s.
Question 53 is, "I’ve heard that there are some interesting visual methods that I can use – what are they?” This is a bizarre, naive and basic question which is greeted with the answer "textual methods" and "photographic methods." Semiotics, social semiotics, visual ethnography, creative-led methods and photovoice are unmentioned. For historians, the discussion of 'documents' is below what we would receive in a first year lecture.
The discussion of digitization is also dated: “Although some online journals do allow researchers to upload audio files or other materials to supplement the written article, these remain few in number." I would be intrigued to probe the definition of 'few' here.
Where the book may be useful for second year students - and therefore granting the book 2 stars rather than a single star - is that there is some attention to research design. However the question remains - is there an audience for a book that is so basic? If this was used by 'research students' - the simple definitions and descriptions would be destroyed by examiners. For an undergraduate taking their first steps in research, it may have a role.
The key issue for SAGE is while they continue to publish these very basic textbooks, Routledge and Springer are developing new and innovative modes of scholarship that mesh effectively with these complex 'theoretical times.' SAGE is losing its market and audience.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews