Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation

by Sharan B. Merriam

Praise for the Third Edition of Qualitative Research : "Sharan B. Merriam synthesizes twenty years of developments in qualitative research with clarity and acumen."
?Michael Quinn Patton, author, Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods "Here is a qualitative research methods book that reinforces the connection between professional experience and qualitative inquiry."
?Robert Stake, author, The Art of Case Study Research and Multiple Case Study Analysis "In this new edition, Sharan Merriam once again presents the world of qualitative research in language engaging and accessible?for new and experienced readers alike. If you can have only one book about qualitative research, this is it!"
?Patricia M. Reeves, associate professor, School of Social Work, University of Georgia "Mystified by qualitative research? You couldn't ask for a better guide than Sharan Merriam, who introduces you to the fundamental concepts of this research method, explains its complex forms, and then shows you exactly how to do a high-quality qualitative study."
?M. Carolyn Clark, coeditor, The International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education

Genres: Research, Nonfiction, Education, Grad School, Reference, School, Science

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 6, 2009

Reviews

[Ánder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice introductory book on Qualitative research. As a wannabe-thesis writer, this book proved useful and enriching to me.

PROS: Clearly written, this book does not assume that you know it all; rather, it takes a very introductory approach so that as long as you read it from the beginning there will be little you will have to research in other sources.

CONS: Maybe because of its introductory approach, there are several topics that will definitely require additional sources. Document Analysis techniques, for example, are too briefly covered and the section on software-aided qualitative research could have surely been a little more comprehensive.

CONCLUSION: Good textbook for qualitative research, as long as you are ready to supplement it with additional resources for the areas you are working on.

[Tena Edlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exciting reading, by any means, but I know this book will be beyond useful as I write my paper for my Qualitative Research class. I also think that I'm naturally drawn to qualitative research, so if I end up going that route for my dissertation, this book will be worth its weight in gold.

[Elizabeth Foreman White · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was extremely helpful when writing my qualitative dissertation. I recommend getting the kindle version so you can search for exactly what you need. I found that very helpful.

[Lyndsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, readable, and even fairly engaging introduction and guide to qualitative research.

[Shirin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this book for its academic values.
This was a recommended reading by Prof A, and I am glad that it is one of those things that she recommends that I have pursued. As a part time PHD student, I need to be choosy about what I read as time would best be used to review literature.

For those pursuing the qualitative path, the prospects can look bleak because it is a relatively new method and might not have much references. In this one book Dr Merriam explained all that a student needs to know, and if that is not enough, she was very diligent with referencing in text and as appendix.

The book covers topics such as the whats in the first part, the hows in the second and in final part the book described what needs to be in a qualitative research proposal.

As an academic, the authors had every reason to use academic jargon and confuse the student even more but they instead chose easy to read style and this I truly appreciate.

[Ohud Saud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book in qualitative research, you will learn how to collect your data and analyze it.
As a researcher, you can start with it but there're many other options so you should pick what fits you.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

it does a good job of giving an overview of different components of designing a qualitative research study as well as subcomponents of the components (for example, data collection: interviews, case studies, etc.).

My complaint is that while it is constructivist/interpretatist in its ontological and epistemological orientations, it negates to consider how these approaches may limit research scope and findings. I would recommend reading this book while reading another that has a post-structural or critical approach to have a more balanced and nuanced understanding of qualitative research designs.

[Isaberu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would highly recommend this book to beginners in qualitative research, as I think they would greatly benefit from reading this back to back.
It may still be useful for experienced researchers maybe not reading it back to back, but as a reference, particularly on topics such as getting started with writing your article and overcoming writer's block, which may happen at any stage.
It does lean heavily towards a phenomenological view of research and the area of adult education, which are the fields of expertise of the authors.

Also available as audiobook, which is how I "read" it.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out as an easy enough read, a guide to conducting and presenting qualitative research, but eventually turned into a slog. Part of this was due to my own mental state; by mid-year I was burned out by grad school and teaching full time through the pandemic and life in general. But some of this was also the repetitive nature of the text. Most of it is quoted from other text books. There is some very good guidance, especially in how to write up the methodology section of a dissertation, but otherwise there wasn't much new information for me here.

[As3 Na70 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be an unpopular take of mine, but I like this book compared to Yin’s. The author here is more straightforward while also bringing up some clear examples or set-ups. I like the last part most especially, on how the readers could apply each of the chapter into the writing process of qualitative research report. I definitely saved it in my research toolkits folder.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear and direct textbook.
I picked this up to clarify my assumptions before taking a course on Action Based Research. This was helpful in helping me to further my understanding and vocabulary of qualitative research.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essential for planning research, a clear and concise text that breaks it down and explains the nuances.

[L.C. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Painful. Poorly written with little to offer to other than introductory students.

[Kit Yung Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic textbook for a qualitative research novice! Comprehensive, easy to read, and peppered with good resources.
It can get repetitive at times, but that can be solved with skimming anyway.

[Shaily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ghatiya site h ..

[Rolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid and thorough--the best single volume I've found on qual methods so far.

[zero · Rating 4 out of 5]

very comprehensive - if I hadn't had to read the whole thing it would have been perfect

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

A real page-turner.

[Dr. Tathagat Varma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to qualitative research methodology

[Joseph Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction into qualitative research design and methods. Straightforward and to the point.

[Elfrieda · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent qualitative research book, but look for the new edition.

[RebecaMVS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended for novice researchers planning to carry out qualitative research.

[Ethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good overview of qualitative study. I use it as a couple of minutes of review when delving into concepts of qualitative study.

[p roper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very helpful book but I really wish I'd've gotten a digital copy. Perhaps I still will.

[Ryanne Molinari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for school. A lot of it is common sense.

[Sahizer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Çeviride bazı sıkıntılar olsa da kitabın tavsiyeleri faydalı ve araştırmacılara empatik bir bakış açısı sergiliyor.
Bir yandan da düşünmeden edemedim:
Pattern desen demek.
Design dizayn demek. Çeviride bir sıkıntı olmalı.
Desen ve dizayn aynı anlamda kullanılmış ama aynı manadaki kelimeler değiller bunlar kesinlikle. Daha güzel bir çeviri ile daha faydalı olabilir bu kitap!

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very helpful for beginning researchers because it's meant simply to provide an overview. For researchers needing more indepth information in case study, they probably want to check out Yin (2009). Another good compliment text to this one is Punch's (2005) Intro to Social Research.

[Erin McDonnell-Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read for any introductory student to qualitative research. Most useful was the last chapter that discussed the methodologies chapter of a dissertation. Overall, it was very quick, very easy, almost too easy, but quite simple enough to cite validation for a qualitative study.

[Brenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent and easy to understand resource on how to conduct qualitative research. Merriam walks the reader through each part of the process step by step and provides many concrete examples from different fields so that the reader can see their own future research starting to take shape.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an introduction to qualitative research, this book helped me understand some foundational elements. I do wish it would have provided more concrete examples so that I could more easily apply it directly to my own research.