Qualitative Data Analysis

Reviews / Votes

This is a must-have book for anyone considering qualitative data analysis. It is accessible and coherent and the many interesting examples make the processes of data collection and analysis very clear. The consistent format makes it very user friendly and I will use it to inform my own research as well as with my students. -- Liane Purnell This text helps students apply qualitative research to the practice context. The book is punctuated with 'real life' practical examples from the author's own experience of conducting qualitative investigations. In my opinion this is the best text of its kind. -- Steven Whitcombe A comprehensive, pragmatic book that uses real research to illustrate the steps and decisions that a researcher needs to take when using qualitative methodology. -- Jenny Povey A superb guide for qualitative research. Thorough and accessible, it walks students through all the steps, and provides compelling examples along the way. -- Alex Schwartz The author uses nice examples from his own work to demonstrate how and why to apply his tips and principles. This is particularly useful in demonstrating coding in section three.

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this is a useful and readable book on the practicalities of conducting a qualitative research project, and one to which I will certainly return for reference -- Lizzie Winstone * SRA Research Matters * It's main premise is that, to really get under the skin of a research issue, the research needs to look much deeper into the 'psycho-biography' of research participants. This mapping of people's psycho-biography determines people's personal identity -- their motives, personal style, and how they behave

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Layder criticizes most research projects as being too one dimensional and simplistic. Investigative research is a largely exploratory methods of research. It encourages researchers to map the relevant psycho-biographies of individuals to formulate an initial 'conceptual scaffold' that is the basis for the explanation of the social behaviour under investigation. This guides and directs data collection processes. But Layder also advises being open to new concepts and encourages researchers to keep researching to test and/or revise theories and hypotheses -- Imogen Birch * SRA Research Matters *