Negotiating the Complexities of Qualitative Research in Higher Education: Fundamental Elements and Issues

Negotiating the Complexities of Qualitative Research In Higher Education addresses the fundamentals of qualitative research that is rigorous, thoughtful, and theoretically coherent. This book provides valuable reflections from the research experience of Jones, Torres, and Arminio, clearly laying out the decision points, strategies, ethical issues, and challenges of this growing field. This text simultaneously covers new ground and retraces the steps essential in designing good qualitative research.

Table of Contents:
Situating the Research: First Steps. Research Design. Perspectives on Sampling. Continuity and Congruence in the Research Process. Interpretation and Representation: The Influence of Social Identities on the Research Process. Ensuring Goodness of Qualitative Research. Choices and Consequences of Mixing Methods in Qualitative Research. Ethical Issues. What is it to Work Qualitatively?

About the Author :
Susan R. Jones, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Counseling and Personnel Services at the University of Maryland. Vasti Torres, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs at Indiana University. Jan L. Arminio, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling at Shippensburg University. She is also President of the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education.

Review :
"What sets this book apart most is the way qualitative research is presented as a genuinely human process, grounded in passion, life experience, and affected by each individual's journey."-- Adrianna Kezar, Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis, University of Southern California "This book replaces several I have on my shelf. While their text can serve as a resource for an introductory course, Jones, Torres, and Arminio provide profound, in-depth discussion of key complexities that qualitative researchers must negotiate. As good teachers, furthermore, they effectively model processes associated with conducting qualitative inquiry."-- Tracy L. Davis, Educational and Interdisciplinary Studies, Western Illinois University "Jones, Torres, and Arminio provide carefully crafted insights on what it takes to produce good qualitative research. Their personal reflections open up new space for alternative research strategies." -- Kenneth P. Gonzalez, School of Leadership and Education Sciences, University of San Diego "Having used this text in both introductory and advance-level qualitative research courses I offer, I have witnessed first hand the appeal and utility of this book. Students embrace the authors' systematic framework for approaching and explaining key fundamental concepts and they also gain an insightful appreciation for the vast complexities of qualitative research. For researchers and practitioners this text is an excellent resource, comprehensive yet concise, that when utilised will help to provide a common and collective foundation for ensuring goodness, trustworthiness, and rigor in qualitative inquiries." -- Journal of College Student Development "The book is particularly helpful for those embarking on researching marginalized groups. The complexity of lived experience is addressed clearly but without oversimplification. How to make decisions at each stage of the research process, individually and collectively, is sensitively explained! I therefore welcome this text and will use the information and models to guide my research practice and in teaching healthcare students."--Nurse Researcher