Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches

Winner of the 2018 Textbook & Academic Authors Association′s The McGuffey Longevity Award In the revised Fourth Edition of the best-selling text, John W. Creswell and new co-author Cheryl N. Poth explore the philosophical underpinnings, history, and key elements of five qualitative inquiry approaches: narrative research, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, and case study. Preserving Creswell′s signature writing style, the authors compare the approaches and relate research designs to each of the traditions of inquiry in a highly accessible manner. Featuring new content, articles, pedagogy, references, and expanded coverage of ethics throughout, the Fourth Edition is an ideal introduction to the theories, strategies, and practices of qualitative inquiry. 

Table of Contents:
About the Authors Acknowledgments Analytic Table of Contents by Approach List of Tables and Figures 1. Introduction Purpose and Rationale for the Book What Is New in This Edition Positioning Ourselves Definition of Qualitative Research Selection of the Five Approaches Key Book Readings Audience Organization 2. Philosophical Assumptions and Interpretive Frameworks Questions for Discussion Situating Philosophy and Interpretive Frameworks Within the Research Process Philosophical Assumptions Interpretive Frameworks The Practice of Using Interpretive Frameworks in Qualitative Research Linking Philosophy and Interpretive Frameworks in Qualitative Research Chapter Check-In Summary Further Readings 3. Designing a Qualitative Study Questions for Discussion The Characteristics of Qualitative Research When to Use Qualitative Research What a Qualitative Study Requires From Us The Features of a “Good” Qualitative Study The Process of Designing a Qualitative Study Ethics in Qualitative Research The Design Structures of a Plan or Proposal Chapter Check-In Summary Further Readings 4. Five Qualitative Approaches to Inquiry Questions for Discussion Deciding Among the Five Approaches Narrative Research Phenomenological Research Grounded Theory Research Ethnographic Research Case Study Research Comparing the Five Approaches Chapter Check-In Summary Further Readings 5. Five Different Qualitative Studies Questions for Discussion A Narrative Study (Chan, 2010; see Appendix B) A Phenomenological Study (Anderson & Spencer, 2002; see Appendix C) A Grounded Theory Study (Harley et al., 2009; see Appendix D) An Ethnographic Study (Mac an Ghaill & Haywood, 2015; see Appendix E) A Case Study (Frelin, 2015; see Appendix F) Differences Among the Approaches Chapter Check-In Summary Further Readings 6. Introducing and Focusing the Study Questions for Discussion Interrelating the Study Problem, Purpose, and Questions Within Research The Research Problem Statement The Purpose Statement The Research Questions Chapter Check-In Summary Further Readings 7. Data Collection Questions for Discussion The Data Collection Circle Five Approaches Compared Chapter Check-In Summary Further Readings 8. Data Analysis and Representation Questions for Discussion Ethical Considerations for Data Analysis Three Analysis Strategies The Data Analysis Spiral Analysis Within Approaches to Inquiry Comparing the Five Approaches Computer Use in Qualitative Data Analysis Chapter Check-In Summary Further Readings 9. Writing a Qualitative Study Questions for Discussion Ethical Considerations for Writing Several Writing Strategies Overall and Embedded Writing Strategies A Comparison of Writing Structures Across Approaches Chapter Check-In Summary Further Readings 10. Standards of Validation and Evaluation Questions for Discussion Validation and Reliability in Qualitative Research Evaluation Criteria Comparing the Evaluation Standards of the Five Approaches Chapter Check-In Summary Further Readings 11. “Turning the Story” and Conclusion Turning the Story A Case Study: “Campus Response to a Student Gunman” A Case Study A Narrative Study A Phenomenology A Grounded Theory Study An Ethnography Conclusion Chapter Check-In Appendix A. An Annotated Glossary of Terms Appendix B. A Narrative Research Study—“Living in the Space Between Participant and Researcher as a Narrative Inquirer: Examining Ethnic Identity of Chinese Canadian Students as Conflicting Stories to Live By” Appendix C. A Phenomenological Study—“Cognitive Representations of AIDS” Appendix D. A Grounded Theory Study—“Developing Long-Term Physical Activity Participation: A Grounded Theory Study With African American Women” Appendix E. An Ethnography—“British-Born Pakistani and Bangladeshi Young Men: Exploring Unstable Concepts of Muslim, Islamophobia and Racialization” Appendix F. A Case Study—“Relational Underpinnings and Professionality—A Case Study of a Teacher’s Practices Involving Students With Experiences of School Failure” References Name Index Subject Index

About the Author :
John W. Creswell, PhD, is a Professor of Family Medicine and Senior Research Scientist of the Michigan Mixed Methods Program. He has authored numerous articles and 34 books on mixed methods research, qualitative research, and research design. While at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, he held the Clifton Endowed Professor Chair, served as Director of the Mixed Methods Research Office, co-founded SAGE’s Journal of Mixed Methods Research, and was an Adjunct Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan and a consultant to the Veterans Administration Health Services Research Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was a Senior Fulbright Scholar to South Africa in 2008 and to Thailand in 2012. In 2011, he co-led a National Institutes of Health working group on the “best practices of mixed methods research in the health sciences,” served as a Visiting Professor at Harvard’s School of Public Health and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. In 2014, he was the founding President of the Mixed Methods International Research Association. In 2015, he joined the staff of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan to Co-Direct the Michigan Mixed Methods Program. In 2017, he coauthored the American Psychological Association “standards” on qualitative and mixed methods research. The fourth edition of this book on Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design won the 2018 McGuffey Longevity Award from the U.S. Textbook & Academic Authors Association. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he gave virtual keynote presentations to many countries from his office in Osaka, Japan. Updates on his work can be found on his website at johnwcreswell.com. Cheryl N. Poth, PhD, is a Professor in the Faculty of Education and faculty member of the research-intensive Centre for Research and Applied Measurement and Evaluation at the University of Alberta. In this role, she has developed and taught graduate-level research methods and program evaluation courses in addition to supervising and mentoring students, faculty, and local as well as global community members in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research. She is the author of over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, three books as well as numerous book chapters. Her work has been recognized by the American Educational Research Association with the Division D Significant Contributions to Research Methodology Award in 2023 (with Peggy Shannon-Baker) and by the Textbook & Academic Authors Association with the Most Promising New Textbook Award in 2020 and the McGuffey Longevity Award for Qualitative Research book in 2018 (with John Creswell). She served as Editor of the SAGE Handbook of Mixed Methods Research (2023) and as Guest Coeditor of several journal special issues, including the International Journal of Qualitative Methods. In addition to more than 40 invited talks and 150 conference presentations, she has led research methods workshops with diverse audiences on four continents. She served as an Advisory Board Member of the International Institute of Qualitative Methodology (2014–2020); the President of the Mixed Methods International Research Association (2017–2018); a Research Fellow at the University of South Africa (2018–2020); a Helen Glass Scholar in the College of Nursing within the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba (2022); and as a MERIT Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University (2023–2025). In 2009, she cofounded the interdisciplinary Alberta Clinical and Community-Based Evaluation Research Team to advance innovative community–university research partnership supports for program planning and impact assessments of service delivery for individuals with complex needs. She serves as the Methodologist on several cross-disciplinary research teams and has led federally, provincially, and locally funded research projects. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Mixed Methods Research and is an editorial board member of several journals. Updates on her work can be found on her website at https://sites.google.com/ualberta.ca/cheryl-poth/.

Review :
"The Fourth Edition of Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design is refreshingly readable and will be accessible to students of all levels. This is a great text on the subject. Kudos to the authors!" "In my teaching experience, I have found this to be the best text for teaching an introductory course in qualitative research, as it demonstrates in a clear and systematic manner how qualitative research can be undertaken in the five most popular approaches in contemporary applied social science research." "I have been using Creswell’s text since I studied the first edition as a student myself, and every edition has been a notable improvement on what was already an excellent book. I have yet to see another book that packs in as much vital information with such clarity and friendly writing." "Creswell and Poth’s newly revised edition of Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design represents an accessible yet in-depth resource for developing an understanding of both the main approaches to qualitative research in the social sciences, as well as the wide variation across and beyond these approaches." "Creswell and Poth bring clear guidelines to the area of qualitative research – an excellent resource for building the framework for a successful qualitative study." "An excellent, detailed and clear guide for anyone seeking further knowledge about qualitative inquiry."