Doing Qualitative Research in Psychology: A Practical Guide

About the Book

Providing a complete introduction to qualitative methods in psychology, this textbook is ideal reading for anyone doing a research methods course in psychology that includes qualitative approaches or someone planning a practical project using qualitative methods.

Not just another research methods book, Doing Qualitative Research in Psychology is more a ′how to do it′ manual, linked with a specifically designed set of digitised video recordings, transcripts and online resources to make learning about qualitative methods as easy as possible. The primary resources are a set of online, publically available video-recorded interviews produced by the editor and contributors to support student learning.

The text offers useful descriptions of how and why research questions are formulated and explains the importance of selecting appropriate methods for research investigations. Using examples from the specially produced data set, it describes four specific qualitative methods, outlining - in its very clear ′how to proceed′ style - how each of these methods can form the basis of a qualitative methods laboratory class, practical or field study. As well as covering key topics such as ethics, literature reviews and interviewing, the book also describes precisely how research reports using qualitative methods are written up, in line with the appropriate conventions within psychology.

 

Table of Contents:
Introduction: This Book and How to Use It - Michael A Forrester PART ONE: FORMULATING RESEARCH QUESTIONS Theory and Method in Qualitative Research - Cath Sullivan Conducting Literature Reviews - Rachel Shaw PART TWO: CONDUCTING QUALITATIVE RESEARCH Approaches to Data Collection in Qualitative Research - Stephen Gibson and Sarah Riley The Interview in Qualitative Research - Siobhan Hugh-Jones Research Ethics in Qualitative Research - Nigel King PART THREE: QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS: PRACTICAL EXAMPLES Introducing the Data Set - Stephen Gibson QM1: Discourse Analysis - Sally Wiggins and Sarah Riley QM2: Grounded Theory - Alasdair Gordon-Finlayson QM3: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis - Rachel Shaw QM4: Conversation Analysis - Michael Forrester PART FOUR: WRITING UP Writing up the Qualitative Methods Research Report - Colm Crowley

About the Author :
Michael A Forrester is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Kent, Canterbury. He is the author of The Development of Young Children′s Social Cognitive Skills (1992).

Review :
A good introductory text for qualitative research, providing an overview of main methods. This is a very good book. The only reason that I would not adopt it as essential is that the project that students have to do is using IPA and we have a specific IPA book for this. As more general book the book by Carla Willig has more theoretical/ philosophical considerations and therefore supplements the IPA book better. useful supplemental resource for undergraduate and postgraduatre students I really liked this title. Found it very informative. Alas, a little too informative for general undergraduate level research methods course. I′m going to stick to a research methods book that covers qualitative and quantiative methods together. I thought it was very well written though, and the examples were very useful. This is a very readable textbook with addresses a range of important areas to consider when thinking about embarking on qualitative research. Its added value is that it comes with a companion website and a range of videoed interviews and transcripts to use for training purposes and to develop one′s skills in analysing text. It is a highly recommended book for people who are novice to qualitative reserach, as well as more experienced researchers. This was an excellent book for students wanting to explore the qualitative realm. Supported adoption for RM499 statistics module and related qualitative dissertations (OPY444 & BPY444). I have adopted the following book:
Creswell, J.W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches. Excellent overview of epistemology, data collection and data analysis. This text offers an overview of doing qualitative research in psychology. It covers a range of key topics including: the formulation of research aims/questions, ethical considerations, methods of data collection and analyses. The inclusion of reference to the researcher′s philosophical stance is particularly useful as it is often a topic avoided. Activity suggestions are integrated throughout and a useful resource for students and lecturers. I would have quite liked to see a chapter on thematic analysis as it could be suggested that many of the steps within this underpin other forms of qualitative analyses. The chapter on writing up a qualitative research project is very good and helpful to students. Excellent introductory and hands on for students beginning qualitative dissertations This book provides the student an exelent overview of topics within qualitative research methods and has the potential of being additional reading to the students doing their own research. core text as part of qualitative methods for grounded theory coursework.
Well written and easy to follow book explaining qualitative methods Very informative and useful book Excellent guide to all aspects of qualitative research. Useful reading for final year undergraduates, masters and PhD students. This book is, I feel, a fantastic guide to qualitative research. For both students and slightly wary staff!

The depth of the theoretical coverage is good and written in such a way that it is quite accessible, even to a novice.

The book is well structured and I feel confident in recommending it to students to supplement their understanding of qualitative research methods and data analysis at the 2nd year level, as well as for 3rd year dissertations.

This is a really good text giving practical, accessible yet thorough information and guidance. I like the fact that there is attention given to the theoretical underpinnings of qualitative work, and then the themed chapters on the different approaches work very well. I am impressed with this text and will certainly be recommending it to students undertaking qualitative research projects Some really good practical examples of different methods of analysis. Will prove to be a valuable aid to students. This is the best book for psychology students especially because it has practical activities. It is user friendly and give a full and academic clarity of methodological concepts and how to effectively apply them using empirical research. It is the best book to use as an introduction to qualitative research methods and since I am lecturing psychology students, it has become the best resource for my class. This is an excellent text and a welcome addition to our reading list for qual students. Written by active qualitative researchers in the field and it offers sound practical advice. excellent introductory text This is a very well organised and presented book. I particularly like the way it presents the general issues in qualitative research then focuses on specific methodologies. I will be strongly recommending it to my students. Very useful textbook. Really allows students to understand the differences in a variety of key qualitative methods. It achieves this by using the same data throughout which really seems to work. Also it addresses some key conceptual issues and also practical issues. Will prove to be a very useful book for undergrad and postgrad students alike! Well done to the TQRMUL group! This is a very practical and great "doing" book. The learning hints, aids, guidelines and specifically the examples make this book a great link between doing research and writing research. The practical examples included make this a good book. This book is being ordered as recommended reading for two psychological research methods modules. The book gives an easy to read overview of qualitative research methods. This book is adopted as recommended book for next year 2012 This text covers a broad range of topics within qualitative research and does so in a way that is useful across experiential backgrounds. The use of activities and the companion website are excellent resources that I intend to apply within my teaching. This is an excellent book, although student nurses would not necessarily be undertaking their own research they do explore research techniques, particularly qualitative methods and this book is recommended to use as it is easy to follow. A good introduction for first years This book provides a clear and logical progression through the selection and implementation of a qualitative approach. The use of the same data to illustrate differing analysis is extremely useful for illustrating to studets how these approaches differ. In addition there are numerous redirections to additional texts which i found very useful. Great for our modules as this book covers methods not discussed in detail in general research methods books. Some additional reading for students who wish to explore qualitative methods in more depth Although this is a very useful text, it is more relevant to another first year module- I will make it available to other lecturers, although they may already be using this book on their modules. This text has an accessible feel to it making it attractive to students. The availability of dataset to complement the text and the comparisons drawn between different methods of analysis serve to illustrate well the points of difference and strengths and weakness of the various methods involved. I am happy to include it in our reading lists for these modules.