Summary

`The book covers such a diverse range of material and there are so many practical tips provided, that it is useful - as the title suggests - as a companion for those conducting or teaching research′ - Nurse Researcher

This exciting companion provides an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of the latest writing on every aspect of qualitative research.

A Companion to Qualitative Research draws on the work of an array of leading scholars from Europe, Britain and North America, to present a summary of every aspect of the qualitative research process from nuts-and-bolts methods and research styles, to examinations of methodological theory and epistemology. It is one of the few surveys of qualitative research to adopt a genuinely international voice.

The Companion : includes an introduction to the field; provides examples of how key researchers, from Garfinkel to Geertz, carried out their research and examines the nature of their legacy; investigates different methodological and epistemological approaches to the act of researching; takes the classic methods available to the researcher and asks what the thinking is behind choosing to use such methods; is a how-to guide to the actual process of gathering research data in the field; introduces the reader to important practical issues such as ethics and teaching in research; and, provides the reader with practical information about methods literature, and guides the reader on how to study methods, and use databases and the Internet in qualitative research.

Easy to use, A Companion to Qualitative Research presents a concise and systematic introduction. Recent developments, such as the use of computers and the internet, and the analysis of visual materials are covered at length, as are the future challenges for qualitative research.

Essential reading for students, researchers and practitioners alike, the Companion will serve as a comprehensive textbook for any student embarking on a research methods course, and at the same will be an invaluable reference book for active researchers and practitioners.

Choice Review

The editors provide a comprehensive overview of qualitative research and of the contribution made by specific methodologies in creating new knowledge in the social sciences. The work's primary audience is students, instructors, and social scientists unfamiliar with qualitative research. Its 57 essays, arranged in six parts, highlight the contributions of leading qualitative theorists, describe various methodologies, review theories of qualitative inquiry, and locate the qualitative approach within specific research contexts. The first part's biographical sketches of leading scholars are insightful and provide a foundation for understanding the qualitative research covered in the rest of the book. The essays, which are generally four to eight pages in length, well-written, and accessible to nonexperts, conclude with a list of further readings. Each part begins with an introductory essay that reviews important issues and trends. Part seven consists of an annotated bibliography, and the volume concludes with a comprehensive list of references and author and title indexes. Unlike the two massive editions of Handbook of Qualitative Research, ed. by N.K. Denzin and Y.S. Lincoln (2d ed., CH, Sep'00), this research companion's focus is more descriptive and explanatory than analytical and interpretative. In part, this work has value because most of the contributors work at universities and research institutes outside the US--important because a growing community of scholars outside North America are developing a robust literature on qualitative research in the social sciences and applications in cultural contexts. Although research on qualitative research in the US and Europe has proceeded in parallel, this work helps develop an integrated, shared understanding of qualitative research in Europe and North America. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. General and academic collections. R. V. Labaree University of Southern California