You are here

Successful Qualitative Research
Share
Share

Successful Qualitative Research
A Practical Guide for Beginners

First Edition
Additional resources:


April 2013 | 400 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
*Shortlisted for the BPS Book Award 2014 in the Textbook Category*

*Winner of the 2014 Distinguished Publication Award (DPA) from the Association for Women in  Psychology (AWP)*


Successful Qualitative Research: A Practical Guide for Beginners is an accessible, practical textbook. It sidesteps detailed theoretical discussion in favor of providing a comprehensive overview of strategic tips and skills for starting and completing successful qualitative research.

Uniquely, the authors provide a "patterns framework" to qualitative data analysis in this book, also known as "thematic analysis." The authors walk you through a basic thematic approach, and compare and contrast this with other approaches. This discussion of commonalities, explaining why and when each method should be used, and in the context of looking at patterns, will provide you with complete confidence for your qualitative research journey.

    This textbook will be an essential textbook for undergraduates and postgraduates taking a course in qualitative research or using qualitative approaches in a research project.


     
    Acknowledgements
     
    PART ONE: Successfully Getting Started in Qualitative Research
     
    Chapter One: Some Very Important Starting Information
     
    Chapter Two: 10 Fundamentals of Qualitative Research
     
    Chapter Three: Planning and Designing Qualitative Research
     
    PART TWO: Sucessfully Collecting Qualitative Data
     
    Chapter Four: Interactive Data Collection 1: Interviews
     
    Chapter Five: Interactive Data Collection 2: Focus Groups
     
    Chapter Six: Textual Data Collection: Surveys, Stories, Diaries and Secondary Sources
     
    PART THREE: Successfully analysing Qualitative Data
     
    Chapter Seven: Preparing Audio Data for Analysis: Transcription
     
    Chapter Eight: Moving Towards Analysis
     
    Chapter Nine: First Analytic Steps: Familiarization and Data Coding
     
    Chapter Ten: Identifying Patterns across Data
     
    Chapter Eleven: Analyzing and Interpreting Patterns Across Data
     
    PART FOUR: Successfully Completing Qualitative Research
     
    Chapter Twelve: Quality Criteria and Techniques for Qualitative Research
     
    Chapter Thirteen: Writing and Communicating Qualitative Research

    Supplements

    Companion Website
    Information for Mac users

    These online resources are not compatible with Safari, please use Google Chrome or another preferred browser to access them.

    This book provides an excellent introduction to undergraduate students wishing to conduct thematic analysis of their qualitative research. It is highly accessible and practical.

    Dr Sue Vella
    Social Policy & Social Work , University of Malta
    August 10, 2015

    This book is a gem - for all qualitative researchers and those who are about to become one. It is easy to read and to understand; also because there are vivid examples from the wider literature but also from the focus group example conduced particularly for the book. Although it says it is "for beginners" it is also valuable as a resource and reference for advanced researchers.

    Ms Christiane Grünloh
    Faculty for Informatics & Engineering Services, Cologne University of Applied Sciences
    May 18, 2016

    This is an excellent text for both students and researchers. It provides an excellent overview of how to conduct rigorous qualitative research. As such, I have recommended this text to students and utilised this as an indicative text for my qualitative research methods module.

    Mr Sean Figgins
    Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Chichester University
    August 19, 2016

    The book provides a valuable resource for students undertaking qualitative research. The layout and style is clear and guides the reader through the process. It has been included on the reading list and copies are in the university library

    Mrs Sandie Woods
    Faculty of Health and Social Care, London South Bank University
    February 8, 2016

    This is an essential accessible research reference text for any students contemplating primary qualitative research or study. The incremental structure of this book practically guides the reader through the key fundamentals of qualitative research questions and design, data collection and analysis. Each chapter is filled with supplementary, useful illustrative good practice examples, concise figures, tables, further resources, on-line resources and reflective questions which promotes a deeper understanding and learning for any novice researcher.
    An ideal core text for any post-graduate students wishing to embark upon successful qualitative research.

    Mr David Gaylard
    Social Work Bishop Otter, Chichester University
    July 30, 2016

    This text is clear and well articulated favoring a strategic thematic approach providing for accessibility and excellent practical tips and hints for tacking complex qualitative data sets. This is an excellent text for students considering qualitative methodologies for their dissertation.

    Ms Barbara Elizabeth Hannigan
    School of Psychology, University of Dublin, Trinity College Dublin
    August 27, 2015

    Well written with comprehensive detail on conducting qualitative research. Suitable for both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

    Mr Peter Allum
    School of Health Professions, University of Plymouth
    April 1, 2016

    Excellent book for beginning and seasoned researchers - it is clear about the steps needed to undertake qualitative research

    Ms Rhiannon Jones
    Social Work, Keele University
    March 4, 2016

    Easy to read and understand guide to the qualitative research process particularly useful for analysis & thematic analysis. I will be adding to my relevant reading lists.

    Mr Philip Russell
    Department of Humanities, Tallaght Institute of Technology
    March 4, 2016

    Useful and detailed information on qualitative research for undergraduate students at all levels.

    Miss Josephine NwaAmaka Bardi
    Department of Health Studies, University of East London
    January 25, 2016
    Key features
    KEY FEATURES:
    • Full of useful tips and strategies for successful qualitative work, for example considering the nervous student not just the beginner student.
    • Skills-based, utilising a range of pedagogical features to encourage you to apply particular techniques and learn from your experience.
    • The authors use the same dataset throughout - reproduced in full (with associated research materials) on the companion website - to help you make comparisons across different analytical approaches.
    • A comprehensive suite of student support materials, including practice exam questions, can be found online at www.sagepub.com/braunandclarke.

    Sample Materials & Chapters

    Chapter 1