An Introduction to Qualitative Research (Paperback)

by Professor Uwe Flick (Author)
Key Phrases: grounding qualitative research, generative narrative question, episodic interview, New York, Cambridge University Press, Chicago School (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
`This text is a unique contribution to the body of general theoretical material about this rapidly expanding field of inquiry in social psychology as well as the social and health sciences' - Contemporary Psychology

`A highly readable introduction to the most important qualitative research methodologies' - British Journal of Sociology

`With Uwe Flick's book, instruction in the field of qualitative research finally comes of age. This is the text I wish I had written! Now students have access to the latest developments in interpretive qualitative inquiry, from symbolic interactionism and ethnomethodology to structuralism and poststructuralism. This is a very important book and it will contribute to a new generation of sophisticated qualitative researchers.' Norman K Denzin, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

`This is a most interesting, timely and necessary introductory text into qualitative research. It is a courageous and successful attempt to cut through the "new obscurities" of qualitative methods ... I will recommend this text to my students' - Martin Bauer, London School of Economics

`This introduction provides an excellent overview of the most important methods of qualitative research which were developed in the social sciences over the past decades, sketches their history and their theoretical foundations. Perhaps the most valuable feature of the book, next to its inclusiveness is the detailed description of the methods and techniques, and a judicious weighing of their usefulness and disadvantages to achieve given analytic aims' - Thomas Luckmann, University of Konstanz

Product Description
An Introduction to Qualitative Research is a carefully constructed textbook providing a comprehensive, accessible and timely introduction to the theory and practice of qualitative research.

Faced with the proliferation of qualitative research literature and methodological concepts, the author leads the student through the myriad of qualitative methods by providing a systematic structure for comparing the various methods, for designing the research process, for ordering the evidence, and for grounding the claims of theory from text and working back from text to theory.

All the major theories, methods and new approaches are presented in an accessible manner. These include how to construct and interpret verbal data, such as interviews and biographies, visual and observational data with practical information on how to document, analyze, code and categorise data.

The text incorporates many practical examples, summary boxes and further reading suggestions to guide the reader to classic works and references. These help orient the student and researcher to decide between alternative methods and appropriate research strategies for their own research. There is also valuable advice on how to write up qualitative research and an outline of recent perspectives and trends in qualitative research, such as the use of computers and the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd; 1st edition (July 29, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761955887
• ISBN-13: 978-0761955887
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,850,584 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good experiences in teaching with this book, September 27, 1998

By A Customer

This book gives an excellent overview of the major methods in qualitative research.It is valuable for teaching with undergraduate and graduate students. There are good examples given and a thoughtfull systematisation of the different methods. The book is good for students and experienced researcher. Most instructive overview of known and new methods. Thoughtfull explanation and good introduction to theory, methods and methodology of qualitative research.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A bit disappointing ! ! !, July 24, 1998

By A Customer

This books starts well, dealing with all the qualitative tools, and explains quite well the differetn strategies of coding... except that, this book do not expand one's knowledge in qualitative research... it only introduces the mainframe of the qualitative research.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the very few excellent publications in its subject, October 3, 1998

By A Customer

the book is an insider tip for students as well as experienced researchers - very good introduction of different methodes of qualitative research.