Customer Reviews

Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences (7th Edition)

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This book is, by far, the most comprehensive book on qualitative research methods ever written. Berg covers all of the major areas of qualitative research methods with the expertise of a seasoned veteran researcher--of which he is. This book is written in an accessible and easy-to-understand style. Each chapter revolves around one central element of the qualitative research methods picture. Having been a reader of earlier editions of this book (in fact, all editions), I can testify that each edition of this book gets better than the previous edition. This book is required reading for anyone seriously interested in the research process--qualitative or quantitative. This book may well be THE bible of qualitative research methods.

In the most recent edition of Bruce L. Berg's Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences, the author makes a number of important addition to his work. This edition has a much greater emphasis on methodology-how to collect, organize, and present qualitative data-while maintaining a strong theoretical backing. A new chapter on ethical issues in field research is perhaps the most important addition to this work. The book still appeals primarily to students and researchers in social sciences, but the author attempts to broaden his scope into other fields not typically associated with the social sciences, such as nursing and business.

In his introduction, Berg laments the absence of comprehensive books on qualitative research methods, a technique that has lost out to a more quantitative, data-driven approach to field research. Berg also criticizes the number of texts written about ethnographic methodology that focus on only one aspect of field research. Elsewhere, Berg suggests that too often books on field methods presuppose a strong background in data collection techniques that most students simply do not have. Berg attempts to rectify these problems, by providing the novice researcher with a book that offers a comprehensive view of field methods that anyone can use. He is, for the most part, successful.

While the author discusses a number of different views concerning qualitative research design, he ultimately suggests that individuals begin collecting data as soon as their ideas are formed. Berg says that there is some value in combining the "research-before-theory" and "theory-before-research" approaches. This method has the researcher conducting investigations and gathering information as needed. The author looks at this as a "spiraling" pattern, where the researcher is able to learn theory while conducting investigations and to direct his or her research based on preexisting theories. While this method has its pitfalls, it seems like a more realistic approach than the traditional "linear" method, where an individual moves from idea generation to literature review to data collection without looking back.

Much like the "spiraling" approach that the author presents, the book itself moves effortlessly between discussions of theories in qualitative research and practical advice, which is given in the "Trying it out" section at the end of each chapter. The book looks closely at seven different strategies for data collection, including "focus group interviewing," "ethnographic field strategies," and the collecting of oral traditions and "historiographies." New to this addition is the chapter on "action research," which seems in many ways reminiscent of the concept of "participant observation" found in other areas of the social sciences, particularly anthropology. This new emphasis on action research also reflects a trend in the social sciences towards the incorporation of charitable work into a field research project. Action research, according to Berg, takes into account the history, culture, and "emotional lives" of a group of people as a means of tracing the sources of that community's problems. The author points out that all field research, on one level or another, evokes social change, but action research brings about change more directly.

Closely related to this notion of action research is the book's new chapter on the ethical dimensions of field research. Unlike other books on field methods that include ethical issues at the end on the text as an afterthought, Berg's book places his chapter on ethics towards the beginning of the book, before he goes into any detail about specific projects. While the rest of the text is full of practical advice, it is obvious that Berg is not out to establish any moral absolutes regarding field research. Instead, the author presents the reader with a number of real-life scenarios where ethical concerns have come into play. Berg also presents a number of factors for the reader to consider, such as consent, privacy, and the role of institutional review boards. He also provides an historical overview of ethics in field research that gives the reader an idea of how this issue has evolved.

Berg's book is perhaps the best resource for field researchers that money can buy, but there are still some issues that the book fails to address. Since the book focuses primarily on Western research in sociology, there is not much consideration for cross-cultural problems that may arise. Elsewhere the book fails to acknowledge the rising concern over intellectual property, which is relevant to social science research. For this reason, the researcher may want to supplement his or her reading with other texts that address global issues and intellectual property rights, but, overall, this book is by far the most thorough and practical resource available for those interested in field research.

This book is a textbook on qualitative research methods at undergraduate level. To be a good and useful enough textbook on research methods, it must have two features:
1. the extensive coverage of existing methods to be used in the field.
2. elucidating those methods not only in abstract and theoretical words but also with live examples from real field works to grasp real sense of each method.
Fortunately, this textbook has both aspects. It embraces from classical methods like interview, fieldwork to young methods like sociometry, historiography. Moreover, it deals with, in depth, post processing of data. For quantitative methods, such processing has been automated with such packages like SPSS or SAS. But for qualitative methods, standardizing data is tricky and complex for the nature of data. But data should be treated anyway. This book briefly introduces reader to that process. Furthermore, unlike other textbooks simply enumerating various methods, this book attempts to explain them from consistent viewpoint, dramaturgy. As you know, dramaturgy interprets the activity of research itself such social process as the object of research. Such an approach orients readers towards what the research would be like in the field. In this view, research is portrayed so in dynamic and vivid way as to get a image of research with more ease.
But as the author incessantly points out, research methods could be learned not by reading but by doing. You should practice it to know it. Explanation in textbook is no more than a map to the destination, not the destination itself.

Berg's overview of qualitative methods has a great deal of promise, but it fell short of my expectations. I adopted this as a text in my qualitative methods course, and soon found that the treatment of various qualitative methods was overly vauge and confused students about the scope and purpose of qualitative research. In particular, Berg blurs the lines between focus groups, action research, and participant observation. One is left with a sense that all qualitative methods are equal and interchangable.

Each chapter alone is well written, but there is a lack of an overarching structure to the book that results in an over-simplification of qualitative methods. I do not plan on utilizing this text for courses again, it is too vauge for beginners and too basic for experts. It is also to general for use as a reference book.

In the most recent edition of Bruce L. Bergs Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences, the author makes a number of important addition to his work. This edition has a much greater emphasis on methodologyhow to collect, organize, and present qualitative datawhile maintaining a strong theoretical backing. A new chapter on ethical issues in field research is perhaps the most important addition to this work. The book still appeals primarily to students and researchers in social sciences, but the author attempts to broaden his scope into other fields not typically associated with the social sciences, such as nursing and business. In his introduction, Berg laments the absence of comprehensive books on qualitative research methods, a technique that has lost out to a more quantitative, data-driven approach to field research. Berg also criticizes the number of texts written about ethnographic methodology that focus on only one aspect of field research. Elsewhere, Berg suggests that too often books on field methods presuppose a strong background in data collection techniques that most students simply do not have. Berg attempts to rectify these problems, by providing the novice researcher with a book that offers a comprehensive view of field methods that anyone can use. He is, for the most part, successful.

While the author discusses a number of different views concerning qualitative research design, he ultimately suggests that individuals begin collecting data as soon as their ideas are formed. Berg says that there is some value in combining the research-before-theory and theory-before-research approaches. This method has the researcher conducting investigations and gathering information as needed. The author looks at this as a spiraling pattern, where the researcher is able to learn theory while conducting investigations and to direct his or her research based on preexisting theories. While this method has its pitfalls, it seems like a more realistic approach than the traditional linear method, where an individual moves from idea generation to literature review to data collection without looking back.

Much like the spiraling approach that the author presents, the book itself moves effortlessly between discussions of theories in qualitative research and practical advice, which is given in the Trying it out section at the end of each chapter. The book looks closely at seven different strategies for data collection, including focus group interviewing, ethnographic field strategies, and the collecting of oral traditions and historiographies. New to this addition is the chapter on action research, which seems in many ways reminiscent of the concept of participant observation found in other areas of the social sciences, particularly anthropology. This new emphasis on action research also reflects a trend in the social sciences towards the incorporation of charitable work into a field research project. Action research, according to Berg, takes into account the history, culture, and emotional lives of a group of people as a means of tracing the sources of that communitys problems. The author points out that all field research, on one level or another, evokes social change, but action research brings about change more directly.

Closely related to this notion of action research is the books new chapter on the ethical dimensions of field research. Unlike other books on field methods that include ethical issues at the end on the text as an afterthought, Bergs book places his chapter on ethics towards the beginning of the book, before he goes into any detail about specific projects. While the rest of the text is full of practical advice, it is obvious that Berg is not out to establish any moral absolutes regarding field research. Instead, the author presents the reader with a number of real-life scenarios where ethical concerns have come into play. Berg also presents a number of factors for the reader to consider, such as consent, privacy, and the role of institutional review boards. He also provides an historical overview of ethics in field research that gives the reader an idea of how this issue has evolved.

Bergs book is perhaps the best resource for field researchers that money can buy, but there are still some issues that the book fails to address. Since the book focuses primarily on Western research in sociology, there is not much consideration for cross-cultural problems that may arise. Elsewhere the book fails to acknowledge the rising concern over intellectual property, which is relevant to social science research. For this reason, the researcher may want to supplement his or her reading with other texts that address global issues and intellectual property rights, but, overall, this book is by far the most thorough and practical resource available for those interested in field research.

It's heavy on data/information collection methods. Would like to see more information on how to analyze content of the data collection process.

This book is required reading for the course in qualitative analysis that I took as part of the Doctor's degree in education. Excellent book.

Chapters written in a way that clearly define each qualitative research method. Lots of information however not too wordy. Overall a succint overview of qualitative reserach methods.

One reviewer called this the most comprehensive guide to qualitative research - not quite - go to Michael Quinn Patton for that - but this is an excellent text to qualitative researchers who are beginning to fall in love with qualitative research. This text tells you why you are so smitten, helps you understand the origins and history of qualitative research and explains the connections with Sociology.

It is practical and readable and as a doctoral student and undergraduate instructor I see that it has pretty wide applicability. I have not seen the 8th edition with Lune's addition after Berg's death, but understand there is more info about coding and analysis that might have been missing from earlier editions.

Prof used this book in a PhD Qualitative Research and Evaluation class. It is a nice refrence on the practical asspects of some of the more nebular qualitative methods rubric books. Ex, it gives some insight as to interview "feeling"... Having focused on Qualitative Methods in England... you should pair it with more 'hard core' works as well. Hope this helps.