"Stretching" Exercises for Qualitative Researchers [Paperback]

Valerie J. Janesick (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0761928154 | ISBN-13: 978-0761928157 | Publication Date: August 13, 2003 | Edition: 2nd

In this updated version of her innovative and distinctive book, author Valerie J. Janesick has extended the metaphor of dance and arts to yoga as an art form to strengthen her argument that tapping into one's artistic side--the side that is more creative and less inhibited--is a fundamental prerequisite for realizing one's potential as a researcher. Janesick provides a series of exercises, which can be used inside and outside the classroom, that are both artistically inspired and immensely practical. Thoroughly classroom tested, these exercises demystify the research process and help the researcher become a more active observer, interviewer, and learner.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a valuable work, which has been made even better in revision. In this Second Edition, Valerie Janesick extends the boundaries of qualitative inquiry, taking up IRBs, ethics, writing as inquiry, and new stretching exercises--drawing, quilting, cinema, listservs, and journaling. This book is a gift to instructors and students alike. Use it, teach from it, and stretch your imagination in the process."

(Norman K. Denzin )

About the Author

Valerie J. Janesick (Ph.D. Michigan State University) is Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa. She teaches classes in Qualitative Research Methods, Curriculum Theory and Inquiry, Foundations of Curriculum, Issues in Curriculum, Ethics and Educational Leadership. Her text, Stretching Exercises for Qualitative Researchers 2nd edition, (2004) Sage Publications, includes ways to integrate the arts in qualitative research projects. She is working on a 3rd edition at the moment to add the technology connections and the use of poetry to represent interview data. Her writings have been published in Curriculum Inquiry, Qualitative Inquiry, Anthropology and Education Quarterly and other major journals. Her chapters in the Handbook of Qualitative Research 1st edition and 2nd editions use Dance and the Arts as a metaphor for understanding research. She is completing oral history interviews of female school superintendents as part of a larger project on women leaders. Her recent chapter on Dewey and the arts and education can be found in the Sage (2007) Handbook of the Arts in Qualitative Inquiry: Perspectives, Methodologies, Examples and Issues. Her latest book is Oral History for the Qualitative Researcher: Choreographing the Story, Guilford Press (2010).

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc; 2nd edition (August 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761928154
• ISBN-13: 978-0761928157
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #120,413 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #94 in Books > Education & Reference > Education > Research

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Customer Reviews

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars cultivate an intellectual flexibility, September 4, 2008

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This review is from: "Stretching" Exercises for Qualitative Researchers (Paperback)

The metaphor is rather appropriate. Janesick rises above the specifics of any given experiment in the social sciences. Instead she uses a dance metaphor to map onto common features of most experiments. At times this can perhaps seem strained. But the originality is to be commended. If nothing else, this helps retain the reader's attention, which is always to the good.

The qualitative aspect is reflected in the lack of numerical formulas. Instead, you are driven to focus on teasing out a high level understanding from data. In this process, she suggests that you invoke an intuition about the subject. Of course, you have to develop this intuition. This comes from experience and a use of creativity. Plus, keep an eye out for serendipity. Otherwise known as the good luck of stumbling across a fruitful line of inquiry. The book stresses that you cultivate an intellectual flexibility suggested by the dance metaphor.