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Successful Qualitative Research
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Successful Qualitative Research
A Practical Guide for Beginners

First Edition
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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

    It answers a lot of the questions that students get stuck with and is very practical so really useful from that point of view. Would probably need a book that does the different qualitative "approaches" by chapter as well as this one.

    Ms Linda Morison
    Psychology , Surrey University
    February 27, 2016

    Well thought out layout

    Miss Kate Waller
    Bristol Business School, Univ. of The West of England
    July 16, 2014

    This is useful for students who are intending to conduct a qualitative research project, but too specific for general research methods teaching at the level I'm teaching.

    Ms Patti Wallace
    Department of Psychology, Newman Univ.
    July 3, 2014

    An excellent book that clearly takes students through the process of qualitative research design.I have used this book as a reference and recommended reading throughout my module and will continue to do. The only complaint from students is the price, which is in excess of the £20 ceiling that most students seem to see as the deciding factor when choosing which books to buy.

    Dr Nick Wilson
    English, Communication & Philosophy, Cardiff Univ.
    June 24, 2014

    A clear, engaging and supportive guide for undergraduate students who are considering qualitiative research. Braun provides a brisk and practical guide to different qualitative techniques. We are not adopting this book due to a change in course direction, but I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone considering a comprehensive primer for undergraduate level.

    Mrs Udeni Salmon
    Salford Business School, Salford University
    June 11, 2014

    I recommend this text. I especially recommend this for students who are looking for ideas on how to analyse Qualitative data.

    Mr Sean Creaney
    Centre for Childhood Studies, Stockport College
    June 9, 2014

    A much needed text.

    Dr Simon Gibbs
    Educational Psychology, Newcastle upon Tyne University
    May 26, 2014

    Useful text written in an accessible way- I was looking for something more structured and specific to education. Might be good for undergraduates.

    Miss Sarah McGrath
    School of Education, Chester University
    April 24, 2014

    An excellent text that is versatile enough to have something to offer level 5 students getting stated in research methods through to level 6 and level 7 students engaged in their own research. The approach is very straightforward and clear and also models a qualitative approach for example in the authors sharing something of themselves. The worked examples make and clear 'how to' sections on analysis make this a very useful and usable text.

    Ms Jan Grove
    Please select your department, Newman Univ.
    April 15, 2014

    A great book, which is accessible and useful. Section 3 (Analysing qualitative data) is particularly helpful as it provides advice on coding and identifying themes.

    Miss Alison Hardy
    School of Education, Nottingham Trent University
    April 14, 2014
    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