Critical Issues in Qualitative Research Methods

The issues of soundness of qualitative research are examined in this book. Contributors discuss how a researcher does qualitative research, considering such questions as: whether one deviates from the developer's protocol and what the ramifications are of such deviation; how students learn to acquire the conceptual skills necessary to conduct qualitative inquiry and how theory `emerges' from the data. The book discusses group effect in focus groups and describes an observational method using videotaped data. The various schools of phenomenology and their major characteristics of excellence are explained, and the Glasserian and Straussian methods of grounded theory are compared. Issues of ethics and scientific integrity are also raised. Each chapter, dealing with a matter that has not yet been resolved or addressed in the literature, is preceded by a dialogue in which contributors raise questions and comment upon the concept presented.