QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Maggie Sumner

Research that investigates aspects of social life which are not amenable to quantitative measurement. Associated with a variety of theoretical perspectives, qualitative research uses a range of methods to focus on the meanings and interpretation of social phenomena and social processes in the particular contexts in which they occur. Qualitative research is not a single set of theoretical principles, a single research strategy or a single method (Silverman, 1993). It developed in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, across a range of disciplines, on varied and sometimes conflicting philosophical and theoretical bases, including cultural anthropology, interpretive sociologies (such as symbolic interactionism), phenomenology and, more recently, hermeneutics, critical theory, feminism, post-colonial theory, cultural studies, post-structuralism and postmodernism. These diverse approaches inevitably give rise to ...

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About this title
- Bringing together the work of over eighty leading academics and researchers worldwide to produce the definitive reference and research tool for the social sciences, The SAGE Dictionary of Social Research Methods contains more than 230 entries providing the widest coverage of the all the main terms in the research process. It encompasses philosophies of science, research paradigms and designs, specific aspects of data collection, practical issues to be addressed when carrying out research, and the role of research in terms of function and context. Each entry includes: - A concise definition of the concept - A description of distinctive features: historical and disciplinary backgrounds; key writers; applications - A critical and reflective evaluation of the concept under consideration - Cross references to associated concepts within the dictionary - A list of key readings. Written in a lively style, The SAGE Dictionary of Social Research Methods is an essential study guide for students and first-time researchers. It is a primary source of reference for advanced study, a necessary supplement to established textbooks, and a state-of-the-art reference guide to the specialized language of research across the social sciences.
Table of contents
- - Front Matter
    - Copyright
    - Editor's Introduction
Methods Map
Qualitative research
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