this book is about qualitative research and how to do it. It documents thepractice of qualitative research, both for those who are embarking on studies for the first time and for those who want to gain further understanding of its methodological principles. It is intended for those working in appliepolicy fields as well as those concerned with the development of socialtheory more generally.The book has been written by a team of practising researchers from thecurrent and past staff of the Qualitative Research Unit at the National Centrefor Social Research. The National Centre is an independent social researchinstitute which is dedicated to research for the development and evaluationof public policy. The Qualitative Research Unit specialises in the conduct ofin-depth research, primarily involving individual interviews and focusgroups, for explanatory, evaluative or strategic purposes. The authors whohave contributed to the book have drawn on experience of designing, conducting, analysing and reporting on qualitative studies as a central part oftheir everyday work.The methods described have been developed over several decades. Theyhave been refined and enhanced in response to an ever widening repertoireof applications. There is particular emphasis on data generated throughin-depth interviews and focus groups, two data collection methods widelyused in more applied qualitative inquiry. This focus means that less attentionis given to the study of naturally occurring data, such as observation, documentary analysis, discourse and conversation analysis, although the origins and uses of these methods are discussed. There are also a number of excellent texts on the use and conduct of such methods and key references tothese are given throughout the chapters. It should also be noted that manyof the principles described in relation to working with interviews and focusgroups have relevance for the full repertoire of qualitative methods.
this book is about qualitative research and how to do it. It documents thepractice of qualitative research, both for those who are embarking on studies for the first time and for those who want to gain further understanding of its methodological principles. It is intended for those working in appliepolicy fields as well as those concerned with the development of socialtheory more generally.The book has been written by a team of practising researchers from thecurrent and past staff of the Qualitative Research Unit at the National Centrefor Social Research. The National Centre is an independent social researchinstitute which is dedicated to research for the development and evaluationof public policy. The Qualitative Research Unit specialises in the conduct ofin-depth research, primarily involving individual interviews and focusgroups, for explanatory, evaluative or strategic purposes. The authors whohave contributed to the book have drawn on experience of designing, conducting, analysing and reporting on qualitative studies as a central part oftheir everyday work.The methods described have been developed over several decades. Theyhave been refined and enhanced in response to an ever widening repertoireof applications. There is particular emphasis on data generated throughin-depth interviews and focus groups, two data collection methods widelyused in more applied qualitative inquiry. This focus means that less attentionis given to the study of naturally occurring data, such as observation, documentary analysis, discourse and conversation analysis, although the origins and uses of these methods are discussed. There are also a number of excellent texts on the use and conduct of such methods and key references tothese are given throughout the chapters. It should also be noted that manyof the principles described in relation to working with interviews and focusgroups have relevance for the full repertoire of qualitative methods.