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Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods in Psychology, 5th edition

Published by Pearson (April 1, 2025) © 2025

  • Dennis Howitt University of Loughborough

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Help your students think and act like a researcher

Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods in Psychology brings the theory of qualitative research to life for your students, giving them the skills and confidence they need to conduct their own independent research.

The 5th Edition has been extensively revised with examples of current, real-world research and an exciting new chapter on internet-mediated online research shows how qualitative research methods have adapted to a post-pandemic world.

Hallmark features of this title

Puts theory into practice

  • Accessible writing style gives succinct explanations of the key methods of data collection and analysis in qualitative research in psychology
  • Illustrations and images throughout the book enliven the text and help students understand more complex concepts.

User-friendly structure

  • The modular structure of the text means that students can easily access the areas relevant to their studies and research
  • Consistent framework each chapter begins with a summary of the major points in the chapter

Relevant, real-life understanding of concepts

  • Focuses on the most up-to-date research papers as examples to bring the theory of qualitative research to life
  • Chapter on internet-mediated online research: A completely new chapter talks about the importance internet-mediated online research in a post-pandemic world
  • Extensive glossary of nearly 400 terms covering the key terms in the field of qualitative research

New and updated features of this title

  • A new chapter on Internet-Mediated Online Research discusses current developments in the methods of qualitative research.
  • Chapters have been fully updated, incorporating up-to-date examples of the latest research papers.
  • An updated glossary of clear definitions now includes nearly 400 research-related terms.
  • New updated colour design makes the content more engaging and helps key features to stand out.

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  • Preface
  • Acknowledgements

Part 1. Background to qualitative methods in psychology

  1. What is qualitative research in psychology and was it really hidden?
  2. How qualitative methods developed in psychology: the qualitative revolution

Part 2 How to collect qualitative data

  1. Qualitative interviewing
  2. Focus groups
  3. Ethnography/participant observation

Part 3 Qualitative data analysis

  1. How to transcribe recordings
  2. 7 Thematic analysis
  3. 8 Using grounded theory
  4. 9 Social constructionist discourse analysis and discursive psychology
  5. 10 Conversation analysis
  6. 11 Foucauldian discourse analysis
  7. 12 Phenomenology
  8. 13 Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA)
  9. 14 Narrative analysis

Part 4 Successful writing-up, ensuring quality and ethical clearance in qualitative research

  1. How to write a good qualitative report
  2. Ensuring quality in your research
  3. How to obtain ethical clearance for qualitative research
  4. Internet Mediated Qualitative Research
  5. Examples of qualitative report writing: learning to write good reports
  • Glossary
  • References
  • Index

Dennis Howitt was a Reader in Psychology at Loughborough University, chartered forensic psychologist and fellow of the British Psychological Society, with a specific interest in the study of mass communications and the application of psychology to social issues.

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Extend learning beyond the classroom. Pearson eText is an easy-to-use digital textbook. It lets students customise how they study and learn with enhanced search and the ability to create flashcards, highlight and add notes all in one place. The mobile app lets students learn wherever life takes them, offline or online.

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Pearson eTextbook: What’s on the inside just might surprise you

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. It’s the same with your students. Meet each one right where they are with an engaging, interactive, personalized learning experience that goes beyond the textbook to fit any schedule, any budget, and any lifestyle.Â