Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences, 9th edition

For courses in Research Methods in Political Science and Sociology, and in Qualitative Research Methods

Raising questions, rather than giving answers

Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences is written with the recognition that different researchers in different fields each bring their own needs and intentions to the process. Howard Lune and Bruce Berg aim to guide the reader through the process of research planning, carrying out one’s projects, and making sense of the results. Each chapter provides examples of the best and worst approaches to the kinds of questions that arise with each form of research, as well as discussions of what makes an approach successful or not. Like its predecessors, the Ninth Edition stresses the importance of ethics in research and respect for subjects.

NOTE: This ISBN is for a Pearson Books a la Carte edition: a convenient, three-hole-punched, loose-leaf text. In addition to the flexibility offered by this format, Books a la Carte editions offer students great value, as they cost significantly less than a bound textbook.

Effective research practices and interview skills

• NEW! More attention to mixed methods, spatial analysis, and visual data.
• NEW! A greater focus on research design and preparation.
• NEW! More contemporary research cited in examples to help relate the techniques to students’ experiences.
• NEW! Expanded discussions on ethical challenges and lapses in research.
• Software and internet-based tools integrated for research design, data collection, coding, and analysis throughout the entire text.
• A review of research ethics to better reflect the role of institutional review and the unique ethical concerns of cyber research and electronic media in research – as well as to add practical advice on researcher safety.
• Descriptions of the literature review process to incorporate electronic access to primary and secondary sources.
• Practical guidance for evaluating the reliability and applicability of different sources of information and different means of acquiring it.
• Inclusion of social-historical research as a methodology.
• A discussion of interview guidelines for non-standardized and semi-standardized interview formats.
• A section on organizing one’s research from design to completion.
• An innovative strategy for conducting in-depth interviews using a dramaturgical orientation.
• Presentation of and discussion about examples of research from across the social sciences – including sociology, criminology, community-oriented nursing, education, and business.
• Detailed descriptions of the stages of content analysis and coding, both as a research strategy in its own right and as the underlying logic for most qualitative data analysis.
• Focus-group interviewing – one of the fastest growing styles of data collection – described in detail, as well as enhanced discussion of using the Internet to undertake focus-group interviews.
• The importance of researcher reflexivity and voice, discussed in detail throughout.
• Resources for further study, in the extensive references after each chapter, to encourage independent learning.
• A step-by-step discussion on how to write qualitative research proposals and findings, as well as a series of specific writing hints.

Challenging exercises and activities

• NEW! More challenging exercises or questions for discussion.

• Class exercises at natural break-points within the longer chapters, to better assist instructors in the pacing of the materials and/or to enable instructors to pair this text with a reader or other secondary text.

• An assortment of hands-on activities, such as "Trying It Out" exercises in each chapter, giving students an opportunity to experience qualitative research first-hand.
• Numerous, concrete examples from contemporary and classic cases to ensure that students understand the various procedures and concepts.

Current, accessible coverage

• NEW! New sections on when and why the tools and techniques work, and when they do not.
• NEW! Continued attention to remaining current with information technologies.
• NEW! Reorganization of materials that had given students difficulties in past editions.
• NEW! Continued emphasis on engaging and challenging readers.
• A highly accessible “essay” style of presentation.

• More attention to mixed methods, spatial analysis, and visual data.
• A greater focus on research design and preparation.
• More contemporary research cited in examples to help relate the techniques to students’ experiences.
• Expanded discussions on ethical challenges and lapses in research.
• More challenging exercises or questions for discussion.
• New sections on when and why the tools and techniques work, and when they do not.
• Continued attention to remaining current with information technologies.
• Reorganization of materials that had given students difficulties in past editions.
• Continued emphasis on engaging and challenging readers.