Pearson - Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences, 6/E

Pearson

Always Learning

Browse by discipline

Humanities & Social Sciences

Math & Science

Professional & Career

Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences, 6/E
Bruce L. Berg, California State University, Long Beach

ISBN-10: 0205482635
ISBN-13: 9780205482634

Publisher: Pearson
Copyright: 2007
Format: Paper; 400 pp
Published: 03/14/2006

Print this content

In this section:

Description

Hands-on activities and real-life examples provide students with a comprehensive and straightforward coverage of qualitative research.

This text shows inexperienced researchers how to design, collect, and analyze data and then present their results to the scientific community. Also, this text stresses the importance of ethics in research and taking the time to properly design and think through any research endeavor.

Features

An assortment of hands-on activities, such as “Trying It Out” exercises at the end of each chapter, give students an opportunity to experience qualitative research first-hand.

Describes focus group interviewing, one of the fastest growing styles of data collection, in detail (Ch. 5).

Includes numerous, concrete examples to ensure that students understand the various procedures and concepts.

Explains the importance of researcher reflexivity and researcher voice and discusses them in detail throughout.

Provides resources for further study in the extensive references after each chapter to encourage independent learning

New To This Edition

A new “Moderator's Guide” in Chapter 5 provides the inexperienced focus group facilitator with a step-by-step guide to how the interview should be conducted.
Greater attention to the use of the Internet as a resource for accessing qualitative data, and to ethical concerns related to the Internet.
A new segment on Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis (CAQDA) and content analysis.
New material on using computers as a tool for interviewing (Ch. 4) and conducting ethnographic research (Ch. 6).
Chapter 7, “Action Research,” discusses how the researcher may collaborate with the subjects in the research, demonstrating the reflexive relationship between researcher and subject.
A section on “photovoice” (Ch. 7) that describes techniques for allowing the subject a voice through photographs and photo captions/narratives.
New section on Web-based In-Depth Interviews (e-interviews), and On-line Focus Groups.
New segment on the Iowa school’s influence on symbolic interaction
New segment on ethical issues with Internet research
Research Paper chapter (12) opens with a new discusssion of plagiarism and how to avoid it.
Expanded discussion on telephone interviews including advantages and disadvantages
New section on theory and developing grounded theory case studies

Table of Contents

Most chapters conclude with “Trying It Out,” “Notes,” and “References.”

Preface.

1. Introduction.

Quantitative versus Qualitative Schools of Thought.

Use of Triangulation Research Methodology.

Qualitative Strategies: Defining an Orientation.

From a Symbolic Interactionist Perspective.

Why Use Qualitative Methods?

A Plan of Presentation.

2. Designing Qualitative Research.

Theory and Concepts.

Ideas and Theory.

Reviewing the Literature.

Theory, Reality, and the Social World.

Framing Research Problems.

Operationalization and Conceptualization.

Designing Projects.

Data Collection and Organization.

Data Storage, Retrieval, and Analysis.

Dissemination.

3. Ethical Issues.

Research Ethics in Historical Perspective.

From Guidelines to Law: Regulations on the Research Process.

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs).

Ethical Codes.

Some Common Ethical Concerns in Behavioral Research.

New Areas for Ethical Concern: Cyberspace.

Physical and Ethical Dangers in Covert Research.

Informed Consent and Implied Consent.

Confidentiality and Anonymity.

Securing the Data.

Objectivity and Careful Research Design.

4. A Dramaturgical Look at Interviewing.

Dramaturgy and Interviewing.

Types of Interviews.

The Interview Schedule.

Schedule Development.

Communicating Effectively.

A Few Common Problems in Question Formulation.

Pretesting the Schedule.

Long versus Short Interviews.

Telephone Interviews.

Computer-Assisted Interviewing.

Conducting an Interview: A Natural or Unnatural Communication?

The Dramaturgical Interview.

The Interviewer's Repertoire.

Knowing Your Audience.

Analyzing Data Obtained from the Dramaturgical Interview.

5. Focus Group Interviewing.

What Are Focus Group Interviews?

The Evolution of Focus Group Interviews.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Focus Group Interviewing.

Facilitating Focus Group Dynamics: How Focus Groups Work.

The Moderator's Guide.

Basic Ingredients in Focus Groups.

Confidentiality and Focus Group Interviews.

Recent Trends in Focus Groups: Online Focus Groups

6. Ethnographic Field Strategies.

Accessing a Field Setting: Getting In.

Reflectivity and Ethnography.

Becoming Invisible.

Other Dangers During Ethnographic Research.

Watching, Listening, and Learning.

Computers and Ethnography.

Analyzing Ethnographic Data.

Other Analysis Strategies: Typologies, Sociograms, and Metaphors.

Disengaging: Getting Out.

7. Action Research.

The Basics of Action Research.

Identifying the Research Question(s).

Gathering the Information to Answer the Questions.

Analyzing and Interpreting the Information.

Sharing the Results with the Participants.

The Action Researcher's Role.

Types of Action Research.

Photovoice and Action Research

Action Research: A Reiteration

8. Unobtrusive Measures in Research.

Archival Strategies.

Physical Erosion and Accretion: Human Traces as Data Sources.

9. Historiography and Oral Traditions.

What Is Historical Research?

Life Histories and Historiography.

What Are the Sources of Data of Historical Researchers?

Doing Historiography: Tracing Written History as Data.

What Are Oral Histories?

10. Case Studies.

The Nature of Case Studies.

Theory and Case Studies.

The Individual Case Study.

Intrinsic, Instrumental, and Collective Case Studies.

Case Study Design Types.

The Scientific Benefit of Case Studies.

Case Studies of Organizations.

Case Studies of Communities.

11. An Introduction to Content Analysis.

What is Content Analysis?

Analysis of Qualitative Data.

Content Analysis as a Technique.

Content Analysis: Quantitative or Qualitative?

Communication Components.

What to Count: Levels and Units of Analysis.

Category Development: Building Grounded Theory.

Open Coding.

Coding Frames.

Stages in the Content Analysis Process.

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Content Analysis Process.

Computers and Qualitative Analysis.

Qualitative Research at the Speed of Light.

12. Writing Research Papers: Sorting the Noodles from the Soup.

Plagiarism: What It Is, Why It's Bad, and How to Avoid It.

Identifying the Purpose of the Writing: Arranging the Noodles.

Delineating a Supportive Structure: Visual Signals for the Reader.

Presenting Research Material.

A Word About the Content of Papers and Articles.

Write It, Rewrite It, Then Write It Again!

A Final Note.

Name Index.

Subject Index.

Courses

Qualitative Research Methods (Sociology)
Research Methods in Sociology (Sociology)

Next Edition(s)

Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences, 7/E
Berg
©2009 | Pearson | Paper; 432 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 0205628079 | ISBN-13: 9780205628070
Suggested retail price: $94.60 Net price: $70.95 (What's this?)Brief Description |
This text shows novice researchers how to design, collect, and analyze qualitative data and then present their results to the scientific community. It also stresses the importance of ethics in research and taking the time to properly design and think through any research endeavor.
More Info
Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences, 8/E
Berg & Lune
©2012 | Pearson | Paper; 448 pp | Out of Stock
ISBN-10: 0205809383 | ISBN-13: 9780205809387
Suggested retail price: $94.60 Net price: $70.95 (What's this?)
Brief Description |
Qualitative Research Methods - collection, organization, and analysis strategies

This text shows novice researchers how to design, collect, and analyze qualitative data and then present their results to the scientific community.

The book stresses the importance of ethics in research and taking the time to properly design and think through any research endeavor.

Learning Goals

Upon completing this book, readers should be able to:

Effectively design, collect, organize, and analyze data and then to present results to the scientific community

Use the Internet as both a resource and a means for accessing qualitative data

Explore current issues in the world of researchers, which include a serious concern about ethical behavior and protocols in research and a more reflexive and sensitive role for the researcher

Recognize the importance of ethical concerns before they actually begin the research collection, organization, and analytic process

Understand basic elements associated with researcher reflexivity and research voice
More Info

Print this content

In this section:

Backcover Copy

Backcover Copy

This text uses hands-on activities and real-life examples to provide the most comprehensive and straightforward coverage of doing qualitative research on the market.

The author's central purpose is to show inexperienced researchers how to design, collect, and analyze data and then present their results to the scientific community, while stressing the importance of ethics in research and taking the time to properly design and think through any research endeavor.

Print this content

In this section:

Course & Discipline Resources

For Research Methods in Sociology
For Qualitative Research Methods
For the Sociology Discipline

For Research Methods in Sociology

Allyn & Bacon Social Research Website (Open access)
Allyn & Bacon
©2004 | Pearson | Website; 0 pp | Live
ISBN-10: 0205405916 | ISBN-13: 9780205405916
More Info

For Qualitative Research Methods

Allyn & Bacon Social Research Website (Open access)
Allyn & Bacon
©2004 | Pearson | Website; 0 pp | Live
ISBN-10: 0205405916 | ISBN-13: 9780205405916
More Info

For the Sociology Discipline

Allyn & Bacon Digital Media Archive CD-ROM for Sociology, 2006 edition
Allyn & Bacon
©2006 | Pearson | CD-ROM Only | Instock
ISBN-10: 020546727X | ISBN-13: 9780205467273
Suggested retail price: $0.00Net price: $0.00 (What's this?)More Info

Breaking the Ice: A Guide to Understanding People from Other Cultures, 3/E
Kabagarama
©2004 | Pearson | Paper; 112 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 0205417957 | ISBN-13: 9780205417957
Net price: $8.25 (What's this?)More Info

Building Bridges: The Allyn & Bacon Student Guide to Service-Learning
Hamner
©2002 | Pearson | Paper; 128 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 0205319742 | ISBN-13: 9780205319749
Net price: $32.85 (What's this?)More Info

CPS RF Classroom Performance System
eInstruction
©2010 | Pearson | Electronic Supplement | Available
ISBN-10: 020577864X | ISBN-13: 9780205778645
More Info

iClicker Classroom Response System
iClicker & Allyn & Bacon/Longman
©2008 | Pearson | Electronic Supplement | Available
ISBN-10: 0205594506 | ISBN-13: 9780205594504
More Info

InterWrite PRS RF (Personal Response System)
InterWrite PRS & Allyn & Bacon/Longman
©2005 | Pearson | Electronic Supplement | Available
ISBN-10: 0205436951 | ISBN-13: 9780205436958
More Info

MySearchLab -- Standalone Access Card
Pearson
©2010 | Pearson | Access Code Card | Instock
ISBN-10: 0205699413 | ISBN-13: 9780205699414
Net price: $30.90 (What's this?)More Info

New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History, The
McEvedy
©1991 | Pearson | Paper | Estimated Availability : 08/31/2005
ISBN-10: 0321415094 | ISBN-13: 9780321415097
Suggested retail price: $11.00Net price: $8.25 (What's this?)More Info

Pearson Guide to Research Navigator
Pearson
©2009 | Pearson | Paper; 48 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 0205633404 | ISBN-13: 9780205633401
Net price: $5.85 (What's this?)More Info

RELATE and READY User's Guide, 2/E
Loyer-Carlson, Busby & BYU
©2005 | Pearson | Paper Bound with PIN; 32 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 0205452469 | ISBN-13: 9780205452460
Net price: $24.90 (What's this?)More Info

Soloist, The
Lopez
©2009 | Pearson | Paper | Estimated Availability : 09/01/2008
ISBN-10: 042522600X | ISBN-13: 9780425226001
Suggested retail price: $11.33Net price: $8.50 (What's this?)More Info

Thinking Sociologically: A Critical Thinking Activities Manual (Valuepack item only), 2/E
Ruggiero
©1999 | Pearson | Paper; 89 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 0205278183 | ISBN-13: 9780205278183
Suggested retail price: $0.00Net price: $0.00 (What's this?)More Info

What Every Student Should Know About Avoiding Plagiarism
Stern
©2007 | Pearson | Paper; 80 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 0321446895 | ISBN-13: 9780321446893
Net price: $7.35 (What's this?)More Info

What Every Student Should Know About Citing Sources with APA Documentation: Updated for APA Sixth Edition, 2/E
Anderson, Carrell & Widdifield
©2010 | Pearson | Paper; 80 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 0205795811 | ISBN-13: 9780205795819
Net price: $7.35 (What's this?)More Info

What Every Student Should Know About Citing Sources with MLA Documentation, Update Edition
Greer
©2010 | Pearson | Paper | Instock
ISBN-10: 0205715117 | ISBN-13: 9780205715114
Net price: $7.35 (What's this?)More Info

What Every Student Should Know About Practicing Peer Review
Trim
©2007 | Pearson | Paper | Instock
ISBN-10: 0321448480 | ISBN-13: 9780321448484
Net price: $7.35 (What's this?)More Info

What Every Student Should Know About Preparing Effective Oral Presentations
Cox
©2007 | Pearson | Paper; 96 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 0205505457 | ISBN-13: 9780205505456
Net price: $7.35 (What's this?)More Info

What Every Student Should Know About Procrastination
Hoffman
©2008 | Pearson | Paper; 64 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 0205582117 | ISBN-13: 9780205582112
Net price: $7.95 (What's this?)More Info

What Every Student Should Know About Researching Online
Munger & Campbell
©2007 | Pearson | Paper | Instock
ISBN-10: 0321445317 | ISBN-13: 9780321445315
Suggested retail price: $9.80Net price: $7.35 (What's this?)More Info

What Every Student Should Know About Study Skills
Pearson Longman
©2007 | Pearson | Paper; 72 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 0321447360 | ISBN-13: 9780321447364
Net price: $7.35 (What's this?)More Info

What Every Student Should Know About Using a Handbook
Murray
©2009 | Pearson | Paper; 80 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 0205563848 | ISBN-13: 9780205563845
Net price: $7.35 (What's this?)More Info

Password:

Forgot login/password? | Need to redeem an access code?

We're sorry!

We don't recognize your login or password. Please try again.

If you continue to have problems, try retrieving your login name password or contacting Customer Technical Support.

We're sorry!

The account you used to log in on the previous website does not contain IRC access.
If you have a separate IRC count, please log in using that login name and password.
If you do not have an IRC account, you canrequest access here

close window

Your access will expire soon.

To ensure uninterrupted service, you should renew your access for this site soon.

Renew now or proceed without renewing.

close window

We're sorry!

Your access to the Instructor Resource Center has expired.

To continue using the IRC, renew your access now.

An internal error has occurred. Please try again.

Instructor Resource Center File Download

This work is protected by local and international copyright laws and is provided solely for the use of instructors in teaching their courses and assessing student learning. Dissemination or sale of any part of this work (including on the World Wide Web) will destroy the integrity of the work and is not permitted. The work and materials from this site should never be made available to students except by instructors using the accompanying text in their classes. All recipients of this work are expected to abide by these restrictions and to honor the intended pedagogical purposes and the needs of other instructors who rely on these materials.

Cancel

I accept, proceed with download

Print this content

Pearson Higher Education offers special pricing when you choose to package your text with other student resources. If you're interested in creating a cost-saving package for your students contact your Pearson Higher Education representative.

Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences, 6/E