The teaching of qualitative analysis in the social
sciences is rarely undertaken in a structured way. This
handbook is designed to remedy that and to present
students and researchers with a systematic method for
interpreting qualitative data', whether derived from
interviews, field notes, or documentary materials. The
special emphasis of the book is on how to develop theory
through qualitative analysis. The reader is provided
with the tools for doing qualitative analysis, such as
codes, memos, memo sequences, theoretical sampling and
comparative analysis, and diagrams, all of which are
abundantly illustrated by actual examples drawn from the
author's own varied qualitative research and research
consultations, as well as from his research seminars.
Many of the procedural discussions are concluded with
rules of thumb that can usefully guide the researchers'
analytic operations. The difficulties that beginners
encounter when doing qualitative analysis and the kinds
of persistent questions they raise are also discussed,
as is the problem of how to integrate analyses. In
addition, there is a chapter on the teaching of
qualitative analysis and the giving of useful advice
during research consultations, and there is a discussion
of the preparation of material for publication. The book
has been written not only for sociologists but for all
researchers in the social sciences and in such fields as
education, public health, nursing, and administration
who employ qualitative methods in their work.
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