Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive Approach

Applied Social Research Methods #41

by Joseph A. Maxwell

Qualitative Research An Interactive Approach, Second Edition provides researchers and students with a user-friendly, step-by-step guide to planning qualitative research. A bestseller in its First Edition , this invaluable book presents an innovative approach to the components of design and how they interact with each other. The text presents a clear strategy for creating coherent and workable relationships among these design components and highlights key design issues. Based on a course the author taught for seven years at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the work is written in an informal, jargon-free style and incorporates many examples and hands-on exercises.

Genres: Research, Nonfiction, Qualitative Research, Research Methods, Academia, Education, Anthropology

192 pages, Hardcover

First published April 12, 1996

Reviews

[Paul,]

I enjoyed this book. It is a nice introductory text for the student trying to understand qualitative research design. Maxwell's book is based around creating a qualitative research proposal, so there are parts of it (especially the last chapter) that are unnecessary if you are not creating a research proposal.

After reading this book, I am mostly convinced that qualitative research is a lot like the way most people approach their lives. It is informal, observational, inductive. Therefore, understanding the problems and best practices of qualitative research is really a good way to streamline your own interaction with the world. In particular, I appreciated the sections on validity tests (how can I know if I'm wrong?), presuppositions (What baggage am I carrying?), continual analysis (What does this mean?) and regular re-evaluation (Given all this new data, how should my original goals and theories change?). The description of the conceptual model and the mind mapping instructions are also valuable.

The book is not exactly a Dan Brown novel, but it is interesting enough, and well worth the read.

[Anne Ku]

I picked up this book by accident, from a pile that my artist (art teacher) neighbour had left from moving out of her home. Surprisingly it turned out to be so useful that I had to dedicate myself to reading and doing the exercises within. Not only is it extremely helpful to my current dissertation in music but also future grant proposals I plan to write.

Reading and working through this thin but extremely dense book made me realise that most of my research background has been confined in quantitative research. Qualitative research is entirely different.

[Nicholas]

Good book on the basic of doing qualitative research. The beginning complexifies it more than I like for an introductory book, but the last half actually does an excellent job of clarifying and highlighting important issues.

[Ashley]

Very useful guide for writing a qualitative research proposal. My PhD program focuses on quantitative research so I have felt lost as to how to handle my qualitative proposal but this book is very helpful.

[Robyn]

Massively useful text. Great reference.

[Tina]

This is the bible of legal research, and I plan on coming back to it a million times in my education and career. Gobsmacked at the number of legal texts I've written without it.

[Robin]

I still don't know what I'm doing with my research but I do know how to talk about it intelligently now.

[Nurzhan Mukashev]

Good research methods and qualitative methods read.
Strongly recomend it to those who are new to research in social sciences.

[Amber Fitts]

Great book for an introduction to qualitative research!

[Jill]

Read for grad school...everything about the Research Methods class I had to read it for was terrible. Surprising, then, that I actually really enjoyed this book...or maybe not, considering I learned more from it than anything else in the course. Candid, interesting, thorough, clear examples and explanations, can't really ask for much more. If I ever do actual research, it will certainly be influenced by Maxwell!

[Elizabeth]

To be honest, I'm not sure how much of this one I actually read, but the structure is incredibly useful. Sections are divided up based on the concerns in different phases of a research study - Context, Questions, Methods, Validity, etc. I'm glad I bought this one instead of just getting it through ILL.

[Molly Christina]

A practical and straightforward introduction to qualitative research and the process of designing a qualitative research proposal. This book was my "bible" when I was writing my master's thesis proposal. Not only did it help me get the job done, it helped me to better understand and appreciate qualitative research as a science.

[Budi Kurniawan]

A really enjoyable book. It's concise but enlightening me about how to plan a qualitative research. The language is simple and easy to understand, the explanation is step by step and practical, with many real life examples. It's a really good book to introduce us to the world of qualitative research.

[C. Todd White]

Very nice, practical overview of planning a research endeavor. This is a little gem I will return to again and again. I was especially impressed with the vast number of pertinent references marshaled and the attention to mixed methods research strategies. Next time I teach methods, this could be a very helpful text, for graduate students especially.

[Kay]

PUBM 540 Policy and Program Research

[Shonell Bacon]

Short book, but the author does a great job in synthesizing information. Actually helped me a lot in thinking about validity and generalizability in qualitative research.

[Allison Severson]

Read for Qualitative Research in preparation for writing my thesis.

[Jaszmina]

Basic book for those starting to design their first qualitative research.

[Shaymaq]

Horrible

[Valeriana]

A must have reference guide for conducting qualitative research. The methods are clear and refined. A great starting point for new researcher.

[Pauline McGonagle]

Chapter 7 really useful and although theoretical and general it can be applied widely. Helping me sort out the practical issues of how to set things out and build a concept framework.

[Mills College Library]

001.42 M4656 2013