Successful Qualitative Research
A Practical Guide for Beginners
- Virginia Braun - University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Victoria Clarke - University of the West of England, UK
*Winner of the 2014 Distinguished Publication Award (DPA) from the Association for Women in Psychology (AWP)*
Successful Qualitative Research: A Practical Guide for Beginners is an accessible, practical textbook. It sidesteps detailed theoretical discussion in favor of providing a comprehensive overview of strategic tips and skills for starting and completing successful qualitative research.
Uniquely, the authors provide a "patterns framework" to qualitative data analysis in this book, also known as "thematic analysis." The authors walk students through a basic thematic approach, and compare and contrast this with other approaches. This discussion of commonalities, explaining why and when each method should be used, and in the context of looking at patterns, will provide students with complete confidence for their qualitative research journey.
This textbook will be an essential textbook for undergraduates and postgraduates taking a course in qualitative research or using qualitative approaches in a research project.
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'Like water wings for the qualitative research beginner, Successful Qualitative Research: A Practical Guide for Beginners gracefully supports methodological novices until they learn to swim elegantly, on their own, in qualitative waters… As a teacher, researcher or a student, you will want to thank the gifted methodologists Braun and Clarke for making it all seem so easy'
Michelle Fine
The City University of New York, NY, USA
'This is an admirably useful textbook that provides an uncommonly accessible, practical, and absorbing introduction for beginners to qualitative research'
Eva Magnusson
Umeå University, UMEÅ, Sweden
'A clear, engaging and intelligent qualitative research guide which will greatly appeal to students new to this area. The authors should be commended for their lively style and attention to often hidden processes and practices involved in successful qualitative research'
Brendan Gough
Leeds Metropolitan University
'This book provides an excellent introduction to qualitative research, combining in-depth explanation of the distinctive nature and goals of qualitative research methods with practical tips and helpful examples for beginners'
Lucy Yardley
University of Southampton
'Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke present a clear and comprehensive road map for executing a successful qualitative study. They do so in a very engaging way that really brings the process to life for the reader. This book will be an essential read for anyone contemplating a qualitative research project'
Guy Faulkner
University of Toronto
'This practical guide refreshingly demystifies the qualitative research process, relentlessly pushing an agenda for uncomplicated but high standards across the board and generously enabling anyone, no matter how inexperienced, to get on with it and do it well. It is the kind of guide that not only says how to do it but that actually shows how to do it, with a myriad of real, reproduced examples, extremely useful tables, boxes, chapter summaries, questions for discussion, exercises and lists of resources including references to a companion website with even more guidance and examples.'
An excellent book that clearly outlines the principles of qualitative research. An essential read for undergraduate students interested in qualitative research.
Excellent introductory text, significantly improved in the third edition.
Virginia Braun and Victoria Clark have produced an excellent and informative basic textbook in response to their highly successful and well-cited 2006 article 'Using thematic analysis in psychology'. Many psychology and social science students, along with their tutors and supervisors will be delighted to find such a clear introduction to qualitative research methods. As a 'practical guide for beginners' this provides a simple but systematic description of the process of qualitative research. Starting with basic paradigms and some key theories the book progresses to research design using a range of typical qualitative methods including grounded theory (discussed as a theory and a method). There are clear instructions on how to design and conduct data collection, with examples and descriptions of a range of analysis techniques. Unsurprisingly, given this is written to some extent with psychology students in mind, particular attention is given to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA); there are also clear descriptions and discussion about why and how to apply other analytic approaches such as thematic, Foucauldian discourse, conversation and narrative. At each stage key concepts and terms are succinctly defined. A set of questions are provided at the end of every chapter as prompts for classroom exercises or self-study, together with a list of relevant text and web-based resources. This book will not necessarily appeal to advanced students of qualitative research or for researchers who are well-versed in the methodology and seeking in depth theoretical debate. There is also not much enthusiasm for using computer assisted software for qualitative data analysis (CAQDAS), but Braun and Clark make it clear they have a fairly neutral stance to computer software preferring, with some good reason, the low tech approach. But this textbook is a most welcome addition to other basic texts in qualitative research. I would happily recommend it as a key introductory text for undergraduates as well as postgraduate students at Masters and Doctoral level.
Successful Qualitative Research is an excellent resource for students not yet familiar with the theoretical and practical aspects of qualitative research.
Added to reading list
A fresh introduction to qualitative research. It will of particular use to novice researchers, but more seasoned practitioners will find the worked examples and the comparisons between different methods of great use.
This is an essential and accessible text for any students at undergraduate or masters level adopting qualitative techniques in their projects. I also find it an invaluable reference text- lively and well written.
A worthwhile addition to market. The book is well considered with the 10 fundamentals being a particularly good chapter. The chapter summaries work well and the examples are very helpful. The copious amount of personal information about the authors is interesting but does not necessarily enhance the quality of the book.
