Qualitative Psychology: A Practical Guide to Research Methods / Edition 2

by Jonathan A Smith

Overview

Undertaking qualitative research in psychology can seem like a daunting and complex process, especially when it comes to selecting the most appropriate approach for your project or assignment. This book, written and edited by a world-leading group of academics and researchers, offers an accessible, critical and practical way into qualitative research in psychology. Each chapter provides a detailed, step-by-step guide to using a qualitative research method – from Conversation Analysis or Focus Groups to Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis or Narrative Psychology. Whatever approach you choose to take, this book will ensure you get it right from the start.

New to this Third Edition:

• A chapter on Thematic Analysis
• A section on how to choose and select the most appropriate method for your project

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781412930840
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	01/17/2008
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.60(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Jonathan A. Smith is Professor of Psychology at Birkbeck University of London, UK where he leads the interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) research group. He has written many articles applying IPA to a range of areas in health, clinical and social psychology. He is co- author (with Paul Flowers and Michael Larkin) of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, Method and Research (Sage, 2009). He also has a wider interest in qualitative psychology generally and has co-edited a number of books in the area.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction - Jonathan A. Smith
2. Conceptual foundations of qualitative psychology - Peter Ashworth
3. Interpretative phenomenological analysis - Jonathan A. Smith and Mike Osborn
4. Grounded theory - Kathy Charmaz
5. Narrative psychology - Michael Murray
6. Conversation analysis - Paul Drew
7. Discourse analysis - Carla Willig
8. Cooperative inquiry: an action research practice - Sarah Riley and Peter Reason
9. Focus groups - Sue Wilkinson
10. Thematic analysis - Victoria Clark, Virginia Braun, Nikki Hayfield
11. Choosing your approach - Michael Larkin
12. Demonstrating validity in qualitative psychology - Lucy Yardley

Editorial Reviews

What a delight to have the 3rd edition of this important book! Jonathan Smith makes available the wisdom of the most savvy scholars in the field, and they in turn, succeed in communicating with clarity and coherence. This is a vital contribution to the classroom, and to the future of qualitative inquiry in psychology.

Kenneth J. Gergen

As psychological science matures as a discipline, and as its focus and scope extends to address new issues and challenges for understanding human behaviour, the need for reliable and robust research methodologies increases. This third edition of Jonathan Smith’s book ensures that the full range of qualitative methods are readily accessible to all researchers. The great strength of this edition lies, as it did in previous editions, in the systematic and accessible approach to the different methods. That means that researchers in psychology and related disciplines, from novices to experienced academics, can quickly understand and deploy approaches that are appropriate to answer specific research questions. Each chapter clearly outlines the essential information on theory and application. Moreover the addition of a chapter on choosing between different methods adds to the ease with which the reader can steer towards the right choice of method. No other qualitative methods text achieves this balance between theory and application while managing to maintain an impartial perspective on contrasting approaches. This is, above all, a useful book. It should be on every researcher’s shelf!

Professor Patrick J Leman