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Qualitative Communication Research Methods
Fourth Edition
January 2018 | 520 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
“This is the best qualitative methods book I’ve seen, especially among books aimed at undergraduate audiences.”
—Michael Irvin Arrington, Indiana State University
Qualitative Communication Research Methods, Fourth Edition introduces readers to qualitative research in speech and mass communication. Award-winning scholars and authors Thomas R. Lindlof and Bryan C. Taylor guide readers through every step of the qualitative process, from developing research topics and questions through writing a final report. Readers are given numerous examples of work in the field to illustrate how studies are designed, carried out, written, evaluated, and related to theory. In addition to covering the theories and methods currently used in qualitative communication research, the authors also discuss important trends influencing the future of that research, helping readers make informed judgments about the significance and consequences of recent trends.
New to the Fourth Edition:
—Michael Irvin Arrington, Indiana State University
Qualitative Communication Research Methods, Fourth Edition introduces readers to qualitative research in speech and mass communication. Award-winning scholars and authors Thomas R. Lindlof and Bryan C. Taylor guide readers through every step of the qualitative process, from developing research topics and questions through writing a final report. Readers are given numerous examples of work in the field to illustrate how studies are designed, carried out, written, evaluated, and related to theory. In addition to covering the theories and methods currently used in qualitative communication research, the authors also discuss important trends influencing the future of that research, helping readers make informed judgments about the significance and consequences of recent trends.
New to the Fourth Edition:
- A new chapter titled “The Diversity of Qualitative Research in Communication Subfields” provides readers with a complete guide to the field’s distinctive subfields and enables readers to identify the research agenda that best represents their own interests. Two rising subfields – Political Communication and Communication Activism – were added, resulting in thirteen subfields covered.
- Two major phases of data analysis have been split into separate chapters, enabling readers to concentrate on the initial steps of analysis before moving on to the interpretation phase of analysis.
- Discussions of important intellectual and institutional trends currently reshaping the landscape of qualitative research, including Materialist Theory, Big Data, and Open-Access publishing, provide readers with cutting-edge knowledge and skills that affect what they study and how they study it.
- An analysis of new developments in media and technology shows readers how social media networks and other digital platforms are not only topics of research, but also the means for collecting and analyzing data.
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Chapter 1. Introduction to Qualitative Communication Research
Chapter 2. The Diversity of Qualitative Research in Communication Subfields
Chapter 3. Theoretical Traditions and Qualitative Communication Research
Chapter 4. Design I: Planning Research Projects
Chapter 5. Design II: Implementing Research Projects
Chapter 6. Producing Data I: Participation, Observation, and Recording Communication
Chapter 7. Producing Data II: Qualitative Interviewing
Chapter 8. Producing Data III: Studying Materiality
Chapter 9. Sensemaking I: Analyzing, Coding, and Managing Data
Chapter 10. Sensemaking II: Creating, Evaluating, and Enhancing Interpretations of Data
Chapter 11. Writing, Authoring, and Publishing
Epilogue
References
Author Index
Subject Index
“This is the best qualitative methods book I’ve seen, especially among books aimed at undergraduate audiences.”
Indiana State University
“The book is exceptionally well written and easy to read even for students who know nothing about research methods.”
Leeds Business School, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK
“The engaging and accessible (generally) nature of writing is excellent and provides good inspiration and a good foundation to build on in terms of introductions to key steps and dimensions in qualitative research. The referencing of examples from ‘real’ research is attractive to lecturers and students alike and makes the introduction to qualitative research come alive.”
University of Leicester, UK
“An insightful and thoroughly researched book that will be extremely helpful for students aiming to engage with qualitative research at a deeper level.”
University of Hertfordshire
