Sharlene Nagy Hesse-Biber (PhD, University of Michigan) is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Women's Studies & Gender Studies Program at Boston College in Massachusetts. She has published widely on the impact of sociocultural factors on women's body image, including her book Am I Thin Enough Yet? The Cult of Thinness and the Commercialization of Identity, which was selected as one of Choice Magazine's best academic books for 1996. She has also written widely on methodological and methods issues, including the role of technology and emergent methods in social research. Dr. Hesse-Biber is co-editor of Emergent Methods in Social Research and the Handbook of Emergent Methods, as well as co-author of The Practice of Qualitative Research. She is also editor of the Handbook of Feminist Research: Theory and Praxis, which was selected as one of the Critics' Choice Award winners by the American Education Studies Association and was also chosen as one of Choice Magazine's Outstanding Academic titles for 2007. Dr. Hesse-Biber is co-developer of the software program HyperRESEARCH, a computer-assisted program for analyzing qualitative data, and the new transcription tool HyperTRANSCRIBE. For more information, see [...]

Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Part I: Taking a Qualitative Approach to Research
Chapter 1: An Invitation to Qualitative Research
What's Wrong With This Picture?
What Is Qualitative Research?
A Holistic Approach to Research
What to Learn From This Book
Glossary
Discussion Questions
Resources
Chapter 2: Paradigmatic Approaches to Qualitative Research
What Are the Major Paradigmatic Approaches to Qualitative Research?
Positivism
The Interpretive Strand
The Critical Strand
Conclusion
Glossary
Discussion Questions
Resources
Chapter 3: Designing Qualitative Approaches to Research
How Do We Know What We Know?
What Is a Qualitative Approach to Research? Qualitative Research Inquiry: A Dynamic Dance
Conclusion
Glossary
Discussion Questions
Resources
Chapter 4: The Ethics of Social Research
Why Is Ethical Practice Important?
A Short History of Ethics in Research
How Are Research Participants Protected Today?
Beyond Informed Consent: What Are the Ethical Dilemmas in Social Research?
How Can I Observe Ethical Values in My Research Practice?
Do New Technologies Impact the Practice of Ethical Research?
Conclusion
Glossary
Discussion Questions
Resources
Part II. Qualitative Research Practice
Chapter 5: In-Depth Interviewing
What Is an In-Depth Interview?
How Do You Design and Conduct an In-Depth Interview Study?
How Do You Conduct an In-Depth Interview
How Do You Analyze and Interpret Interviews?
Conclusion
Glossary
Discussion Questions
Resources
Chapter 6: Focus Group Research
What Are Focus Group Interviews?
Online Focus Groups
Ethics and Focus Group Research
Conclusion
Glossary
Discussion Questions
Resources
Chapter 7: Ethnography
What Is Ethnography?
Using an Ethnographic Approach: When Is It Appropriate?
Virtual Ethnographic Methods
How Do You Gather and Manage Your Ethnographic Data?
Conclusion
Glossary
Discussion Questions
Resources
Chapter 8: Case Study
What Is a Case Study?
Reasons for Adopting a Case Study Approach
Why Conduct Case Study Research?
Case Study Examples
Conclusion
Glossary
Discussion Questions
Resources
Chapter 9: Researching Mass Media: Images and Texts by Heather McIntosh and Lisa Cuklantz
What Is Content Analysis?
Strengths and Weaknesses of Quantitative and Qualitative Content Analysis
Qualitative Content Analysis of Online Texts
How Is the Research Database for Content Analysis Defined and Delimited?
Making a Theoretical Contribution
Conclusion
Glossary
Discussion Questions
Resources
Appendix: Formal Analysis in Film and Television
Chapter 10: Mixed Methods Research
What Is Mixed Methods Research?
What Is a Mixed Methods Research Design?
What Is a Qualitatively Driven Approach to Mixed Methods Research Inquiry?
Why Do Qualitative Researchers Use Mixed Methods?
What to Consider When Conducting a Mixed Methods Research Project
Conclusion
Glossary
Discussion Questions
Resources
Part III: Tying the Strands Together
Chapter 11: Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data
What Is Qualitative Data Analysis?
What Is Coding?
A Grounded Theory Approach to Coding
How Do You Code Data?
Software for Qualitative Data Analysis
How Can I Use a Software Program to Analyze My Qualitative Data?
Conclusion
Glossary
Discussion Questions
Resources
Chapter 12: Writing and Representation of Qualitative Research Projects
Who Is Your Audience?
Getting It Done: Writing Up Your Qualitative Research Project
Editing and Revising Your Research Paper
How Do I Represent the Voices of My Respondents?
Conclusion
Glossary
Discussion Questions
Resources
Conclusion: Future Directions of Qualitative Research Inquiry
The Future of Qualitative Research: Coming at Things Differently
What¿s New in Qualitative Research Practice?
Emergent Methods: New Approaches to Old Methods
Impact of Online Research on the Process of Qualitative Inquiry
Staying Centered and Building Ethical Knowledge
Glossary
Discussion Questions
Resources
References
Index