Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"Willis catches the student up on relevant aspects of philosophy, empiricism, history, and prevailing political influences. This building of chronology is so valuable for students in understanding the origins of specific schools of thought in relations to a paradigm."-- Heather T. Zeng, NACADAFoundations of Qualitative Research introduces key theoretical and epistemological concepts replete with historical and current real-world examples. Author Jerry W. Willis provides an invaluable resource to guide the critical and qualitative inquiry process written in an accessible and non-intimidating style that brings these otherwise difficult concepts to life. Key Features: Covers the conceptual foundations of interpretive, critical, and post-positivist paradigms: A thorough background of theory and social inquiry is given by looking at the development of each paradigm throughout history. Provides real-world examples: Cases illustrate different approaches to the same research problem so that students can better understand the contrasting features of these paradigms. Introduces seven qualitative research frameworks: In-depth coverage is provided on Altheide and Johnson′s Analytic Realism; Denzin and Lincoln′s Interpretive Perspective; Eisner′s Connoisseurship Model of Inquiry; Semiotics; the Phenomenological Psychological Model; Poststructuralism and Postmodernism; and Symbolic Interactionism. Offers general guidelines for qualitative research: Conceptually covers the best practices, approaches to data analysis, and interpretation of qualitative research. Examines emergent methods in qualitative research: New research areas such as PAR, emancipatory research, and participatory design research are included, as well as exemplary journal articles to further illustrate how theory links to research practice. Intended Audience: This text is designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate students taking their first or second qualitative research methods course in the fields of Education, Psychology, and the Health and Social Sciences. It is also an excellent theory companion supplement to the more applied qualitative methods text.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Chapter 1 World Views, Paradigms, and the Practice of Social Science Research
• Case 1 Quantitative Research
• Case 2 Qualitative Research
• Thinking about the Foundations and Practice of Research
• What This Book Is and Is Not About.
• What Warrants Our Attention?
• The Traditional Canon
• Alternative Paradigms
• New Techniques or New Paradigms?
• Chapter 2 History and Context of Paradigm Development
• Positivism: A Response to Metaphysical and Magical Explanations
• Critical Theory: A Response to Inequities in Society
• Interpretivism: A Response to the Excesses of "Scientific" Social Science
• The Special Cases of Postmodernism and Feminism
• Chapter 3 Foundational Issues: Postpositivist and Critical Perspectives
• Social Science Research: The View from the Postpositivist Paradigm
• Social Science Research: The View from the Critical Theory Paradigm
• Chapter 4 History and Foundations of Interpretivist Research
• 1 Nature of Reality.
• 2 Purpose of Research.
• 3 Acceptable Methodology/Data.
• 4 The Meaning of Data
• 5 Relationship of Research to Practice.
• The Implications of an Interpretivist Approach
• What Sorts of Research are Worthwhile?
• Examples of Interpretive Research
• Chapter 5 Frameworks for Qualitative Research
• Postpositivist Research
• "Moments" of Qualitative Research
• Some General Frameworks for Qualitative Research
• Chapter 6 General Guidelines for Qualitative Research
• Guidelines for Qualitative Research
• Situated or Contextual Understanding, Not Truth, is the Purpose of Research
• Accept Multiple Sources of Influence
• Take A Foundational Rather Than Technique Perspective
• Practice Recursive (Iterative ) and Emergent Data Collection and Analysis
• Use Multiple Sources of Data
• Think of Research as a Reflective Process
• The Researcher is the Primary Tool for Data Collection and Analysis
• An Emphasis on Participatory versus Nonparticipatory Research.
• Adopt an Open Approach
• Deal With Bias Directly
• Select Natural Contexts for Research
• Research Should be Holistic, Not Atomistic
• Research Involves More Than Induction and Deduction: Analogical Reasoning, Abduction, and Family Resemblances
• Alternatives to Postpositivist Criteria for Believability: Validity and Reliability
• Alternative Approaches to Validity and Reliability: Triangulation and More
• Conclusions? Aren't They Generalizations?
• Chapter 7 Methods of Qualitative Research
• Case 1 Action Research on a Pediatric Surgical Ward
• Established Qualitative Research Methods
• Ethnography
• Case Studies: Another Form of Qualitative Observation
• Interview Research
• Historigraphy
• Historiography: The Research Methods of History Innovative Methods
• Participatory Qualitative Research
• Emancipatory Research
• Critical Emancipatory Action Research
• Chapter 8 Approaches to Data Analysis and Intepretation
• The Purpose of Research
• General Theory
• Objective Description
• Hermeneutic (Verstehen) Understanding
• Story telling/Narrative
• Data Analysis Families
• Eyeballing the Data
• Connoisseurship: A Global Perspective
• Hermeneutics as a Data Analysis Method
• Grounded Theory
• Analytic Induction
• A Final Topic: The Ethics of Research
• Chapter 9 21st Century Social Science: Peering into the Future
• Will the Cacophony Continue?
• Why Can't Social Science Converge on The Answer?
• Competition
• Linearity
• Dialog as an Alternative to Competition
• Three Approaches to Knowing in Greek Thought
• Plato
• Aristotle
• The Humanities
• Choices 20th Century Social Science Made
• Suppose We Chose Badly
• Two Theories That May Help Us Build 21st Century Social Science
• Poetic Logic
• Chaos and Complexity Theory: Another Route to a Nonlinea Social Science

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Jerry W. Willis (PhD, University of Alabama, Clinical Psychology) is Associate Dean for Research in the College of Education at Louisiana State University. Prior to joining LSU, he was Professor of Curriculum and Instruction Technology in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Chief Scientist in the Center for Technology in Learning and Teaching at Iowa State University. Dr. Willis has been teaching qualitative research for many years, and has written numerous articles and book chapters on qualitative methods. He has written more than 50 books, conference proceedings and software tutorials, the majority of these works related to teacher education, technology, and higher education. He is also the Editor for the International Journal of Innovation in Higher Education, the Founding Editor of the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, and the Founder of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, which will host its 17th annual conference this year.