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

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.

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, Senior Research Professor
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



Book Information
ISBN 9781446298466
Author Jonathan A. Smith
Format Paperback
Page Count 312
Imprint Sage Publications Ltd
Publisher Sage Publications Ltd
Weight(grams) 560g