I strongly recommend Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation for qualitative and general methodology courses and for researchers and practitioners looking for guidance in planning or gaining a better understanding of qualitative research. It is a wonderful text that provides succinct and useful descriptions of fundamental attributes of qualitative research, invaluable examples for planning and conducting research studies, and strategies for disseminating and evaluating research. As qualitative research has gained momentum in academic disciplines and applied fields of practice, the text provides a bedrock publication for adult education scholars and practitioners to help further advance our discipline

Babchuk, Wayne A.

English

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University of Nebraska - Lincoln
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Educational Psychology Papers and Publications Educational Psychology, Department of
10-2016
Review of Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and
Implementation (4th ed.) (2016) by S.B. Merriam &
E.J. Tisdell.
Wayne A. Babchuk
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, wbabchuk1@unl.edu
Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/edpsychpapers
Part of the Child Psychology Commons, Cognitive Psychology Commons, Developmental
Psychology Commons, and the School Psychology Commons
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Educational Psychology, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska -
Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Educational Psychology Papers and Publications by an authorized administrator of
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
Babchuk, Wayne A., "Review of Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation (4th ed.) (2016) by S.B. Merriam & E.J.
Tisdell." (2016). Educational Psychology Papers and Publications. 214.
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/edpsychpapers/214
1Published in Adult Education Quarterly (2016), 2 pp.  
Published October 2, 2016. DOI: 10.1177/0741713616671930  
Copyright © Wayne Babchuk 2016    
Book Review  
 
Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative Research: A Guide to 
Design and Implementation (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 
346 pp. $50.00 (softcover).  
 
Reviewed by: Wayne A. Babchuk, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
 
As an instructor who has assigned the third edition of Qualitative Research: A 
Guide to Design and Implementation (2009) as a core reading for qualitative re-
search methods courses spanning three departments at a RI institution since 
its publication in 2009, I enthusiastically embraced the invitation to review the 
fourth edition (2016) of this text. I have found it to be the most accessible of the 
many qualitative research textbooks for several key reasons that I will expand 
upon below, as I have seamlessly transitioned to the fourth edition for use in my 
courses. I have had success coupling this work with Creswell’s Qualitative Inquiry 
and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches used in tandem as these 
are extremely compatible texts that complement each other and provide a holis-
tic view of qualitative research.  
Sharan Merriam, internationally known for her work in adult education and 
qualitative methods, is joined by Elizabeth Tisdell, a well-known and prolific ed-
ucator in her own right, to sharpen the focus and extend the earlier work in the 
fourth edition. As the title suggests, the text provides a general overview of the 
design and application of qualitative research methods useful for both novice and 
more experienced researchers. It is divided into three parts encompassing 10 chap-
ters and an appendix. Part One, “The Design of Qualitative Research,” consists of 
four chapters focusing on the foundational history, epistemology, and character-
istics of qualitative research, a synthesis of six popular approaches within this tra-
dition as well as emerging approaches gaining traction among qualitative scholars 
and practitioners, and the initial stages of designing the research and selecting a 
sample. Part Two, “Collecting Qualitative Data,” contains three chapters detail-
ing interviews, participant observation, and document analysis. Part Three, “An-
alyzing and Reporting Qualitative Data,” covers data analysis, ways in which va-
lidity and reliability are approached in qualitative research, research ethics, and 
issues surrounding the writing and dissemination of qualitative reports for differ-
ent audiences. The appendix provides a template for graduate students employ-
ing qualitative designs for their thesis or dissertation work.  
Merriam and Tisdell draw upon their diverse experiences conducting qual-
itative research, comprehensive knowledge of the history and development of 
the qualitative paradigm, and their rich experiences mentoring and advising 
digitalcommons.unl.edu
2 W. A. Babchuk in Adult Education Quarterly (2016)
generations of students to provide a hands-on pragmatic approach to learning 
about qualitative research. There are several key strengths of this work that, taken 
together, separate it from other texts on qualitative design and implementation. 
The text is extremely well organized, easy to read, and systematically laid out for 
those new to qualitative research, although more experienced researchers will also 
find it helpful. It provides a succinct but solid background of epistemology, the-
ory, history, and shared characteristics of qualitative research that sets the stage 
for the design and implementation chapters that follow. Although Merriam and 
Tisdell discuss popular approaches often covered in introductory texts including 
phenomenology, ethnography, grounded theory, narrative, and case study, they 
underscore a sixth type they label “Basic Qualitative Design,” which, like the au-
thors, I believe to be the most historically utilized qualitative approach over time 
and across disciplines. Moreover, they augment these fundamental types with 
emerging popular designs including mixed methods, action research, critical re-
search, and arts-based research.  
Chapter 4 on research design is invaluable as it provides readers with clear-
cut suggestions and examples for selecting research topics, writing problem state-
ments, crafting purpose statements and research questions, applying theoretical 
frameworks, reviewing literature, and employing qualitative sampling techniques. 
The chapters on interviewing, participant observation, and document analysis 
are also key in that the authors provide a host of useful explanations, examples, 
diagrams, and so on, that explicate techniques, strategies, and challenges of the 
data collection process. Similarly, another strength of the text lies in the authors’ 
treatment of challenging aspects of the data analysis phases of qualitative re-
search where they clearly delineate this process from the initial planning stages 
through the formation of categories, themes, and theory. Here they discuss the 
use of computer data analysis software and unique challenges presented by the 
types of qualitative designs covered in the text. The chapter on validity and reli-
ability is quite useful, especially the exhibits and tables focusing on trustworthi-
ness, member checking, and strategies for promoting validity and reliability. Stu-
dents identified the Problem Statement Worksheet (p. 83), examples for asking 
good interview questions (pp. 118-124), and the Interview Guide (p. 126) as par-
ticularly helpful.  
I strongly recommend Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implemen-
tation for qualitative and general methodology courses and for researchers and 
practitioners looking for guidance in planning or gaining a better understanding 
of qualitative research. It is a wonderful text that provides succinct and useful de-
scriptions of fundamental attributes of qualitative research, invaluable examples 
for planning and conducting research studies, and strategies for disseminating 
and evaluating research. As qualitative research has gained momentum in aca-
demic disciplines and applied fields of practice, the text provides a bedrock pub-
lication for adult education scholars and practitioners to help further advance 
our discipline.  


Review of \u3ci\u3eQualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation (4th ed.)\u3c/i\u3e (2016) by S.B. Merriam & E.J. Tisdell.

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - LincolnDigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - LincolnEducational Psychology Papers and Publications Educational Psychology, Department of10-2016Review of Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design andImplementation (4th ed.) (2016) by S.B. Merriam &E.J. Tisdell.Wayne A. BabchukUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, wbabchuk1@unl.eduFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/edpsychpapersPart of the Child Psychology Commons, Cognitive Psychology Commons, DevelopmentalPsychology Commons, and the School Psychology CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Educational Psychology, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska -Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Educational Psychology Papers and Publications by an authorized administrator ofDigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.Babchuk, Wayne A., "Review of Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation (4th ed.) (2016) by S.B. Merriam & E.J.Tisdell." (2016). Educational Psychology Papers and Publications. 214.http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/edpsychpapers/2141Published in Adult Education Quarterly (2016), 2 pp.  Published October 2, 2016. DOI: 10.1177/0741713616671930  Copyright © Wayne Babchuk 2016    Book Review   Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 346 pp. $50.00 (softcover).   Reviewed by: Wayne A. Babchuk, University of Nebraska–Lincoln As an instructor who has assigned the third edition of Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation (2009) as a core reading for qualitative re-search methods courses spanning three departments at a RI institution since its publication in 2009, I enthusiastically embraced the invitation to review the fourth edition (2016) of this text. I have found it to be the most accessible of the many qualitative research textbooks for several key reasons that I will expand upon below, as I have seamlessly transitioned to the fourth edition for use in my courses. I have had success coupling this work with Creswell’s Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches used in tandem as these are extremely compatible texts that complement each other and provide a holis-tic view of qualitative research.  Sharan Merriam, internationally known for her work in adult education and qualitative methods, is joined by Elizabeth Tisdell, a well-known and prolific ed-ucator in her own right, to sharpen the focus and extend the earlier work in the fourth edition. As the title suggests, the text provides a general overview of the design and application of qualitative research methods useful for both novice and more experienced researchers. It is divided into three parts encompassing 10 chap-ters and an appendix. Part One, “The Design of Qualitative Research,” consists of four chapters focusing on the foundational history, epistemology, and character-istics of qualitative research, a synthesis of six popular approaches within this tra-dition as well as emerging approaches gaining traction among qualitative scholars and practitioners, and the initial stages of designing the research and selecting a sample. Part Two, “Collecting Qualitative Data,” contains three chapters detail-ing interviews, participant observation, and document analysis. Part Three, “An-alyzing and Reporting Qualitative Data,” covers data analysis, ways in which va-lidity and reliability are approached in qualitative research, research ethics, and issues surrounding the writing and dissemination of qualitative reports for differ-ent audiences. The appendix provides a template for graduate students employ-ing qualitative designs for their thesis or dissertation work.  Merriam and Tisdell draw upon their diverse experiences conducting qual-itative research, comprehensive knowledge of the history and development of the qualitative paradigm, and their rich experiences mentoring and advising digitalcommons.unl.edu2 W. A. Babchuk in Adult Education Quarterly (2016)generations of students to provide a hands-on pragmatic approach to learning about qualitative research. There are several key strengths of this work that, taken together, separate it from other texts on qualitative design and implementation. The text is extremely well organized, easy to read, and systematically laid out for those new to qualitative research, although more experienced researchers will also find it helpful. It provides a succinct but solid background of epistemology, the-ory, history, and shared characteristics of qualitative research that sets the stage for the design and implementation chapters that follow. Although Merriam and Tisdell discuss popular approaches often covered in introductory texts including phenomenology, ethnography, grounded theory, narrative, and case study, they underscore a sixth type they label “Basic Qualitative Design,” which, like the au-thors, I believe to be the most historically utilized qualitative approach over time and across disciplines. Moreover, they augment these fundamental types with emerging popular designs including mixed methods, action research, critical re-search, and arts-based research.  Chapter 4 on research design is invaluable as it provides readers with clear-cut suggestions and examples for selecting research topics, writing problem state-ments, crafting purpose statements and research questions, applying theoretical frameworks, reviewing literature, and employing qualitative sampling techniques. The chapters on interviewing, participant observation, and document analysis are also key in that the authors provide a host of useful explanations, examples, diagrams, and so on, that explicate techniques, strategies, and challenges of the data collection process. Similarly, another strength of the text lies in the authors’ treatment of challenging aspects of the data analysis phases of qualitative re-search where they clearly delineate this process from the initial planning stages through the formation of categories, themes, and theory. Here they discuss the use of computer data analysis software and unique challenges presented by the types of qualitative designs covered in the text. The chapter on validity and reli-ability is quite useful, especially the exhibits and tables focusing on trustworthi-ness, member checking, and strategies for promoting validity and reliability. Stu-dents identified the Problem Statement Worksheet (p. 83), examples for asking good interview questions (pp. 118-124), and the Interview Guide (p. 126) as par-ticularly helpful.  I strongly recommend Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implemen-tation for qualitative and general methodology courses and for researchers and practitioners looking for guidance in planning or gaining a better understanding of qualitative research. It is a wonderful text that provides succinct and useful de-scriptions of fundamental attributes of qualitative research, invaluable examples for planning and conducting research studies, and strategies for disseminating and evaluating research. As qualitative research has gained momentum in aca-demic disciplines and applied fields of practice, the text provides a bedrock pub-lication for adult education scholars and practitioners to help further advance our discipline.  

https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1222&amp;context=edpsychpapers

Review of \u3ci\u3eQualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation (4th ed.)\u3c/i\u3e (2016) by S.B. Merriam & E.J. Tisdell.

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