This book will help you:
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Understand the importance of talking to others, including listening to
feedback from others while conducting research
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Recognize that there is not only one right way to sculpt your study
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Learn how to plan the early stages of a project such as designing the
study and choosing whom to study
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See how to navigate the IRB and how to perform practical matters while
collecting data
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Learn how to plan before an interview and how to construct an
interview guide
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Read real-life interviews with notes showing what probes work well and
which are less successful
A down-to-earth, practical guide for interview and participant
observation and analysis.
In-depth interviews and close observation are essential to the work of
social scientists, but inserting one's researcher-self into the lives of
others can be daunting, especially early on. Esteemed sociologist
Annette Lareau is here to help. Lareau's clear, insightful, and personal
guide is not your average methods text. It promises to reduce researcher
anxiety while illuminating the best methods for first-rate research
practice.
As the title of this book suggests, Lareau considers listening to be
the core element of interviewing and observation. A researcher must
listen to people as she collects data, listen to feedback as she
describes what she is learning, listen to the findings of others as they
delve into the existing literature on topics, and listen to herself in
order to sift and prioritize some aspects of the study over others. By
listening in these different ways, researchers will discover
connections, reconsider assumptions, catch mistakes, develop and assess
new ideas, weigh priorities, ponder new directions, and undertake
numerous adjustments--all of which will make their contributions clearer
and more valuable.
Accessibly written and full of practical, easy-to-follow guidance, this
book will help both novice and experienced researchers to do their very
best work. Qualitative research is an inherently uncertain project, but
with Lareau's help, you can alleviate anxiety and focus on success.
