An Introduction to Qualitative Research Synthesis: Managing the Information Explosion in Social Science Research

ISBN-13: 9780415562850 / Angielski / Twarda / 2010 / 190 str.

Claire Howell Major;Maggi Savin-Baden

Opis

Providing a comprehensive guide for understanding, interpreting and synthesizing qualitative studies, An Introduction to Qualitative Research Synthesis shows how data can be collated together effectively to summarise existing bodies of knowledge and to create a more complete picture of findings across different studies The authors describe qualitative research synthesis and argue for its use, describing the process of data analysis, synthesis and interpretation and provide specific details and examples of how the approach works in practice. This accessible book:

• fully explains the qualitative research synthesis approach;
• provides advice and examples of findings;
• describes the process of establishing credibility in the research process;
• provides annotated examples of the work in process;
• references published examples of the approach across a wide variety of fields.

Helping researchers to understand, make meaning and synthesize a wide variety of datasets, this book is broad in scope yet practical in approach. It will be beneficial to those working in social science disciplines, including researchers, teachers, students and policy makers, especially those interested in methods of synthesis such as meta-ethnography, qualitative meta-analysis, qualitative meta-synthesis, interpretive synthesis, narrative synthesis, and qualitative systematic review.

Qualitative research synthesis can provide a comprehensive glimpse of what individual qualitative studies show. They add to knowledge by allowing data to be aggregated to form a more complete picture of findings across studies. Qualitative research synthesis thus allows researchers to summarize an existing body of knowledge and to make meaning of it.

Managing the Information Explosion in Social Science Research describes and argues for qualitative research synthesis. The authors describe the process of data analysis, synthesis and interpretation that users may follow and adapt, providing specific details and examples of how the approach works in practice.

This accessible book:

• acquaints readers with the qualitative research synthesis approach;
• provides advice and examples of presenting findings;
• describes the process of establishing credibility of the research process;
• provides examples of the work in process;
• references published examples of the approach across a variety of fields.

Managing the Information Explosion in Social Science Research is broad in scope yet practical in approach, and will be beneficial to several different audiences working in most social science disciplines, including researchers, teachers, students and policy makers.

Spis treści

@contents: Selected Contents: Introduction  Part 1: Arguing for qualitative research synthesis  1. Making the case for qualitative research synthesis  2. Comparing qualitative research synthesis with other approaches  Part 2: Doing qualitative research synthesis  3. Designing the synthesis  4. Analyzing, synthesizing and interpreting studies  5. Establishing plausibility in qualitative research synthesis  6. Presenting the synthesis  Conclusion  Part 3: Resources  Examples of studies using qualitative research synthesis  Sample article, Annotated  Qualitative research synthesis bibliography, texts and studies  End matter  Works Cited  Index  Glossary