Exploratory Research in the Social Sciences examines the under-discussed process of exploration as a methodological process, providing a complete reference for carrying out this type of research. Robert Stebbins asserts the importance of exploration in the social sciences, then walks the reader through the process of exploratory research in an easy-to-read style. He: defines exploration, distinguishing it from serendipity; observes that exploration is not synonymous with qualitative research; examines the process of exploration and, more briefly concatenation; discusses the limitations of...

In this eloquently written volume Michael Agar expands the premise set forth in his very popular work The Professional Stranger. Speaking of Ethnography challenges the assumption that conventional scientific procedures are appropriate for the study of human affairs. Agar's work is informed by a hermeneutic and phenomenological tradition, in which he questions the researcher's own taken-for-granted procedures.

In the light of recent theoretical and methodological advances Linking Data describes the ways in which substantive problems and research issues can be tackled effectively through the inter-relationship of quantitative and qualitative data. They also include a discussion of multi-method research which is critical of the naive assumption that using several different methods necessarily ensures the validity of research findings.

There are a range of possible roles that can be played by ethnographers in field research, from the detached observer to the the fully-fledged participant. The choice of role will affect the type of information available to the researcher and the kind of ethnography written. The authors discuss the problems and advantages at each level of involvement and give examples of modern ethnographic studies.

Ethnographic fieldwork and formal linguistic analysis have traditionally been thought to be diametrically opposed. In this provocative analysis Peter Manning argues that these methods of qualitative research are complementary. After examining the potential benefits and limitations of each method of analysis, the author shows how a synthesis of the two is more powerful than either alone.

Unlike other types of qualitative research, the clinical perspective in field research does not aim to be impartial and uninvolved. The clinician is usually a consultant brought in specifically to effect change in an organization, and therefore works under a very different set of technical and ethical restraints. Edgar Schein succinctly outlines the clinical perspective in field research, how it differs from other types of qualitative research and its inherent rewards and difficulties.

This volume discusses ethnostatistics - the interpretative study of the construction and use of statistics in social research - and will be of equal interest to qualitative and quantitative researchers across the social sciences. On the understanding that the development of a statistic is inherently a qualitative act, the author shows how this act can be studied and analyzed. The interpretative factors in statistical work can be demonstrated at a variety of levels; Gephart shows how each can be usefully illuminated through the use of ethnostatistics to produce more effective, reflexive social...

The message of this concise volume is that data collection in the field can be carried out in a structured, systematic and scientific way. This volume compels field researchers to take very seriously not only what they hear, but what they ask. Ethnographers have often discovered too late that the value of their interview information is discounted as a consequence of poor sampling (of both questions and informants) and poor elicitation techniques. Firstly the authors focus on the importance of establishing the right questions to ask through the use of free listing techniques, then they...

Microcomputer Applications in Qualitative Research critically surveys the many ways microcomputers and programmes can be used to further qualitative social research. The author focuses on the liabilities and benefits of using this technology for research purposes and provides a generic, conceptual approach rather than a how-to guide to specific computers and programmes. Underlying every chapter is the conviction that microcomputer technology can only be useful in qualitative studies if its limitations, including its potentially negative or constraining impact, are kept in mind. The impact of...