Interpreting Qualitative Data: Edition 5

David Silverman

Apr 2015 · SAGE

About this ebook

In this fifth edition of his field-defining text, David Silverman, a true guru of qualitative research, walks the reader through the basics of gathering and analyzing qualitative data. The book offers beginners unrivalled hands-on guidance to help them get the best out of a research methods course or research project.

New to the fifth edition:

• A streamlined structure to aid navigation and guide readers smoothly through the research process.
• A new chapter on generalizing from case-study research which addresses the perennial issue of ‘how many cases do you need?’
• New material on doing qualitative research online and the ethics of internet research.
• Additional sections covering organizational documents and documents of everyday life, including blogs and diaries.
• Many more recent case study examples drawn from a broad range of disciplines including business, education, social work and geography as well as health studies.
• A new and improved companion website, full of additional resources for students and lecturers.

This is the perfect companion for all those new to qualitative research.

About the author

David Silverman is Visiting Professor in the Business School, University of Technology, Sydney, Emeritus Professor in the Sociology Department, Goldsmiths' College and Adjunct Professor in the School of Education, Queensland University of Technology. He has lived in London for most of his life, where he attended Christ's College Finchley and did a BSc (Economics) at the London School of Economics in the 1960s. Afterwards, he went to the USA for graduate work, obtaining an MA in the Sociology Department, University of California, Los Angeles. He returned to LSE to write a PhD on organization theory. This was published as The Theory of Organizations in 1970. Apart from brief spells teaching at UCLA, his main teaching career was at Goldsmiths College. His three major research projects were on decision making in the Personnel Department of the Greater London Council (Organizational Work, written with Jill Jones, 1975), paediatric outpatient clinics (Communication and Medical Practice, 1987) and HIV-test counselling (Discourses of Counselling, 1997). He pioneered a taught MA in Qualitative Research at Goldsmiths in 1985 and supervised around 30 successful PhD students. Since becoming Emeritus Professor in 1999, he has continued publishing methodology books. David regularly runs qualitative research workshops for five universities in Sydney and Brisbane. He has also run workshops for research students in Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, France, Sri Lanka and Tanzania. Since 2000, he has done voluntary work with people with dementia. resident in an old people's home Besides all this, David's other interests include classical music, literary fiction, bridge, county cricket and spending time with his grandchildren.