How to Study Social Life.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hitchings, Russell

Contributor:

Latham, Alan

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (249 p.)

Place of Publication:

London, England SAGE Publications 2024

Summary:

This is a proposal for a new textbook on social research that enables students to both think about, and use, qualitative techniques in their own projects. It covers the whole research process (albeit challenging the idea of research as linear - instead viewing it as iterative and interactive) and offers a fresh perspective on teaching qualitative methods. The book looks at the 'actions' involved in social research, discussing what they tell us, why we do them and how to experiment/be creative with them. Rather than dictating a particular research plan to follow, it equips students with the tools they need to choose the most appropriate techniques and approaches for achieving the aims of their research projects. The book baLances practicality with thinking about methods. It provides a candid account of (and embraces) the messiness of research, while also challenging students to think about the impact of their decisions on how research unfolds and critically engage with how knowledge is constructed. The authors are both experienced qualitative researchers and teachers - they understand the dilemmas and difficulties faced by students designing and undertaking their own projects and are keen to make this a lively, engaging text full of real-world examples. They are both based in Geography but the content is relevant across the social science market; its multidisciplinary appeal is a core strength of the book. The authors have taken this feedback on board and are committed to including a range of interdisciplinary and international examples, ensuring there is a greater diversity of examples than the proposal suggests. They will ensure content on ethics is explicit and practical. To ensure the content is relevant for today's students, online research methods content will be embedded into the descriptions of existing 'actions', rather than forming a standalone chapter. The qualitative methods market is crowded but this book's focus on thinking and curiosity and the fresh, candid approach to describing methods (reframing them as actions rather than discrete strategies) sets it apart. We will update our differentiation tools to include the project.

Notes:

Description based on XML content.

ISBN:

1-03-623344-8

9781036233440

OCLC:

1545536070