This is a key text for any student embarking on a qualitative research project, it provides worked examples and valuable models which can be used as guides for plans and proposals, answering key questions and providing a comprehensive guide to a student 's project.

It shows that when planning a qualitative research proposal, researchers should adopt an approach where they ask themselves the following four questions:

• What research paradigm informs my approach to my research area?
• What theoretical perspective do I choose within the paradigm?
• What methodology do I choose?
• What methods are most appropriate?

Including examples of the write-up of two central types of research projects: studies on participants perspectives on phenomena and studies on how participants manage or cope with phenomena, the book outlines five research proposals to illustrate ways in which these two central types can be varied and applied when engaging in five other types of studies, namely, policy studies, life history studies, retrospective interactionist longitudinal studies and interactionist historical studies, and problem-focused studies.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements Dedication Preface Tables PART ONE 1 INTRODUCTION 2 THE GENERAL BACKGROUND 3 POSING THE QUESTIONS 4 WHAT IS THEORY AND WHAT IS ITS VALUE? 5 AN EXAMPLE OF A 'PERSPECTIVES' STUDY 6 AN EXAMPLE OF A STUDY ON HOW PARTICIPANTS 'DEAL WITH' A PARTICULAR PHENOMENON PART TWO 7 POLICY STUDIES AND THE INTERPRETIVIST PARADIGM 8 LIFE HISTORY STUDIES 9 RETROSPECTIVE INTERACTIONAL LONGTITUDINAL STUDIES 10 INTERACTIONIST HISTORICAL STUDIES 11 THE INTERPRETIVIST PARADIGM AND RESEARCH BASED ON 'PROBLEM-FOCUSED' IDEAS References Index

About the Author

University of Western Australia