Francis Karen - Qualitative research in the health sciences: methodologies, methods, and processes

Qualitative Research in the Health Sciences

There is a growing interest in, and acceptance of, qualitative research approaches in the health science disciplines, both as stand-alone methodologies and integrated with quantitative designs in mixed methods approaches. This comprehensive text provides deeper knowledge and application of a wide range of methodologies, methods and processes, enabling readers to develop their qualitative research skills.

Divided into two parts, focusing first on methodologies and then on methods and processes, the text also includes revision of essential aspects of quantitative research as they apply to mixed methods research and a discussion of the uptake of qualitative research in the health sciences.

The methodologies covered include: grounded theory; historical research; ethnography; phenomenology; narrative inquiry; case study research; critical ethnography; action research and mixed methods.

The methods and processes covered include: interviewing and analysis; group work and analysis; narrative analysis; discourse analysis.

Using accessible language to help extend readers practical research skills, this is a thorough and reliable text to guide advanced students and researchers from all health-related disciplines including nursing, midwifery, public health and physiotherapy to the best use of qualitative research.

Bev Taylor is Professor of Nursing in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Monash University, Australia.

Karen Francis is Professor and Head of the School of Nursing, Midwifery & Indigenous Health, Charles Sturt University, Australia.

Qualitative Research in the Health Sciences

Methodologies, methods and processes

Bev Taylor and Karen Francis

First published 2013

by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada

by Routledge

711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

2013 Bev Taylor and Karen Francis

The right of Bev Taylor and Karen Francis to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Taylor, Beverley J. (Beverley Joan), 1951 author.

Qualitative research in the health sciences : methodologies, methods, and processes / Beverley Taylor and Karen Francis.

p. ; cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

I. Francis, Karen, 1959 author. II. Title.

[DNLM: 1. Biomedical Research--methods. 2. Qualitative Research. W 20.5]

ISBN13: 978-0-415-68260-2 (hbk)

ISBN13: 978-0-415-68261-9 (pbk)

ISBN13: 978-0-203-77717-6 (ebk)

This book is dedicated by Bev Taylor to Carmen Zammit and Estelle Myers, two previous PhD students, now deceased, who lived life to the fullest and researched their lived experiences.

The book is dedicated by Karen Francis to her husband Peter and her family for their ongoing support. She is indebted to the staff with whom she works for their support, in particular, her assistant Juliearnah Kaandorp. The people in the background enable us to achieve our goals.

List of figures and tables

Figures

Tables

Bev Taylor and Karen Francis welcome readers to this book. Bev Taylor is an expert in qualitative research and reflective practice, who has published 11 research books. Karen Francis is recognized nationally and internationally for her contribution to the development of the discipline of rural nursing. Her highly successful research and publication agendas have focused on exploring the realities of nursing in rural environments, health workforce, preparation for practice, emergent contexts of practice, and rural populations health issues.

This book covers a comprehensive range of qualitative research methodologies, methods and processes for health science teachers, clinicians and researchers, who have moved beyond basic research preparation to postgraduate levels. Therefore, the book has been written in a scholarly way to extend readers knowledge, but it will also use accessible, practical language to extend readers practical research skills.

The need for this book arose from a growing interest and acceptance in the health science disciplines of qualitative research approaches, as stand alone methodologies and/or integrated with quantitative designs in mixed methods approaches. The needs were sufficiently important to support a new book, because many existing research books are discipline-specific (i.e., written only for nurses or social workers), they are written for beginning researchers, they concentrate on a method, e.g., interviewing, focus groups, and/or they offer too little qualitative research information, and feature too much quantitative research. Therefore, this book responds to the need for an advanced, comprehensive research text with predominantly qualitative content, because of postgraduate teachers, clinicians and researchers needs for one book, which will provide deeper knowledge and application of qualitative methodologies, and congruent methods and processes.

The original impulse for writing the book came from a qualitative research module for the health sciences, written by Professor Desley Hegney, and taught by Professor Taylor for the first time in Semester One, 2010, at the National University of Singapore. The postgraduate students in this module enjoyed the content to such an extent, and texts that covered a broad range of content in a single book were so difficult to locate, that it became evident that a comprehensive research text was needed as soon as possible, giving a full, advanced level explication of the main qualitative research methodologies, methods and processes.

This book provides:

• A comprehensive collection of fully described qualitative research methodologies, methods and processes;

• High level theoretical content of the philosophies subsumed within the methodologies;

• Easy to follow practical advice for using research methods and processes congruent with the theoretical assumptions of the methodologies;

• A review of the main aspects of the process for developing a research project;

• A review of essential quantitative research designs to integrate with qualitative research in mixed methods approaches; and

• A full description of the uptake of qualitative research in the health sciences, in relation to evidence-based practice, practice development and research translation.

We hope you enjoy reading this book and that it becomes a practical resource for assisting you in undertaking high quality research using qualitative research methodologies, methods and processes.