Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods

Michael Quinn Patton

SAGE, 2002 - Psychology - 598 pages

This book contains hundreds of examples and stories illuminating all aspects of qualitative inquiry. Patton has created the most comprehensive, systematic review of qualitative methods available.

Key Features

• Explores, compares and contrasts 16 different theoretical and philosophical approaches to qualitative inquiry
• Offers strategies for enhancing quality and credibility of qualitative findings Unravels the complexities of mixed methods and triangulation
• Explains the issues and approaches to fieldwork as well as providing detailed analytical guidelines

Praise for the Edition

"On dissertation proposals on which I have served, Patton is by far the most cited qualitative research text."
--Ian Baptiste, Penn State University

"I am dazzled by the extent of the material that this book describes and clarifies. Patton has shifted the focus of the text to qualitative inquiry in general, which includes qualitative evaluation. New examples from his own work and that of others serve to clarify and deepen understanding of qualitative research topics and processes. New discussion of many current issues and debates in qualitative scholarship (autoethnography, ethical issues of informed consent and confidentiality, focus group/group interviews, computer-assisted analysis, the complexity of creating criteria for judging the quality of qualitative research, etc.) will bring readers up-to-date with the variety in perspectives about (and the variety within) qualitative inquiry. Most of the chapters in the book have been substantially reorganized in ways that augment the reader′s understanding. When anyone asks me about conducting qualitative inquiry, I will say: ′Get Patton′s book′."
--Corrine Glesne, author of Becoming Qualitative Researchers

"Clearly, this is a vastly improved, much more comprehensive, cogently systematic, and timely review-a tour de force, one might say-of the field of qualitative research, in terms of the theoretical, conceptual, methodological, and normative dimensions/foundations of qualitative research. This is one of the strengths of the volume. It seeks to bring together theory and practice/methods without overburdening one or the other--this is as rare as it is commendable, not to mention extremely useful, not only for the professional researcher, but for the "non-professional" as well."
--Lester Edwin J. Ruiz, New York Theological Seminar

Contents

• The Nature of Qualitative Inquiry: 3
• 5 Internet Email Discussion Groups listservs: 29
• Strategic Themes in Qualitative Inquiry: 37
• Emergent Design Flexibility: 43
• Analysis Strategies for Qualitative Inquiry: 55
• Triangulated Inquiry: 66
• Theoretical Orientations: 75
• Theoretical Traditions and Orientations: 81
• 4 Constructivism Versus Constructionism: 97
• Phenomenology: 104
• Ethnomethodology: 110
• Ecological Psychology: 118
• Grounded Theory: 124
• Different Answers to Core Questions: 131
• The Apple of Your Eye: 137
• Particularly Appropriate Qualitative Applications: 143
• 1 Comparing Program Evaluation and Quality Assurance: 149
• 3 Types of Teacher Centers: 166
• Interactive and Participatory Applications: 175
• Appreciative Inquiry: 181
• Policy Analysis: 200
• Qualitative Designs and Data Collection: 207
• A Typology: 213
• ActionOriented ProblemSolving Research: 221
• 3 A Typology of Research Purposes: 224
• Purposeful Sampling: 230
• InformationRich Cases: 242
• Fieldwork Strategies and Observation Methods: 259
• 1 Dimensions Showing Fieldwork Variations: 277
• The Human Social Environment: 283
• Nonverbal Communication: 290
• Nested and Layered Case Studies During Fieldwork: 297
• 5 Fieldnotes Comparisons: 304
• Stages of Fieldwork: 310
• 6 Summary Guidelines for Fieldwork: 331
• Qualitative Interviewing: 339
• 3 A Matrix of Question Options: 352
• Wording Questions: 353
• Rapport and Neutrality: 365
• Process Feedback During the Interview: 374
• Mechanics of Gathering Interview Data: 380
• CrossCultural Interviewing: 391
• Analysis Interpretation and Reporting: 429
• Organizing the Data: 440
• Layers of Possible Analysis: 448
• Pattern Theme and Content Analysis: 452
• 6 Qualitative Analysis of Ancestry at the U S Census: 461
• Determining Substantive Significance: 467
• TheoryBased Analysis Approaches: 481
• Special Analytical Issues and Frameworks: 494
• 12 Distinguishing Observations From Perceived Impacts: 509
• Who Am I?: 537
• Enhancing the Quality and Credibility of Qualitative Analysis: 541
• 1 Alternative Sets of Criteria for Judging the Quality: 544
• Credibility: 552
• The Credibility of the Researcher: 566
• Increased Legitimacy: 584
• References: R-1
• Author Index 11: R-37

About the author

Michael Quinn Patton is author of more than a dozen books on evaluation including Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods,4th ed (2015), Blue Marble Evaluation (2020), Principles-Focused Evaluation(2018), Facilitating Evaluation(2018) and Developmental Evaluation(2011). Based in Minnesota, he was on the faculty of the University of Minnesota for 18 years and is a former president of the American Evaluation Association (AEA). Michael is a recipient of the Alva and Gunnar Myrdal Evaluation Practice Award, the Paul F. Lazarsfeld Evaluation Theory Award, and the Research on Evaluation Award, all from AEA He has also received the Lester F. Ward Distinguished Contribution to Applied and Clinical Sociology Award from the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology. In 2021 he received the first Transformative Evaluator Award from EvalYouth.He is an active speaker, trainer, and workshop presenter who has conducted applied research and evaluation on a broad range of issues and has worked with organizations and programs at the international, national, state, provincial, and local levels. Michael has three children--a musician, an engineer, and an evaluator--and four grandchildren. When not evaluating, he enjoys exploring the woods and rivers of Minnesota, where he lives.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods
• Author: Michael Quinn Patton
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: SAGE, 2002
• ISBN: 0761919716, 9780761919711
• Length: 598 pages
• Subjects: Psychology / Research & Methodology; Reference / Research; Social Science / Methodology; Social Science / Research