Making Sense of Qualitative Data

The authors of this practical book highlight the range of approaches available to qualitative researchers by using a single data set which they analyze using a number of techniques. The book is ideal for the novice researcher seeking the best way to transform raw data into something useful. After a research project has been designed and the data have been gathered, what is the best way to transform the myriad varieties of data into something useful? Authors Amanda Coffey and Paul Atkinson underscore the diversity of approaches at the disposal of the qualitative researcher by using a single data set--doctoral students and faculty members in social anthropology--that they analyze using a number of techniques. User-friendly and accessible, Making Sense of Qualitative Data is not intended as a comprehensive cookbook of methods. It describes and illustrates a number of key, complementary approaches to qualitative data and offers practical advice on the many ways to analyze data, which the reader is encouraged to explore and enjoy. Practical and straightforward, with special attention paid to the possibilities in computer-aided analysis, Making Sense of Qualitative Data is an invaluable resource to students and professionals in qualitative and research methods, sociology, anthropology, communication, management, and education.