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act Potter

ANANALYSIS OF THINKING i\ND RESEARCH AN AN ALYS IS OF

Ql:JAtITATIVEJ

TC'tll\T ()....RO'\R-1750-6

ABOUT QUALITATIVE METHODS

~ · w .   James PotterThe qualitative approach to research has

produced a remarkably wide range of thinkingabout how scholars should regard their

phenomenon of interest, about what merits

consideration as evidence of the phenomenon,

about how to collect that evidence, and about

how to look for patterns in that evidence. This

book acknowledges the rich diversity in that

thinking and seeks to illuminate the key issues

in order to help readers navigate through the

qualitative literature. On each issue, the author

displays the extent of options available underthe qualitative approach and illuminates each ofthese options with examples from the research

literature.

No other book illuminates such a wide range ofissues (axioms of belief, strategies, and

techniques) over such a range of research topics(the examination of institutions, people, and texts)in as many contexts (historical, analytical, and

critical) for both the thinking and practices withinthe qualitative approach.

ISBN 0-8058-1750-6

rll"780805"817508

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TH INKING AND

RE"S.EA RC ABOUT

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Copyright © 1996, by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of the book may be reproduced in

any form, by photostat, microform, retrieval system. or any other

means. without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc .. Publishers

10 Industrial Avenue

Mahwah, New Jersey 07430

Library of Con!p"ess Cataloging·in-Publication Data

Potter, W. James

An analysis of thinking and research about qualitative methods /

W. James Potter.

p. em.Includes bibliogra phical references (p. ) and index.

ISBN (}.80S8·1750-0. - ISBN 0-8058-1751-4 (pbk.)

1. Communication-Research-Methodology. J. Title.

P.91.3.P68 1996

302.2'072-dc20 95-44514

CIP

Books published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates are printed on acid-free paper,

and their bindings are chosen for strength and durability.

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

CONTENTS

,viiPreface

PART I: FOUNDAnONS

1. Whether to Enter? 3

2. A Potpourri of Definitions 13

26 Q)3. Issues of Belief

4. The Qualitative Methodologies 50

5. The Qualitative Phenomenon 67

PART II: INTERPRETIVE ANAlYSIS

6. Nature of Qualitative Evidence 83

7. Issues of Evidence Gathering 93

8. Issues of Data Analysis 1I5

9. Methods of Analysis 134

v

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