Martyn Hammersley

A fresh look at the rationale for, and distinctiveness of, ethnographic research. The policy and political implications of ethnography are a particular focus of attention.

Methodological Explorations

What's Wrong with Ethnography?

Roger Gomm

Peter Foster

This is the most comprehensive guide to the current uses and importance of case study methods in social research. The editors bring together key contributions from the field which reflect different interpretations of the purpose and capacity of case study research. The address issues such as: the problem of generalizing from study of a small number of cases; and the role of case study in developing and testing theories. The editors offer in-depth assessments of the main arguments. An annotated bibliography of the literature dealing with case study research makes this an exhaustive and indispensable guide. `This is a worthwhile book which will be useful to readers. It collects together key sources o

Key Issues, Key Texts

Case Study Method

Paul Atkinson

Thoroughly updated and substantially rewritten, the second edition of this popular textbook is now even more relevant and useful for students and researchers. In this accessible introduction to the methods of ethnographic fieldwork, Hammersley and Atkinson reconsider the status of ethnography and seek to place it quite explicitly in a general methodological context.Ethnographyprovides a systematic and coherent account of ethnographic principles and practices. From an outline of the principle of reflexivity the authors go on to discuss and exemplify the main features of ehtnographic work, such as the selection and sampling of cases, the problems of access, observation and interviewing, recording and filing data, and the process of data analysis. There is also consideration of the ethical issues surrounding ethnographic research. Throughout, the discussion draws on a wide range of illustrative material from classic and more recent studies in Britain and the US.

Principles in Practice

Ethnography

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. This book invites readers to explore the nature of qualitative research, and to recognise the varied and conflicting forms it can take. It examines how these contrast with quantitative work, as well as how they differ from journalism and imaginative literature. The book describes various methodological philosophies that have shaped qualitative work, as well as different types of orientation to be found within it today. It offers clear definitions of key terms and concepts, and also a detailed exploration of recent disputes among qualitative researchers, with a view to showing how differences in practice relate to underlying commitments. This book will be a vital resource for both new and experienced researchers.

What is Qualitative Research?

Cover -- Half Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Dedication -- Acknowledgements -- Preface -- Chapter 1 The nature of ethnography -- Chapter 2 Understanding ethnographic accounts -- Chapter 3 Standards for assessing ethnographic research -- Chapter 4 Making an assessment: validity -- Chapter 5 Making an assessment: relevance -- Chapter 6 An example -- Chapter 7 Conclusion: varieties of assessment -- Appendix: Staffroom news -- References -- Index

Reading Ethnographic Research

This book illuminates the problems and perspectives of qualitative research and offers researchers a comprehensive overview of the various types of .

Anna Traianou

Ethics in Qualitative Research explores this field and presents a distinctive perspective; one that is at odds with the assumptions underpinning ethical regulation, but also with the views of many qualitative researchers today. Martyn Hammersley and Anna Traianou emphasize the difficult and controversial character of ethical issues, and examine the philosophical assumptions involved, the social contexts in which key ethical principles arise, and their implications for research practice. The authors argue that the starting point for any discussion of research ethics must be the values intrinsic to research, above all the commitment to knowledge-production.

Controversies and Contexts

Ethics in Qualitative Research

Martin Robb

Alison Clark

Rosie Flewitt

How do views about children shape research concerned with their lives? What different forms can research with children take? What ethical issues does it involve? How does it impact on policy and practice, and on the lives of children themselves? This book helps you to understand how research is designed and carried out to explore questions about the lives of children and young people. It tackles the methodological, practical and ethical challenges involved, and features examples of actual research that illustrate: Different strategies for carrying out research Common challenges that arise in the research process Varying modes of engagement that researchers can adopt with participants and audiences; and The impact that research can have on future studies, policy and practice.

Understanding Research with Children and Young People

In the past it was generally taken for granted that the goal of social research was the production of objective knowledge; and that this required a commitment to value neutrality. In more recent times, however, both these ideals have come to be challenged, and it is often argued that all research is inevitably political in its assumptions and effects. In this major contribution to the debate, Martyn Hammersley assesses the arguments from the classic and still influential contributions of C. Wright Mills, Howard Becker and Alvin Gouldner to the present day. He concludes that the case for partisanship is not convincing, and that an intelligent and sceptical commitment to the principles of objectivity and value neutrality must remain an essential feature of research.

Essays on Partisanship and Bias

Taking Sides in Social Research

The issue of educational opportunity has long been of public concern and a major focus for eduational research. As a result, there is now a substantial body of research findings in this field, both quantitative and qualitative.; This work relates to various levels of the educational system and to different categories of student, but particularly social class, gender, ethnicity and race. The central trend has been to find persisting inequalities despite reform at system, institutional and classroom levels. Furthermore, the educational system is frequently portrayed as playing a key role in reproducing wider social and economic inequalities.; This book examines the status of educational inequality as a social problem, explores the conceptual issues surrounding it, assesses a representative sample of recent research, and seeks to clarify the relevant methodological ground rules, thereby laying the basis for future research in the field.

A Methodological Assessment

Constructing Educational Inequality

Peter Woods

First published in 1977, this volume brings together a range of viewpoints, informed by reports of empirical research, which bear on the experience of school. Each chapter demonstrates the application of the ‘new sociology of education’ in its various guises to the world of teachers and pupils. In doing so, they exemplify the fields of investigation opened up by these theoretical developments, and also suggest directions ahead. The tensions in the articles reflect the tensions that existed in the sociology of education. By bringing them together, the aim of this volume is to contribute to a more soundly based sociology of education.

Explorations in the Sociology of Education

School Experience

Barry Cooper

Judith Glaesser

An exploration of case-focused methods as a means of bridging the quantitative-qualitative divide and the key methodological issues.

Explorations in Case-focused Causal Analysis

Challenging the Qualitative-Quantitative Divide

There can be little doubt that pupils’ own interpretations of what happens in their schools represent a crucial link in the educational chain. We need to understand how pupils respond to different forms of pedagogy and school organization, and why they respond in the ways they do, in order to increase the effectiveness of our schooling. In the ten years prior to first publication ethnographic studies of pupils in schools had increased in number and importance. They had come to represent a leading area of inquiry which is still of relevance to practising and student teachers today. However, this material was not easily accessible, being widely distributed across educational and sociological journals and books. Originally published in 1984, this book collects together significant contributions to the field in a single volume, and will still be of relevance to practising and trainee teachers, and students of sociology and education.

Martyn Hammersley

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