Understanding and Evaluating Qualitative Educational Research

Marilyn Lichtman is a retired professor of educational research and evaluation from Virginia Tech at both the main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, and at the graduate campus in Falls Church, Virginia. After attending The University of Chicago as an undergraduate, she moved to Washington, D.C. She completed all her degrees at The George Washington University, receiving her doctorate in educational research. She taught both qualitative and quantitative research courses while at The Catholic University of America and Virginia Tech. She is a regular user of the Internet and social media and was an early contributor to teaching qualitative courses online. She is currently on the editorial boards of The Qualitative Report and Forum: Qualitative Social Research (FQS), both online journals devoted to qualitative issues. She has served as a consultant to many school systems, private companies, and government agencies. She has traveled extensively throughout the world. Currently she serves on the docent council at the Corcoran gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Preface Acknowledgments Part I: Qualitative Research Approaches Chapter 1: Reading Ethnography Chapter 2: Reading Grounded Theory Chapter 3: Reading Phenomenology Chapter 4: Reading Case Studies Chapter 5: Reading Action Research Chapter 6: Reading Narrative Chapter 7: Reading Mixed Methods Part II: Issues at the Forefront of the Qualitative Research Field Chapter 8: Clarifying Research Approaches Chapter 9: Qualitative Research in the New Millennium Chapter 10: Standards of Evidence Chapter 11: Review Boards, Research Ethics, and Academic Freedom Chapter 12: Writing Up Results Chapter 13: Reflexivity Chapter 14: Negotiating Through Graduate School Epilogue: Reading, Writing, and Thinking About Qualitative Research Index About the Author

"I very much appreciated Understanding and Evaluating Qualitative Educational Research as a resource to help those new to educational research to understand what the different approaches are and how they can be critiqued through the research literature. Lichtman's approach to the problem of enabling neophyte researchers (although often experienced in professional practice as educators) is to choose two examples from the research literature which exemplify a particular approach. Each chapter provides an overview of the approach and then the two articles which she critiques by a running commentary alongside each article. I found this format very helpful. She has chosen articles which do not necessarily provide a 'best practice'model and this helps the reader begin to identify what information is missing, what is contentious and how particular approaches have specific discourses and ways of examining the world. This book provides a gentle way to examine paradigms and methodologies and it will certainly be one that I recommend to my students and colleagues." -- Yvonne Hillier * Higher Education Review, Vol 43, No 2, 2011. ISSN 0018-1609. * The friendly, accessible tone of the book invites otherwise intimidated students to engage with qualitative research. Reading Dr. Lichtman's personal notes alongside the text provides support in understanding concepts that might have been overlooked by the novice. It is as if the reader has a personal "professor" guiding them through this new territory. The book is also easy to navigate. The author clearly prepared readers for what was to come by previewing each chapter, explaining the organization of each chapter as well as the book itself. The references utilized in writing this book include the heroes of the qualitative world, such as Lincoln, Creswell, and Denzin. Knowing that the readers of this book are most likely students, the author gives advice regarding how to inject life into the writing of research and encourages the use of engaging, stimulating communication skills. Students are even provided sage advice for navigating through graduate school. -- Debra Phillips