qualitative research and evaluation methods 4th edition pdf

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Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods: Integrating Theory and Practice

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This site is intended to enhance your use of  Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods, Fourth Edition ,  by Michael Quinn Patton. Please note that all the materials on this site are especially geared toward maximizing your understanding of the material. 

Drawing on more than 40 years of experience conducting applied social science research and program evaluation, author Michael Quinn Patton has crafted the most comprehensive and systematic book on qualitative research and evaluation methods, inquiry frameworks, and analysis options available today. Now offering more balance between applied research and evaluation, this  Fourth Edition  illuminates all aspects of qualitative inquiry through new examples, stories, and cartoons; more than a hundred new summarizing and synthesizing exhibits; and a wide range of new highlight sections/sidebars that elaborate on important and emergent issues. For the first time, full case studies are included to illustrate extended research and evaluation examples. In addition, each chapter features an extended "rumination," written in a voice and style more emphatic and engaging than traditional textbook style, about a core issue of persistent debate and controversy.

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge Michael Quinn Patton for writing an excellent text and creating the materials on this site.

Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods

Integrating Theory and Practice

Intermediate/Advanced Qualitative Research | Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods | Program Evaluation

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Drawing on more than 40 years of experience conducting applied social science research and program evaluation, author Michael Quinn Patton has crafted the most comprehensive and systematic book on qualitative research and evaluation methods, inquiry frameworks, and analysis options available today. Now offering more balance between applied research and evaluation, t his Fourth Edition illuminates all aspects of qualitative inquiry through new examples, stories, and cartoons; more than a hundred new summarizing and synthesizing exhibits; and a wide range of new highlight sections/sidebars that elaborate on important and emergent issues . For the first time, full case studies are included to illustrate extended research and evaluation examples. In addition, each chapter features an extended "rumination," written in a voice and style more emphatic and engaging than traditional textbook style, about a core issue of persistent debate and controversy.

See what’s new to this edition by selecting the Features tab on this page. Should you need additional information or have questions regarding the HEOA information provided for this title, including what is new to this edition, please email  [email protected] . Please include your name, contact information, and the name of the title for which you would like more information. For information on the HEOA, please go to  http://ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/hea08/index.html .

For assistance with your order: Please email us at  [email protected]  or connect with your SAGE representative.

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Chapter 1. The Nature, Niche, and Value of Qualitative Inquiry

Chapter 2. strategic themes in qualitative inquiry, chapter 3. variety of qualitative inquiry frameworks: paradigmatic, philosophical, and theoretical orientations, chapter 4. practical and actionable qualitative applications, chapter 5. designing qualitative studies, chapter 6. fieldwork strategies and observation methods, chapter 7. qualitative interviewing, chapter 8. qualitative analysis and interpretation, chapter 9. enhancing the quality and credibility of qualitative studies.

Student Study Site EXCLUSIVE! Access to certain full-text SAGE journal articles that have been carefully selected for each chapter. Each article supports and expands on the concepts presented in the chapter. This feature also provides questions to focus and guide your interpretation. 

NEW TO THIS EDITION:

• A new organization that creatively groups content into individual modules within nine chapters offers instructors the ability to easily customize course content and readers the ability to quickly navigate and reference specific topics by choosing across a range of over 80 modules.
• New examples of the contributions of qualitative inquiry to our understanding of patterns in the world have been added, including advances in theory, practice, and both classic and innovative methods.
• New and major in-depth discussions explore systems thinking , complexity theory , pragmatic framing , and generic qualitative inquiry.
• More than half of this edition consists of new, extended research and evaluation examples with full case studies as exemplars.
• The number of qualitative (purposeful) sampling options has been expanded from 16 to 40 to provide readers with the most innovative and comprehensive case selection framework ever assembled and explained.
• The book offers the most comprehensive, rigorous, and assertive discussion of methods and analysis techniques for drawing causal inferences available today.
• Techniques for high-quality observational fieldwork and in-depth interviewing are covered, along with emergent approaches and alternative frameworks for inquiry .
• Principles-focused qualitative evaluation is premiered in this edition.
• Detailed analysis guidelines and diverse examples include innovative approaches to data visualization.
• The number of qualitative frameworks for judging quality has been expanded from five to seven.
• Over a hundred new exhibits —essential for teaching—summarize and synthesize key information.
• New sidebars throughout the text elaborate on important and emergent issues.
• Hundreds of new references make the book up to date and comprehensive.
• New cartoons and graphic comics specially commissioned and created for this edition illustrate key concepts in a unique and memorable way.
• An Instructor Resource and Student Study Site filled with helpful supplemental resources, including access to carefully selected SAGE journal articles, are available at no additional charge.

KEY FEATURES:

• Qualitative inquiry’s seven major contributions to understanding the world are presented.
• Twelve primary strategic themes of qualitative inquiry illuminate the unique niche of qualitative inquiry in research and evaluation studies.
• Seven distinct, criteria-based frameworks for presenting and judging qualitative findings are provided.
• Sixteen different theoretical and philosophical approaches to qualitative inquiry are identified, compared, contrasted, and discussed.
• Variations in observational methods are covered, including historical perspectives, case studies and their layers, and cross-case analysis.
• Alternative interviewing strategies and approaches are linked to theoretical and methodological traditions, including innovative and emergent methods, such as using social media and data visualization.
• Key strategies are included to unravel the complexities of and controversies about causal analysis , generalizations , and triangulation .
• Comprehensive references provide the scholarly foundations for qualitative theory and practice.

"Very thoughtful and thorough coverage of qualitative design and study." Kari O'Grady Ph.D, Loyola University Maryland

  “The content itself, based in years of thinking, reading, doing, conversing, is a huge strength. Reading the chapters is like sitting at the feet of one of the masters.”   Kathleen A. Bolland, The University of Alabama

“I can’t emphasize enough the quality, detail, and depth of the presentation of research design and methods… Students and experienced researchers will appreciate the depth of presentation of potential qualitative paradigms, theoretical orientations and frameworks as well as special methodological applications that are often not covered in other qualitative texts.” Susan S. Manning, University of Denver

“It is refreshing to see a text that engages the multiple philosophical and historical trajectories within a qualitative research tradition while integrating this discussion so well with the practice of research design, fieldwork strategies, and data analysis.” Michael P. O’Malley, Texas State University

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Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods: Integrating Theory and Practice 4th Edition

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Drawing on more than 40 years of experience conducting applied social science research and program evaluation, author Michael Quinn Patton has crafted the most comprehensive and systematic book on qualitative research and evaluation methods, inquiry frameworks, and analysis options available today. Now offering more balance between applied research and evaluation, this Fourth Edition of Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods illuminates all aspects of qualitative inquiry through new examples, stories, and cartoons; more than a hundred new summarizing and synthesizing exhibits; and a wide range of new highlight sections/sidebars that elaborate on important and emergent issues. For the first time, full case studies are included to illustrate extended research and evaluation examples. In addition, each chapter features an extended "rumination," written in a voice and style more emphatic and engaging than traditional textbook style, about a core issue of persistent debate and controversy.

• ISBN-10 9781412972123
• ISBN-13 978-1412972123
• Edition 4th
• Publisher SAGE Publications, Inc
• Publication date November 11, 2014
• Language English
• Dimensions 8.75 x 1.5 x 11.25 inches
• Print length 832 pages
• See all details

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Editorial Reviews

"The content itself, based in years of thinking, reading, doing, conversing, is a huge strength. Reading the chapters is like sitting at the feet of one of the masters."

"I can’t emphasize enough the quality, detail, and depth of the presentation of research design and methods… Students and experienced researchers will appreciate the depth of presentation of potential qualitative paradigms, theoretical orientations and frameworks as well as special methodological applications that are often not covered in other qualitative texts."

"It is refreshing to see a text that engages the multiple philosophical and historical trajectories within a qualitative research tradition while integrating this discussion so well with the practice of research design, fieldwork strategies, and data analysis."

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.

Product details

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1412972124
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ SAGE Publications, Inc; 4th edition (November 11, 2014)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 832 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781412972123
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1412972123
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.3 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.75 x 1.5 x 11.25 inches
• #77 in Scientific Research
• #91 in Sociology Research & Measurement
• #171 in Social Sciences Research

About the author

Michael quinn patton.

Michael Quinn Patton lives in Minnesota where, according to the state's poet laureate, Garrison Keillor, "all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average." It was this lack of interesting statistical variation in Minnesota that led him to qualitative inquiry despite the strong quantitative orientation of his doctoral studies in sociology at the University of Wisconsin. He serves on the graduate faculty of The Union Institute, a nontraditional, interdisciplinary, nonresidential and individually designed doctoral program.

He was on the faculty of the University of Minnesota for 18 years, including five years as Director of the Minnesota Center for Social Research, where he was awarded the Morse-Amoco Award for innovative teaching. He won the University of Minnesota storytelling competition and has authored several other books which include Utilization-Focused Evaluation, Creative Evaluation, Practical Evaluation, How to Use Qualitative Methods in Evaluation, and Family Sexual Abuse: Frontline Research and Evaluation.

He edited Culture and Evaluation for the journal New Direction in Program Evaluation. His creative nonfiction book, Grand Canyon Celebration: A Father-Son Journey of Discovery, was a finalist for 1999 Minnesota Book of the Year.He is former President of the American Evaluation Association and the only recipient of both the Alva and Gunner Myrdal Award for Outstanding Contributions to Useful and Practical Evaluation from the Evaluation Research Society and the Paul F. Lazarsfeld Award for Lifelong Contributions to Evaluation Theory from the American Evaluation Association. The Society for Applied Sociology awarded him the 2001 Lester F. Ward Award for Outstanding Contributions to Applied Sociology.

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• Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice

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The fourth edition of Michael Quinn Patton's  Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods Integrating Theory and Practice,  published by Sage Publications, analyses and provides clear guidance and advice for using a range of different qualitative methods for evaluation.

• Module 1. How qualitative inquiry contributes to our understanding of the world
• Module 2. What makes qualitative data qualitative
• Module 3. Making methods decisions
• Module 4. The fruit of qualitative methods: Chapter summary and conclusion
• Module 5. Strategic design principles for qualitative inquiry
• Module 6. Strategic principles guiding data collection and fieldwork
• Module 7. Strategic principles for qualitative analysis and reporting findings
• Module 8: Integrating the 12 strategic qualitative principles in practice
• Module 9. Understanding the Paradigms Debate: Quants versus Quals
• Module 10. Introduction to Qualitative Inquiry Frameworks
• Module 11. Ethnography and Autoethnography
• Module 12. Positivism, Postpositivism, Empiricism and Foundationalist Epistemologies
• Module 13. Grounded Theory and Realism
• Module 14 Phenomenology and Heuristic Inquiry
• Module 15 Social Constructionism, Constructivism, Postmodernism, and Narrative Inquiry
• Module 16. Ethnomethodology, Semiotics, and Symbolic Interaction, Hermeneutics and Ecological Psychology
• Module 17 Systems Theory and Complexity Theory
• Module 18. Pragmatism, Generic Qualitative Inquiry, and Utilization-Focused Evaluation
• Module 19 Patterns and themes across inquiry frameworks: Chapter summary and conclusions
• Module 20. Practical purposes, concrete questions, and actionable answers: Illuminating and enhancing quality
• Module 21. Program evaluation applications: Focus on outcomes
• Module 22 Specialized qualitative evaluation applications
• Module 23 Evaluating program models and theories of change, and evaluation models especially aligned with qualitative methods
• Module 24 Interactive and participatory qualitative applications
• Module 25 Democratic evaluation, indigenous research and evaluation, capacity building, and cultural competence
• Module 26 Special methodological applications
• Module 27 A vision of the utility of qualitative methods: Chapter summary and conclusion
• Module 28 Design thinking: Questions derive from purpose, design answers questions
• Module 29 Date Collection Decisions
• Module 30 Purposeful sampling and case selection: Overview of strategies and options
• Module 31 Single-significant-case sampling as a design strategy
• Module 32 Comparison-focused sampling options
• Module 33 Group characteristics sampling strategies and options
• Module 34 Concept and theoretical sampling strategies and options
• Module 35. Instrumental-use multiple-case sampling
• Module 36 Sequential and emergence-driven sampling strategies and options
• Module 37 Analytically focused sampling
• Module 38 Mixed, stratified, and nested purposeful sampling strategies
• Module 39 Information-rich cases
• Module 40 Sample size for qualitative designs
• Module 41 Mixed methods designs
• Module 42 Qualitative design chapter summary and conclusion: Methods choices and decisions
• Module 43 The Power of direct observation
• Module 44. Variations in observational methods
• Module 45. Variations in duration of observations and site visits: From rapid reconnaissance to longitudinal studies over years
• Module 46. Variations in observational focus and summary of dimensions along which fieldwork varies
• Module 47. What to observe: Sensitizing concepts
• Module 48. Integrating what to observe with how to observe
• Module 49. Unobtrusive observations and indicators, and documents and archival fieldwork
• Module 50. Observing oneself: Reflexivity and Creativity, and Review of Fieldwork Dimensions
• Module 51. Doing Fieldwork: The Data Gathering Process
• Module 52. Stages of fieldwork: Entry into the field
• Module 53. Routinization of fieldwork: The dynamics of the second stage
• Module 54. Bringing fieldwork to a close
• Module 55. The observer and what is observed: Unity, separation, and reactivity
• Module 56. Chapter summary and conclusion: Guidelines for fieldwork
• Module 57 The Interview Society: Diversity of applications
• Module 58 Distinguishing interview approaches and types of interviews
• Module 59 Question options and skilled question formulation
• Module 60 Rapport, neutrality, and the interview relationship
• Module 61 Interviewing groups and cross-cultural interviewing
• Module 62. Creative modes of qualitative inquiry
• Module 63. Ethical issues and challenges in qualitative interviewing
• Module 64. Personal reflections on interviewing, and chapter summary and conclusion
• Module 65. Setting the Context for Qualitative Analysis: Challenge, Purpose, and Focus
• Module 66. Thick description and case studies: The bedrock of qualitative analysis
• Module 67. Qualitative Analysis Approaches: Identifying Patterns and Themes
• Module 68. The intellectual and operational work of analysis
• Module 69. Logical and matrix analyses, and synthesizing qualitative studies
• Module 70. Interpreting findings, determining substantive significance, phenomenological essence, and hermeneutic interpretation
• Module 71. Causal explanation thorough qualitative analysis
• Module 72. New analysis directions: Contribution analysis, participatory analysis, and qualitative counterfactuals
• Module 73. Writing up and reporting findings, including using visuals
• Module 74. Special analysis and reporting issues: Mixed methods, focused communications, and principles-focused report exemplar.
• Module 75 Chapter summary and conclusion, plus case study exhibits
• Module 76. Analytical processes for enhancing credibility: systematically engaging and questioning the data
• Module 77. Four triangulation processes for enhancing credibility
• Part 1, universal criteria, and traditional scientific research versus constructivist criteria
• Part 2: artistic, participatory, critical change, systems, pragmatic, and mixed criteria
• Module 80 Credibility of the inquirer
• Module 81 Generalizations, Extrapolations, Transferability, Principles, and Lessons learned
• Module 82 Enhancing the credibility and utility of qualitative inquiry by addressing philosophy of science issues

Patton, M. Q. (2014).  Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods: Integrative Theory and Practice . SAGE Publications.

'Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice' is referenced in:

• Week 46: Rumination #2: Confusing empathy with bias
• Week 47: Rumination #3: Fools' gold: the widely touted methodological "gold standard" is neither golden nor a standard

Framework/Guide

• Rainbow Framework :  Sample

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