Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive Approach

This was by far the most useful resource that I found for my dissertation proposal. Maxwell's writing is clear, smart, and informative. The sample proposal in the back of the book was extremely useful as well.

This brief, thorough, and engaging introduction to qualitative research design has no equal. Maxwell avoids the superficial and confused paradigm discussions that so many qualitative authors engage in. He takes a pragmatic and rigorous approach that builds on the potential strengths of qualitative research while promoting well-accepted principles of scientific validity and integrity. The chapter on validity is especially noteworthy, recognizing that "Validity is a goal not a product; it is never something that can be proven or taken for granted" and that "Validity is also relative: It has to be assessed in relationship to the purposes and circumstances of the research, rather than being a context-independent property of methods or conclusions. Finally validity threats are made implausible by evidence not methods; methods are only a way of getting evidence that can help you rule out these threats." Amen.

This is the best book I have found that describes, in simple easy to read language, how to design qualitative research. I enjoyed reading it. The exercises included throughout the book facilitated my learning. I highly recommend it!

Having acquired a veritable library of qualitative methods books and journal articles, I still felt like I was floundering. This book gave me not only a new and more valuable way of thinking about what I was doing, but a step-by-step action guide, practical, practicable, and with a depth (both explicated and in specific references) that makes me much more confident about eventual orals. Short and extremely sweet!

I and several of my compatriots found this text to be a practical island in an overwhelming and contradictory sea of theory. It's short, eminently readable, and especially useful for those struggling to write a qualitative dissertation proposal. Maxwell's liberating revision of the usual ponderous "lit review" to the actually applicable "research context" is in itself worth the purchase price.