Beginning Interpretative Inquiry: A Step-by-Step Approach to Research and Evaluation

This book is entitled Beginning Interpretive Inquiryand not beginning interpretive research or interpretive evaluation. For as the author shows inquiry is a far more inclusive concept that allows for a detailed understanding of both research and evaluation. The author draws on his personal experiences and observations that many academics and practitioners in education, psychology and many other academic disciplines are successfully engaged in both research and evaluation and that in practice these enterprises share much in common. He provides examples of projects that are primarily research oriented, some that are primarily evaluation, and other that effectively and seamlessly combine research and evaluation. After providing a solid philosophical foundation for an understanding of interpretive inquiry, the author gives a detailed step-by-step approach to conducting a research or evaluation project exploring all stages of the process including: How the processes of interpretive inquiry fit together Where do inquiry ideas come from? Developing an appropriate inquiry sample? Data collection mechanisms Data analysis Writing for publication Complete with case studies of a wide variety of interpretive inquiry projects this vital new book will help researchers from a wide range of disciples to plan, conduct and evaluate research that successfully blends both qualitative and quantitative approaches.