Qualitative Research in Practice

Qualitative Research in Practice is a hands-on guide to three of the most essential qualitative research tools-shadowing, focus groups and qualitative interviews. Offering a clear and practical framework, this book equips researchers with the methodological understanding needed to design, conduct and analyse qualitative research effectively. The book begins with a chapter discussing the qualitative research approach from an epistemological point of view and focusing on the relationship between subjectivities within the cognitive process. The following chapters illustrate three research tools (shadowing, qualitative interviews and focus groups) in which this relationship is realised. Each chapter analyses the origins of the tool, its characteristics and how it is applied. To facilitate learning, practical examples are provided through the research experiences of the author of the book. Readers will gain a deeper understanding of how to navigate the emotional and interpretative dimensions of field research, ensuring their studies are both methodologically sound and ethically grounded. Designed for social scientists, researchers and students, this book is an essential resource for those looking to refine their qualitative research skills. Whether you are conducting fieldwork for the first time or seeking to enhance your methodological toolkit, this book provides actionable strategies to improve your research practice.

Serena Quarta is Associate Professor at the Department of Political and Social Studies at the University of Salerno, where she teaches social research methodology and techniques and social science methodology. She is also Head of the Applied Social Research Methodology Laboratory (ME.R.S.A) at the University of Salerno. Her research interests concern social inclusion processes and the phenomenon of poverty, with particular reference to younger generations. Her latest publications include The Role of Emotions in Ethnographic Research: Comparing Subjectivities (2024) and For an Empirical Study of Social Love (2022) (with M. Palmieri and G. Pellegrini).

Introduction Ch 1. A Glance at Qualitative Research as a Dialogue Between Subjectivities Ch 2. Shadowing: A Technique for Studying Life Worlds 'From the Inside' Ch 3. The Qualitative Interview as a Useful Tool for Analysing Biographical Paths Ch 4. The Focus Group as a Tool to Make the Diversity of Viewpoints a Dialogue