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DARIN WEINBERG (ed.), Qualitative Research Methods. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Publishers, 2002, viii + 342 p.
As someone who both uses and teaches about qualitative methods, I was eager to get a look at these two volumes. Although their titles may lead one to infer that they take a similar approach, both their content and intended audience are quite different. Kirstin G. Esterberg has written an introduction to qualitative methods for those who have little or no experience in carrying out research, while Darin Weinberg has edited a volume more appropriate for the sophisticated reader who already knows what qualitative research is and who is ready to engage with its more theoretical underpinnings.
Esterberg has written a very accessible textbook geared to the student who is encountering qualitative methods for the first time. Each chapter has sections on "questions for thought," exercises and suggestions for further reading that provide both student and instructor with ways to take the material further. Appendices include the American Sociological Association's Code of Ethics and a sample letter of informed consent.
Qualitative Methods in Social Research includes chapters on newer approaches to research, for example, action research and narrative analysis, as well as chapters on such traditional qualitative topics as interviewing and participant observation. In addition, unlike most methods textbooks, Esterberg mainstreams feminist approaches and critiques, rather than simply giving them a very brief mention...