While qualitative research is increasingly more common in the health professions, students and practitioners in the fields of athletic training, physical education, fitness, and health have difficulty sorting out and applying the concepts involved in this method of research.
Qualitative Research in Physical Activity and the Health Professions (Human Kinetics, May 2009) demystifies this type of research and provides specific guidance for professionals in the health and physical activity fields. The text clearly explains the underlying principles of qualitative inquiry, making it easy for students and practitioners to understand how to design, conduct, and evaluate qualitative studies.
Written by two authors who have conducted numerous qualitative studies, taught graduate-level research courses, and advised many master's and doctoral students who have used qualitative methods in their pursuits, this text provides a focused approach to this research genre for students and professionals in the physical activity and health care fields.
Through this text, readers learn how to frame a researchable problem, how to develop questions to gain insight that specifically applies to the problem, and how to guide the procedures for data collection and analysis.
The authors first present an overview of qualitative research and then explain the essential aspects of planning and designing the studies. They address the modes of data collection and how to create a trustworthy study. They then discuss how to write qualitative research proposals and reports. Finally, they assist those who want to expand their knowledge of qualitative research by discussing the various forms and guiding readers in becoming good consumers of research. They also help readers deal with common challenges and criticisms of qualitative inquiry and provide suggested learning activities and supplemental reading.
For more information on Qualitative Research in Physical Activity and the Health Professions, or other resources, visit www.HumanKinetics.com or call 800.747.4457.
