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Researching Interpersonal Relationships
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Researching Interpersonal Relationships
Qualitative Methods, Studies, and Analysis

Written especially for relationships researchers on qualitative research—first of its kind!



March 2013 | 256 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
This accessible book explores and demonstrates methodological tools used to guide qualitative relationships research, especially studies of interpersonal communication. Researching Interpersonal Relationships introduces both classic and cutting-edge methodological approaches for qualitative inquiry and analysis, including opening chapters with accessible overviews of interpretive theory and research design. Additional chapters feature a detailed overview of a specific method and analytical tool and are illustrated by original research studies from leading scholars in the field, each in a different interpersonal communication context. Post-study interviews with the researchers are also provided to allow new and experienced researchers a better understanding of how qualitative research approaches can expand and solidify understandings of personal relationships. This groundbreaking book is the first of its kind written especially for relationships researchers on qualitative research, and it makes a welcome addition to advanced undergraduate and graduate student classrooms as well as any serious qualitative relationships researcher's bookshelf.

 
Preface
 
Introduction: Embracing a Full Spectrum of Interpersonal Communication Research
 
1. Understanding Personal Relationships through an Interpretivist-Oriented Lens
 
2. Method and Analysis in Qualitative Relationships Research
 
3. Interviews, Emotion Coding, and a Family Communication Study
 
4. Focus Groups, Values Coding, and a Romantic Relationships Study
 
5. Open-Ended Surveys, Taxonomic Coding, and a Friendship Study
 
6. Ethnography, Dramaturgical Coding, and a Sexuality Study
 
7. Discourse Analysis, Thematic Analysis, and a Study of Computer-Mediated Communication
 
8. Narrative Inquiry, Crystallization, and a Study of Workplace Relationships
 
9. Writing and Presenting Qualitative Interpersonal Communication Studies
 
References
 
Index

"I like the fact the authors don’t take for granted that the reader knows much about qualitative research. They describe important terms and concepts well.…Yet, uncannily, they bring the reader into a heavily debated argument in the discipline from the very beginning. The reader is compelled to want to know more about methods."

Kandi L. Walker
University of Louisville

"The clear, no-punches-pulled explanation of what interpretive communication research is and is not should be required reading for every student who takes a course in research methods.…Well written and the best guidance I’ve seen in writing for scholars about to engage in qualitative communication research. Where was this book when I was in graduate school?"

Michael Irvin Arrington
University of Kentucky
Key features
  • The book is the first of its kind to present qualitative research methods through an interpersonal communication lens.
  • Real research studies illustrate research methods in practice.
  • "How To" coverage helps researchers find the right methodological tools and approaches to conduct research on interpersonal relationships.
  • Practical insights illustrate how and why specific qualitative methods are best suited for studying particular elements of different relationships.

Sample Materials & Chapters

Teaching Materials


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