Big Qual

About the Book

This upper-level textbook presents a brand new approach to large scale qualitative analysis - the pioneering breadth-and-depth method. It covers the strengths of the approach and how to deploy "big qual" as a distinct research methodology. The book will appeal to students and researchers across disciplines and methodological backgrounds.

The growing availability of archived and shared large qualitative data sets presents exciting opportunities for qualitative research. Pooling multiple qualitative data sets enhances the possibility of theoretical generalisability by increasing the diversity and size of samples and strengthens claims from qualitative research about understanding how social processes work.

Given the continued rise of big data and the evolving possibilities it offers the humanities and social sciences, this book will be a must-have resource, building capacity and provoking new ways of thinking about qualitative research and its analysis.

About the Author: Susie Weller is Senior Research Fellow in the Clinical Ethics, Law and Society (CELS) research group and a Fellow of the Centre for Personalised Medicine, University of Oxford, UK. She is also a Fellow of the National Centre for Research Methods, UK. Susie is a keen methodologist specialising in the use of qualitative methodologies, particularly creative, participatory and longitudinal approaches, as well as, qualitative secondary analysis. Throughout her career, she has worked at the interface between theoretical advances in family and youth research, and applied research that has policy and practice relevance.
Emma Davidson is Lecturer in Social Policy and Qualitative Research Methods at the University of Edinburgh, UK. Emma has written widely on qualitative research methods, research ethics and qualitative longitudinal approaches. Her work is largely focused on collaborative and creative approaches to researching with, and for, children and young people. Emma is co-founder of the Binks Hub, a network dedicated to co-production and creative methods, and is co-director at the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships.
Rosalind Edwards is Professor of Sociology and a Fellow of the National Centre for Research Methods at the University of Southampton, UK. Rosalind has researched and published widely on qualitative longitudinal research methods, and is a founding editor of the International Journal of Social Research Methodology.
Lynn Jamieson is Professor of the Sociology of Families and Relationships at the University of Edinburgh, UK. She is known for her research on intimacy, identity and social change and has researched a wide range of topics within the field of families and relationships. Lynn was the President of the British Sociological Association and is co-editor of the Palgrave Macmillan series, Families and Intimate Life and Associate Editor of the Policy Press journal, Families Relationships and Societies.