Fundamentals of Qualitative Research 1st Edition

This book serves as a comprehensive road map to proficiency and professional growth in the field of qualitative research. Drawing from her extensive experience teaching introductory and advanced qualitative research courses, author Kakali Bhattacharya presents a thoughtful, student-centered guide that demystifies qualitative inquiry while honoring its depth, diversity, and complexity. Designed to complement coursework in qualitative methods, the book actively engages students in the research process by exposing them to the most widely used forms of qualitative research and the philosophical foundations that shape them. Readers are guided through multiple paradigms of inquiry, helping them understand both the areas of convergence among methodologies and the critical distinctions that define each approach. The text introduces a wide range of theoretical perspectives essential to qualitative scholarship, including positivism and postpositivism, interpretivism, feminism, symbolic interactionism, phenomenology, hermeneutics, critical theory, and Critical Race Theory. These frameworks are clearly explained and contextualized, allowing students to see how theory informs research design, data collection, interpretation, and ethical decision-making. In addition, the book provides clear and accessible coverage of the three dominant qualitative methodological approaches—narrative inquiry, grounded theory, and ethnography—offering summaries, examples, and practical guidance for applying each method in real research contexts. Interactive activities, reflective exercises, and chapter-based learning tools are integrated throughout the text, enabling students to solidify their understanding and apply concepts in meaningful ways. Ideal for graduate and undergraduate students, emerging researchers, and educators, this book is an essential resource for anyone seeking to build confidence, rigor, and reflexivity in qualitative research practice....