The Creative Qualitative Researcher is designed to help readers see the range of possibilities of creative scholarship. The phrase "creative qualitative researchers" points toward scholars who call upon their literary skills to evoke the emotional and intellectual complexity of their subjects; who deploy their vulnerable, relational, and reflexive selves to expose and change problematic cultural practices; and who engage their embodied ideological and ethical sensibilities as researchers. Part I introduces chapters on four qualitative methods: autoethnography, performative writing, narrative inquiry and poetic inquiry. Each of these four method chapters presents the method written in the style it features, provides writing prompts for exploring the chapter’s themes, and offers written examples of the method. Part II, divided into four chapters, aims to develop creative qualitative research skills relevant to the methods discussed in Part I. Chapter 5 discusses empathy and ethics; Chapter 6 is a primer on creative writing; Chapter 7 identifies some alternative ideas for using the words of others; and Chapter 8 focuses on collaborative improvisation to compose scholarly work. Each of the chapters in Part II includes a large number of writing exercises, prompts and strategies to assist scholars in becoming better creative researchers. By the end of the book, readers will know what creative research might entail and will have a clear understanding of the methods. Working with the various writing strategies, readers will see the potential of creative research and gain skills for its use.

Creative Spaces for Qualitative Researching: Living Research. This book looks inward at researchers who are seeking to live their research – to embody the principles, methodologies and ethical conduct that comprises their research strategies. And, it looks outward at the living world as the focus of qualitative research. From both perspectives the editors and authors of this book have created spaces for qualitative research that provide critical and creative frameworks for conducting and living their research. A rich variety of research voices and lives are illuminated, liberated and revealed in the book. There are five sections in the book: Researching Living Practices Doing Creative Research Being a Creative Researcher Co-Creating Qualitative Research in Creative Spaces Becoming Transformed Through Creative Research.

An excellent introduction to the holistic concept of creativity.

The Oxford Handbook of Qualitative Research, Second Edition presents a comprehensive, interdisciplinary overview of the field of qualitative research. Divided into eight parts, the forty chapters address key topics in the field such as approaches to qualitative research (philosophical perspectives), narrative inquiry, field research, and interview methods, text, arts-based, and internet methods, analysis and interpretation of findings, and representation and evaluation. The handbook is intended for students of all levels, faculty, and researchers across the disciplines, and the contributors represent some of the most influential and innovative researchers as well as emerging scholars. This handbook provides a broad introduction to the field of qualitative research to those with little to no background in the subject, while providing substantive contributions to the field that will be of interest to even the most experienced researchers. It serves as a user-friendly teaching tool suitable for a range of undergraduate or graduate courses, as well as individuals working on their thesis or other research projects. With a focus on methodological instruction, the incorporation of real-world examples and practical applications, and ample coverage of writing and representation, this volume offers everything readers need to undertake their own qualitative studies.

Oral history is a particularly useful way to capture ordinary people's lived experiences. This innovative book introduces the full array of oral history research methods and invites students and qualitative researchers to try them out in their own work. Using choreography as an organizing metaphor, the author presents creative strategies for collecting, representing, analyzing, and interpreting oral history data. Instructive exercises and activities help readers develop specific skills, such as nonparticipant observation, interviewing, and writing, with a special section on creating found data poems from interview transcripts. Also covered are uses of journals, court transcripts, and other documents; Internet resources, such as social networking sites; and photography and video. Emphasizing a social justice perspective, the book includes excerpts of oral histories from 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, among other detailed case examples.

This Second Edition remains the only book to discuss both theory and application of qualitative research techniques to inspire great advertising and build strong brands. Using a step-by-step approach created for students considering advertising careers and for those currently working in the advertising industry, this book explains what qualitative research techniques are designed to do. The text describes how these techniques aid in uncovering insights useful for advertising strategy development, creative development, and post-campaign evaluation. Practical information and discussions on interviewing, projective techniques, focus groups, and online/social media applications positioned within a theoretical context illustrate the value of qualitative research in the real world.

In the new Fourth Edition of her inventive, one-of-a-kind book, author Valerie J. Janesick uses dance, yoga, and meditation metaphors to help researchers tap into the intuitive and creative side of their research. In every chapter, "stretching" exercises help readers develop, practice, and hone fieldwork skills and vital habits of mind such as observation, interviewing, writing, creativity, technology, and analysis. While reading the book and working through the exercises, readers can complete a researcher’s reflective journal—an invaluable tool that will remain useful throughout their careers.

An immensely valuable resource for those who seek to do qualitative research in theological education! Jessy Jaison’s ‘Qualitative Research and Transformative Results’ calls for the holistic transformation of the church and society by helping researchers and their mentors develop capacities that will be up to the task. This masterful work informs and inspires researchers to explore the qualitative domain in theological research as a vital link between the academy and the world. Bringing a fresh perspective to theological study in human socio-cultural environments through eight comprehensive chapters, it offers theoretical and practical guidance on every aspect of qualitative inquiry.

Increasing numbers of researchers are using arts-based, embodied or creative methods. They promote rapport and connection, facilitating research that reaches beyond surface understanding to expose authentic stories and hidden, richer truths. Whilst powerful, these methods can have unintended consequences and the potential for harm. Drawing on case studies and lessons learned from programmes and work across research, therapy, education, art and science, this engaging book explores and demonstrates the porous borders of research. It invites researchers to reflect and consider the boundaries and consequences of their work in order to deepen and widen its applicability and impact across science, art, education and therapy.

This book explores the webs of vulnerability in methodological decision-making that illustrate the deceptive strength of qualitative research. Each chapter will resonate with readers differently as they read themselves into the tensions and tangles of qualitative research when confronted with the challenges of establishing methodological frameworks for educational and social enquiry. The authors are postgraduate, early career researchers and supervisors who analyse their methodological encounters with the nimble, fluid, messy and iterative processes of qualitative research. The book flows structurally from positioning the researcher within these processes to the manoeuvring of self across necessarily selective social science disciplines in education, arts and humanities. It rejuvenates the pioneering spirit, the sense of mission and innovativeness of qualitative research.