Book Review: Yin, Robert. 2011. “Doing Qualitative Research From Start to Finish”. New York: Guilford Press

Abstract

a framework for students and novice researchers to experience steps of qualitative research. The author has used a friendly diction with many examples helping the audience with smooth reading and understanding the concepts. Jargons have not been used excessively and the text, rather than playing with words, aims to put the reader in the atmosphere of actual qualitative inquiry. A key stated concern of the author is that the best way to learn more about a qualitative research is to acquire it in action, that is, when an actual qualitative research study is conducted. The book comprises 12 chapters organized in four main parts: Understanding qualitative research, focusing on fundamental issues and concepts; Doing qualitative research, addressing the practice of dealing with the data; Presenting the results from qualitative research, discussing issues of displaying and writing qualitative research reports; and Taking qualitative research one step further, placing it within the broader realm of social science research. On the whole, the volume illustrates from scratch what a qualitative study involves and, as the title implies, presents an A to Z of qualitative research in an admirable manner. The first part includes three chapters illustrating some general images of what qualitative research is and how it can be initiated. First, Yin introduces qualitative inquiry and talks about various topics that can be studied through such an approach, and elaborates on features of qualitative studies. He points out that for doing a qualitative project, researchers need to be equipped and to be competent , that is, to have enough ability, as well as authority to manage and direct the study. One main point, which the author mentions, is that the best way to learn more about qualitative research is when you actually carry out a qualitative research study. So, one should learn through practicing. He explains how to take the initial steps in research, how to tackle the challenges of starting a qualitative study, and how to develop a study bank, which refers to a selection and collection of appropriate journals for qualitative studies. An important feature of this volume in discussing the basic issues in qualitative research is a focus on explaining what qualitative approaches involve rather than overly comparing and contrasting them with quantitative trends, although the differences are briefly discussed. A further concern in the first part of the book and among the main fundamental issues is an emphasis on bringing a strong sense of ethics in studies. Part two deals with the practice of conducting qualitative research. In chapter four, Yin elaborates on design (making a plan for different steps of research) and centrally argues that qualitative research design is to serve as a logical plan rather than a logistic one. Like some other scholars (e.g., Maxwell 2005), Yin highlights the important consideration that the design of qualitative research is not a linear plan in which one follows some predetermined steps. Rather, it is an interactive process in which the researcher moves back and forth and may change some steps. Chapters in this part also discuss different types of sampling and associated challenges: purposive, convenience, snowball, and random sampling. Yin argues that qualitative research is particularistic in the sense that understanding the nuances and patterns of social behavior only results from studying specific situations, complemented by attending carefully to specific contextual conditions. In his view, generalization has a limited role in doing qualitative research, but it is not impossible. The main difference is that in quantitative research, statistical generalization is the concern, but what matters in qualitative, is analytic generalization.