Table Of Content

Pulling Back the Curtain on Qualitative Research In Pulling Back the Curtain on Qualitative Research, the authors maintain that for sociologists the entire world is a laboratory. Seldom do they attend social gatherings without observing people and their interaction in a systematic and intellectually curious way. Regular trips to the grocery store, church services, and engagement with social media all open the door to sociological questioning and encourage forms of empirical observation and data collection. Here, in this practical and in-depth guide to conducting qualitative sociological field research, the authors offer step-by-step guidance to the processes of choosing a research question and forming research objectives; gaining entry to research settings; and reporting and analyzing findings. Each chapter features a past research assignment, wherein the authors draw attention to important ethical considerations and extract the many lessons, quirks, and unanticipated findings they experienced along the way that readers should prepare for and apply while conducting their own qualitative fieldwork. Over the span of several field studies, this book offers readers a behind- the-scenes look at some tested and trusted qualitative methodologies. Designed to be a guide for undergraduate and graduate level students, its real-life meditations would make a meaningful addition to anyone serious about conducting sociological research. William E. Thompson is a professor emeritus of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Texas A&M University-Commerce, USA. He was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was the first member of his family to receive a high school diploma. He received his bachelor’s degree from Northeastern State University, a master’s degree from Missouri State University, and a Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University. Professor Thompson has authored and co- authored more than 50 articles in professional journals, including several reprinted in sociology textbooks and readers. Thompson also is the author of The Glass House, a nonfiction account of his mother’s two-year battle with cancer, and in 2012 authored Hogs, Blogs, Leathers, and Lattes: The Sociology of Modern American Motorcycling. Mica L. Thompson is an adjunct instructor at Texas A&M University Commerce, USA. She was born in Emporia, Kansas, and received her bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University and her master’s degree from Texas A&M University-Commerce. She has 16 years of public-school teaching experience and has co-authored several articles in professional journals as well as several major textbooks in sociology. Together, Thompson and Thompson have co-authored three major social scientific books: Sociological Wisdom, Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology which is in its 9th edition, and Juvenile Delinquency: A Sociological Approach, now in its 11th edition. Pulling Back the Curtain on Qualitative Research William E. Thompson and Mica L. Thompson Designed cover: Shutterstock First published 2023 by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 and by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2023 Taylor & Francis The right of William E. Thompson and Mica L. Thompson to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. ISBN: 978-1-032-34155-2 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-34154-5 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-32076-0 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781003320760 Typeset in Bembo by MPS Limited, Dehradun To all those who are curious about the social world in which they live and want to use social science as a tool for more knowledge and better understanding. Contents Preface xiv Acknowledgments xvii Guide to Chapter Contents xviii 1 Designing and Conducting Qualitative Research 1 2 Striving for Objective and Unbiased Qualitative Research 18 3 Visiting Old Order Amish in Oklahoma and Kansas: Case Studies 33 4 Working on a Beef Slaughter Assembly Line 50 5 Portraying the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus at a Shopping Mall 68 6 Studying Morticians and Funeral Directors 82 7 Interviewing Topless Dancers 96 8 Riding With Modern American Motorcyclists 110 9 Performing a Content Analysis of Popular Motorcycle Movies 126 10 Studying Kindergarten 138 viii Contents 11 Pumping Iron in the 1980s and Working Out in the Twenty-First Century 154 12 Conducting Qualitative Research in the Age of Disenlightenment 172 Glossary 186 Bibliography 191 Index 196 Table of Contents Preface xiv Acknowledgments xvii Guide to Chapter Contents xviii 1 Designing and Conducting Qualitative Research 1 Grounded Theory and the Scientific Method 2 Choosing a Question and Stating Research Objectives 4 Review of the Literature and Selecting a Research Design 4 Case Studies 5 Participant Observation 6 Ethnographic Interviewing 7 Team Research or Going It Alone 8 Gaining Entry: Disclosure or Nondisclosure 10 Unobtrusive Measures: Taking Field Notes 12 Analyzing Data and Reporting Findings 13 Ethical Considerations 14 Pulling Back the Curtain in Qualitative Field Research 16 Questions for Discussion 17 2 Striving for Objective and Unbiased Qualitative Research 18 Choosing a Research Topic and Reviewing Literature 20 Framing Unbiased Research Questions 21 Designing Unbiased and Unobtrusive Research Methods 23 Using Technology to Avoid Bias 24 Significance of Feminist, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ Scholars 25 Gender Bias, Feminist Theory, and Research 26 Racial/Ethnic Bias and People of Color in Social Science Research 27