Qualitative Research in Social Work

`A really fine book... an impressive work that adds much to the development of the use of qualitative methodology in social work research' - William J Reid, University at Albany

`This book is a significant milestone in the development of social work research. It is characterized by an unparalleled command of the field of qualitative research in social work, and by a commitment to an understanding of the demands and potential of day-to-day social work practice' - Mike Fisher, Director of Research, National Institute for Social Research

`Qualitative Research in Social Work edited by Ian Shaw and Nick Gould, provides a state-of-the-art exposition and analysis of qualitative inquiry in relation to social work.... The book has an unusual degree of coherence for one with several authors. The five chapters by the editors (parts one and three) do an exceptional job of providing the necessary background information and setting the context for the six application chapters and of highlighting and discussing the issues raised in those chapters. The editors are respected scholars

well-versed in the theory and practice of qualitative research. Similarly, the contributing authors represent both considerable experience in this field and a diversity of interests. This combination makes Qualitative Research in Social Work an excellent text for students, practitioners, and researchers alike. It is a benchmark for social work progress in this area and points the way for the continued development of qualitative inquiry' - Professor Stanley L Witkin, Department of Social Work, University of Vermont

Dr. Ian Shaw is S R Nathan Professor of Social Work at National University of Singapore and Professor Emeritus at the University of York, England. He was the first chair of the European Social Work Research Association (ESWRA) and a founder editor of the journal Qualitative Social Work. He has authored almost 100 peer-reviewed papers, more than 20 books, 60 book chapters, and various research reports. He has written extensively in the journals on issues arising from the relationship between social work and sociology over the last century. His more recent books include Social Work Science (2016) and Research and the Social Work Picture (2018). He is pursuing a graduate programme in creative writing, which sits alongside his interests in gardening, his local church, volunteering in his village shop, playing badminton (badly), and Bob Dylan.

PART ONE: THE SOCIAL WORK AGENDA FOR QUALITATIVE RESEARCH The Social Work Context for Qualitative Research A Review of Qualitative Research in Social Work PART TWO: EXEMPLIFYING QUALITATIVE SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH Caught Not Taught - Tom Hall Ethnographic Research at a Young People's Accomodation Project Interviewing Interviewers and Knowing about Knowledge - Jonathan Scourfield Personla Troubles as Social Issues - Catherine Kohler Riessman A Narrative of Infertility in Context 'People Listened to What We Had to Say' - Elizabeth Whitmore Reflections on an Emancipatory Qualitative Evaluation Auto-Ethnography as Reflexive Inquiry - Sue White Teh Research Act as Self-Surveillance Indentifying Expert Social Work - Jan Fook Qualitative Practitioner Research PART THREE: QUALITATIVE WORK IN SOCIAL WORK Fieldwork Choices in Context - Ian F Shaw and Nick G Gould Qualitative Research and Professional Practice Inquiry and Action Qualitative Research and Professional Practice The Consequences of Qualitative Social Work Research