Qualitative Methods for Family Studies and Human Development

"Daly has crafted one of the most accessible, comprehensive, and functional texts in research methods that students, scholars, and practitioners concerned with understanding family and development will immensely appreciate."
―Carla L. Fisher, The Pennsylvania State University


"I love this book! It is thoroughly excellent―accessible and clear. … What an accomplishment: an inviting research methods book written with intelligence and humility―makes you want to dive right into your next research project."
―Katherine R. Allen, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

This book is a masterpiece. Kerry Daly has written the finest and most profound volume on qualitative research available in print. From the opening chapter to the last, it is clear that we are in the hands of a master scholar who brings great depth and wisdom to his work. . . . A tour de force by any standard.
―David Dollahite, Brigham Young University

Qualitative Methods for Family Studies and Human Development serves as a step-by-step, interdisciplinary, qualitative methods text for those working in the areas of family studies, human development, family therapy, and family social work. Providing a systematic outline for carrying out qualitative projects from start to finish, author Kerry J. Daly uniquely combines epistemology, theory, and methodology into a comprehensive package illustrated with specific examples from family relations and human development research.

Key Features:

• Outlines different analytic procedures: The most commonly used methodological traditions are covered, including ethnography, interpretive phenomenology, grounded theory methodology, narrative analysis, discourse analysis, and participatory action research.
• Offers examples from both hypothetical and actual research studies: Attention is given to the unique challenges associated with qualitative research on couples and families, ethics procedures, and credibility issues.
• Allows readers to make informed choices within clear guidelines: Balances breadth of topic coverage with sufficient detail to equip students to make informed decisions about methodologies and to be able to design and implement a qualitative research project.
• Cultivates good perceptual skills: Several pedagogical text boxes, tips and guidelines for data collection, examples, and illustrations encourage students to reflect on their own preferences, values, and experiences.

Kerry J. Daly (Ph.D., Sociology, McMaster University) is a full professor in the Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition at the University of Guelph.  In over a decade of teaching a graduate course on qualitative methods, he has had students from his own interdisciplinary department as well as students from Psychology, Sociology, Nursing and Nutrition, thus sensitizing him to the many different values and procedures that exist across the varied audiences and disciplines that contribute to family studies.  With Jane Gilgun and Gerald Handel, he co-edited the book "Qualitative Methods in Family Research" (Sage 1992), and he has authored a number of articles focusing on qualitative methodology in journals such as "Qualitative Inquiry," "The Journal of Contemporary Ethnography," "Symbolic Interaction," and "Journal of Marriage & Family."  He co-authored the chapter on qualitative research methods in Leon Kuczynski′s "Handbook of Dynamics in Parent-Child Relations (Sage 2003).  He was recipient of the Anselm Strauss Award for the best qualitative research article in 2001.  He was a member of the Steering Committee for the Qualitative Family Research Network, then Chair for 3 years and served for a period as Editor of the Qualitative Family Research newsletter.  His teaching, research, and professional background combine to offer the perfect combination for undertaking this new text.