Paula Walls

Book review

An Introduction to Qualitative Research: Learning in the Field (Fourth edition)

Covering three central ideas– research is about learning, should be purposeful and must be conducted systematically – this book proves itself to be a comprehensive guide to qualitative research.

Evidence-based Practice in Nursing

PART OF the Transforming Nursing Practice series, this book supports nursing students on the baccalaureate programme. This second edition includes practical examples and a wider variety of case studies to demonstrate how evidence-based approaches can be applied in decision making and nursing practice. In addition, the text briefly discusses the need to apply caution in the sourcing and interpretation of sources, and provides a critiquing framework to guide the reader.

Understanding Research for Nursing Students

THIS BOOK builds on the first edition by incorporating new developments, reviews and readers’ feedback and describes recently published nursing research to illustrate how nursing research is continually developing and the need for nurses to keep updated.

Understanding Research for Nursing Students

THIS BOOK builds on the first edition by incorporating new developments, reviews and readers’ feedback and describes recently published nursing research to illustrate how nursing research is continually developing and the need for nurses to keep updated.

Issues and considerations when researching sensitive issues with men: examples from a...

This article highlights some ethical considerations and practicalities that arose when conducting research with men in relation to decision making and seeking help for a sexually transmitted infection (STI). The aim of the study was to explore, using a grounded theory approach, the processes involved in making the decision to seek help. The main issues that arose were in relation to seeking permission and gaining approval, obtaining informed consent and susceptibility to harm. The interview itself and the concept of the researcher as a tool of data collection also gave rise to ethical issues. These issues have implications for the conduct of sensitive research with men and highlight the need for more overt reporting of the ethical issues and practical considerations that arise when planning and conducting research.

The role and place of knowledge and literature in grounded theory

Grounded theory has existed for more than 40 years and has proved a successful and rigorous general inductive research method. However, it is apparent in the literature that novice researchers, or those new to interpretative studies, struggle to understand and defend the use of existing knowledge and the literature in a grounded theory study. While the engagement with and the role of the literature in grounded theory are documented in many texts, there are apparently contradictory perspectives. In addition, for the novice researcher undertaking grounded theory in an era of evidence-based practice, it can be a considerable challenge to understand and defend the role of the literature, substantive knowledge of the area and the place of a theoretical framework in grounded theory. The purpose of this paper is to consider these issues using salient arguments in the literature to guide novice researchers in considering their theoretical and philosophical positions.