Table Of ContentPulling 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 ba-
chelor’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
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First published 2023
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© 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
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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
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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
