This invaluable book presents an innovative approach to qualitative design that emphasizes the components of a design and how these interact with each other and the environment in which the study is situated. A clear strategy for creating coherent and workable relationships among these design components is provided and key design issues are highlighted.

These design issues include: clarifying the purposes of the study; creating a theoretical context for the research; formulating research questions; developing a relationship with the people being studied; making decisions about sampling, data collection and analysis; and assessing validity threats and alternative explanations to the study's conclusions.

In addition, the book explains how to make the transition from research design to research proposal, providing a model for the structure of a qualitative proposal that is based in the design of the study.