Researching Young People's Lives

This book introduces a broad repertoire of methods suited to youth research, with greater weight given to qualitative approaches. Rather than providing a how-to guide or discussing the methods' epistemological underpinnings, the book seeks to highlight a range of issues relevant to youth research. Early chapters consider broad methodological and contextual concerns relevant to designing and conducting youth research. Later chapters detail specific methods such as interviews, visual research methods, surveys, and the Internet in youth research. Emphasis is placed on research in practice, with examples of recent research from a wide range of disciplines and substantive areas. An appendix provides web addresses and descriptions of youth research organizations and networks, national and international youth organizations, sources of statistical data, and sites with ethical guidelines for social research, with most sites focused on the UK and Europe. The book is targeted toward students in the broad area of youth studies, including those pursuing specialist youth studies-related degree programs, as well as students conducting youth-related dissertations within social science degree programs. The book will also be of interest to practitioners who evaluate service provision to young people, and to established researchers. Heath is affiliated with the University of Southampton, UK. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)