This text offers a brief but comprehensive overview of qualitative research that balances the practicalities of conducting research and the theory and debates that keep qualitative inquiry vibrant. As faculty and students increasingly turn to qualitative inquiry, they need a text that will not only provide them with an understanding of qualitative research methods, but also open them to the diverse possibilities within this inquiry approach. This text covers the range of possibilities along with numerous exercises that offer beginning students the opportunity to practice and refine the skills of being a qualitative researcher. The wealth of examples in the text is exceptional, as is the accessible writing style.