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Relevance of the Use of Qualitative Methods in the Study of Quality of Life

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Qualitative Studies in Quality of Life

Part of the book series: Social Indicators Research Series ((SINS,volume 55))

Abstract

This chapter describes the origin and evolution of qualitative studies in the quality of life field. At first it describes the characteristics and specificity of qualitative methods, considering that their main purpose is to understand meaning for participants in the study of the events, situations and actions in which they are involved, the context in which participants act and the influence these methods have on their actions, as well as the process in which the actions take place, which can enable the identification and generation of a new theory (Maxwell, Qualitative research design. An interactive Approach, Sage, New York, 1996). Even though not many studies have been developed by the use of qualitative methodologies, this chapter shows a summary of the studies that had been published in the Official Journal of ISQOLS, Applied Research in Quality of Life, since 2006. At the same time, it shows the qualitative studies produced during the last decade through the Research Program on Quality of Life developed at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Lomas de Zamora, Argentina. Finally, the chapter will point out that adopting a particular methodology implies a philosophic, theoretical and political decision and, in the case of qualitative methodology, it is an essential approach in understanding people’s experiences of wellbeing and discovering new issues related to quality of life.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For the author “meaning” is used in a broad sense including cognition, affect, intentions and anything else that might conform the participant’s perspectives.

  2. 2.

    The Departments of Greater Buenos Aires is the geographical region that surrounds the capital district. Its size is 3833 km2 and it is organized in 24 departments. The most recent national census (2010) showed that its population is about 9.916.715 inhabitants, which is the equivalent to the fourth part of the total country population which amounts to 40.117.096 inhabitants. It is a region that presents polarized life conditions, ranging from settlements of extreme poverty to high-income gated neighborhoods.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UNICOM, Faculty of Social Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Lomas de Zamora, Lomas de Zamora, Argentina

    Graciela Tonon

  2. CICS, Faculty of Social Sciences, Universidad de Palermo, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Graciela Tonon

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  1. Graciela Tonon
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  1. Universidad Nacional de Lomas de Zamora and Universidad de Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Graciela Tonon

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Tonon, G. (2015). Relevance of the Use of Qualitative Methods in the Study of Quality of Life. In: Tonon, G. (eds) Qualitative Studies in Quality of Life. Social Indicators Research Series, vol 55. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13779-7_1

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