Creative Possibilities and Responsibilities: A Review of Maria J. Mayan's Essentials of Qualitative Inquiry

In her book, Essentials of Qualitative Inquiry (2009), Maria J. Mayan has provided a highly readable text. Using examples, tables, charts, plus exercises at the end of each chapter, a student new to the field, or an instructor looking for a useful text will find a good companion in this book. In addition to her thorough teaching, Maria Mayan uses humor, humility, and transparency to convey her deep moral and philosophical commitment to scientific rigor, as well as a deep sensitivity to honoring the stories researchers strive to tell about the human condition. Key Words: Qualitative Research, Qualitative Research Manual, and Ethics I have just completed Maria J. Mayan's (2009) compact book (146 pages in paperback) Essentials of Qualitative Inquiry. She ends with the following: Qualitative research insists-thank goodness-that we can never adequately describe the human condition (Frank, 2005). In the end, we can construct sensible, complex, fascinating, and indefinite accounts of reality that simultaneously evoke wonderment and unease about what it means to be part of our social world. (pp. 138-139) Maria Mayan (2009) writes with passion and humor. Reading her book, I felt as though we were having a cup of coffee and I was sitting across from her having a conversation. Her literary voice feels so accessible that it was easy, when I had a question, to email her. She emailed back the next day. Not quite a coffee conversation, but close. Above all, her writing reflects a humble approach to the task of being a qualitative researcher, one in which all the moral, philosophical, and creative possibilities and responsibilities are laid squarely on the shoulders of the researcher. We cannot shrink from the daunting and elevating task of describing other peoples' lives, and we had better acknowledge the "fascinating," the "indefinite," the "wonderment," and the "unease" that will accompany the journey. Mayan's (2009) book is directed to the beginning qualitative researcher. It would make an excellent text for any qualitative research class. It is a thorough primer, useful also for those who may be past the beginning stages of this style of inquiry. The book is divided into ten chapters. Each chapter concludes with exercises that make excellent class assignments, which allows students to experience by doing what the chapter has been teaching. There are also examples and charts that help organize and illustrate the material throughout the chapters. There are appendices at the end of the book that further illustrate specific examples of data analysis (i.e., transcription, field notes, and a document analysis template). Chapter One begins with an introduction to qualitative inquiry. To capture an example of the author's sensitive style, Mayan (2009) cautions that "...qualitative researchers aim not to limit a phenomenon-make it neat, tidy, and comfortable-but to break it open...so that a description of the phenomenon, in all of its contradictions, messiness, and depth, is (re)presented" (p. 11). Mayan is a stickler for methodological coherence, which is key to scientific rigor and trustworthiness. She describes and provides an exercise called the "armchair walkthrough" (p. 17) to help the fledgling researcher think through "the methodological trajectory of an entire research project" (p. 13). The research question drives the trajectory, not the researcher's favorite qualitative method or philosophy. I particularly enjoyed Mayan's "Qualitative Annoyances" reflecting her very personal, transparent style: "I have a few minor irritations that can flare up into great frustration, particularly on bad days", i.e., "It can be done by journalists"; "It's only anecdotal" (pp. 18-19). Chapter Two focuses on theory and method with an easily understood summary of the dialogic nature and multiple possibilities existing in any piece of research. In this chapter, how choice of method and theoretical perspective/position (which are reviewed in Table 2. …