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    <meta content="Willis, Karen" name="eprints.creators_name" />
<meta content="Daly, Jeanne" name="eprints.creators_name" />
<meta content="Kealy, Michelle" name="eprints.creators_name" />
<meta content="Small, Rhonda" name="eprints.creators_name" />
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<meta content="The essential role of social theory in qualitative public health research" name="eprints.title" />
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theory; generalisability; evidence." name="eprints.keywords" />
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<meta content="Objective: To define the role of social
theory and examine how research studies
using qualitative methods can use social
theory to generalise their results beyond
the setting of the study or to other social
groups.
Approach: The assumptions underlying
public health research using qualitative
methods derive from a range of social
theories that include conflict theory,
structural functionalism, symbolic
interactionism, the sociology of knowledge
and feminism. Depending on the research
problem, these and other social theories
provide conceptual tools and models
for constructing a suitable research
framework, and for collecting and analysing
data. In combination with the substantive
health literature, the theoretical literature
provides the conceptual bridge that links
the conclusions of the study to other social
groups and settings.
Conclusion: While descriptive studies
using qualitative research methods can
generate important insights into social
experience, the use of social theory in
the construction and conduct of research
enables researchers to extrapolate their
findings to settings and groups broader
than the ones in which the research was
conducted." name="eprints.abstract" />
<meta content="2007" name="eprints.date" />
<meta content="published" name="eprints.date_type" />
<meta content="Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health" name="eprints.publication" />
<meta content="31" name="eprints.volume" />
<meta content="5" name="eprints.number" />
<meta content="438-443" name="eprints.pagerange" />
<meta content="10.1111/j.1753-6405.2007.00115.x" name="eprints.id_number" />
<meta content="TRUE" name="eprints.refereed" />
<meta content="1326-0200" name="eprints.issn" />
<meta content="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-6405.2007.00115.x" name="eprints.official_url" />
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Blackwell; 2002.
6. Nutbeam D, Harris E. Theory in a Nutshell: A Practitioner’s Guide to Commonly
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qualitative research. Qual Saf Health Care. 2004;13(3):223-5.
12. Dixon-Woods M, Fitzpatrick, R. Qualitative research in systematic reviews has
established a place for itself. Br Med J. 2001;323(7316):765-6.
13. Daly J, Willis K, Small R, Green J, et al. A hierarchy of evidence for assessing
qualitative health research. J Clin Epidemiol. 2007;60(1):43-9.
14. Heilbron J. The Rise of Social Theory. Cambridge (UK): Polity Press; 1995.
15. Cuff EC, Payne GCF, Francis DW, Hustler DE, Sharrock WW. Perspectives in
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16. Cuff EC, Sharrock WW, Francis DW. Perspectives in Sociology. 5th ed. London
(UK): Routledge; 2006.
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25. Blumer H. Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method. Berkeley (CA):
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Health Illn. 1986;8(2);137-69.
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on breast cancer in the Australian press. Int J Health Serv. 1994;24(1):73-89.
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Feminist Research. London (UK): Routledge &amp; Kegan Paul; 1981. p. 30-62.
39. Haynes RB, Yao X, Degani A, Kripalani S, et al. Interventions for enhancing
medication adherence (Cochrane Review). In: The Cochrane Database of Systematic
Reviews, Issue 4, 2005. Oxford (UK): Update Software; 2005.
40. Nack C. Bad girls and fallen women: chronic STD diagnoses as gateways to tribal
stigma. Symbolic Interaction. 2002;25:463-85.
41. Bottorff JL, Kalaw C, Johnson JL, Stewart M, et al. Tobacco use in intimate spaces:
issues in the study of couple dynamics. Qual Health Res. 2005;15:564-77." name="eprints.referencetext" />
<meta content="Willis, Karen and Daly, Jeanne and Kealy, Michelle and Small, Rhonda and Koutroulis, Glenda and Green, Julie and Gibbs, Lisa and Thomas, Samantha (2007) The essential role of social theory in qualitative public health research. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 31 (5). pp. 438-443. ISSN 1326-0200" name="eprints.citation" />
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<meta content="Objective: To define the role of social
theory and examine how research studies
using qualitative methods can use social
theory to generalise their results beyond
the setting of the study or to other social
groups.
Approach: The assumptions underlying
public health research using qualitative
methods derive from a range of social
theories that include conflict theory,
structural functionalism, symbolic
interactionism, the sociology of knowledge
and feminism. Depending on the research
problem, these and other social theories
provide conceptual tools and models
for constructing a suitable research
framework, and for collecting and analysing
data. In combination with the substantive
health literature, the theoretical literature
provides the conceptual bridge that links
the conclusions of the study to other social
groups and settings.
Conclusion: While descriptive studies
using qualitative research methods can
generate important insights into social
experience, the use of social theory in
the construction and conduct of research
enables researchers to extrapolate their
findings to settings and groups broader
than the ones in which the research was
conducted." name="DC.description" />
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    <h1 class="ep_tm_pagetitle">The essential role of social theory in qualitative public health research</h1>
    <p style="margin-bottom: 1em" class="not_ep_block"><span class="person_name">Willis, Karen</span> and <span class="person_name">Daly, Jeanne</span> and <span class="person_name">Kealy, Michelle</span> and <span class="person_name">Small, Rhonda</span> and <span class="person_name">Koutroulis, Glenda</span> and <span class="person_name">Green, Julie</span> and <span class="person_name">Gibbs, Lisa</span> and <span class="person_name">Thomas, Samantha</span> (2007) <xhtml:em>The essential role of social theory in qualitative public health research.</xhtml:em> Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 31 (5). pp. 438-443. ISSN 1326-0200</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em" class="not_ep_block"></p><table style="margin-bottom: 1em" class="not_ep_block"><tr><td valign="top" style="text-align:center"><a href="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/2670/1/Willis_et_al_social_theory_5B1_5D.pdf"><img alt="[img]" src="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/style/images/fileicons/application_pdf.png" class="ep_doc_icon" border="0" /></a></td><td valign="top"><a href="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/2670/1/Willis_et_al_social_theory_5B1_5D.pdf"><span class="ep_document_citation">PDF</span></a> - Full text restricted - Requires a PDF viewer<br />135Kb</td><td><form method="get" accept-charset="utf-8" action="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/cgi/request_doc"><input accept-charset="utf-8" value="3591" name="docid" type="hidden" /><div class=""><input value="Request a copy" name="_action_null" class="ep_form_action_button" onclick="return EPJS_button_pushed( '_action_null' )" type="submit" /> </div></form></td></tr></table><p style="margin-bottom: 1em" class="not_ep_block">Official URL: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-6405.2007.00115.x">http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-6405.2007.00115.x</a></p><div class="not_ep_block"><h2>Abstract</h2><p style="padding-bottom: 16px; text-align: left; margin: 1em auto 0em auto">Objective: To define the role of social&#13;
theory and examine how research studies&#13;
using qualitative methods can use social&#13;
theory to generalise their results beyond&#13;
the setting of the study or to other social&#13;
groups.&#13;
Approach: The assumptions underlying&#13;
public health research using qualitative&#13;
methods derive from a range of social&#13;
theories that include conflict theory,&#13;
structural functionalism, symbolic&#13;
interactionism, the sociology of knowledge&#13;
and feminism. Depending on the research&#13;
problem, these and other social theories&#13;
provide conceptual tools and models&#13;
for constructing a suitable research&#13;
framework, and for collecting and analysing&#13;
data. In combination with the substantive&#13;
health literature, the theoretical literature&#13;
provides the conceptual bridge that links&#13;
the conclusions of the study to other social&#13;
groups and settings.&#13;
Conclusion: While descriptive studies&#13;
using qualitative research methods can&#13;
generate important insights into social&#13;
experience, the use of social theory in&#13;
the construction and conduct of research&#13;
enables researchers to extrapolate their&#13;
findings to settings and groups broader&#13;
than the ones in which the research was&#13;
conducted.</p></div><table style="margin-bottom: 1em" cellpadding="3" class="not_ep_block" border="0"><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">Item Type:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row">Article</td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">Additional Information:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row">"The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.com"&#13;
</td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">Keywords:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row">Qualitative research; social&#13;
theory; generalisability; evidence.</td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">Subjects:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row"><a href="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/view/subjects/321200.html">320000 Medical and Health Sciences &gt; 321200 Public Health and Health Services</a><br /><a href="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/view/subjects/370000.html">370000 Studies in Human Society</a></td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">ID Code:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row">2670</td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">Deposited By:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row"><span class="ep_name_citation"><span class="person_name">Dr Karen Willis</span></span></td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">Deposited On:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row">13 Dec 2007 14:44</td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">Last Modified:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row">09 Jan 2008 02:30</td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">ePrint Statistics:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row"><a target="ePrintStats" href="/es/index.php?action=show_detail_eprint;id=2670;">View statistics for this ePrint</a></td></tr></table><p align="right">Repository Staff Only: <a href="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/cgi/users/home?screen=EPrint::View&amp;eprintid=2670">item control page</a></p>
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