Review Essay: Potentials and Limits of Qualitative Research in Developmental Psychology

Abstract

The Handbook of Qualitative Developmental Psychology (Handbuch Qualitative Entwicklungspsychologie) infuses qualitative research methodological questions within the field of developmental psychology with didactic finesse. Potentials and limits of qualitative research are discussed in regard to their applicability in research with infants and children. A highlight of the book is the methodological section that combines fundamental philosophical questions with their application in concrete research situations. This section clearly demonstrates that the research process should never start by method selection alone, but rather by theoretical reasoning—an aspect that is often ignored. The methodological section offers a broad and satisfactory overview of the usual methods, helping to give the reader a first impression of how these methods work. This is the reason why I would recommend this book to every novice as well as to everyone who is interested in qualitative research in developmental psychology. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs060482