Jimmie Manning (PhD, University of Kansas) is an associate professor of communication at Northern Illinois University. His research program focuses on meaning-making in relationships and has been supported by a number of funding agencies including the National Science Foundation and Learn & Serve America. He has generated over 50 publications including the co-edited Case Studies of Communication About Sex and journal articles in outlets such as Communication Monographs and Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. That research has won numerous awards, including the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality Early Professional Leadership Award and ten different top-paper designations from professional academic organizations. He teaches classes exploring relational communication, qualitative research methods, social media, communication theory, and cultural studies, and has received the National Communication Association Outstanding Mentor in Master’s Education Award and the Central States Communication Association’s Outstanding New Teacher Award, among other teaching honors. He currently edits the journal Sexuality & Communication.
This accessible book explores and demonstrates methodological tools used to guide qualitative relationships research, especially studies of interpersonal communication. Researching Interpersonal Relationships introduces both classic and cutting-edge methodological approaches for qualitative inquiry and analysis, including opening chapters with accessible overviews of interpretive theory and research design. Additional chapters feature a detailed overview of a specific method and analytical tool and are illustrated by original research studies from leading scholars in the field, each in a different interpersonal communication context. Post-study interviews with the researchers are also provided to allow new and experienced researchers a better understanding of how qualitative research approaches can expand and solidify understandings of personal relationships. This groundbreaking book is the first of its kind written especially for relationships researchers on qualitative research, and it makes a welcome addition to advanced undergraduate and graduate student classrooms as well as any serious qualitative relationships researcher's bookshelf.
