Sharp, Elizabeth et al. 2014. Cultivating the Family Studies Terrain: A Synthesis of Qualitative Conceptual Articles. Journal of Family Theory & Review 6: 139-168.
This article aims to cultivate the family studies field within a focus on reviewing and synthesizing qualitative work published since 1985 in the field. The authors select 48 articles dispersed across 12 Family Studies journals and two influential theory books, and classify them by three overarching patterns: (a) appreciating qualitative works,(b) expanding the number, the types of paradigmatic framing, research designs, and qualitative analyses), and (c) improving qualitative research. Using these patterns as framework, the authors then encourage scholars to spend less attention appreciating qualitative research and calling for expansion as well as critical correctives and theorizing. Finally, they recommend instead more critical engagement, greater synthesis, and contemplation of fertile issues accompanying the vast (existing and potential) territory of qualitative research in family studies.