Dying to Know: Qualitative Research with Terminally Ill Persons and their Families

This article illustrates the use of qualitative research methods in the field of thanatology. The authors - a former doctoral candidate and her dissertation chair - describe their ongoing naturalistic inquiry of terminally ill persons and their family members. By describing the reasoning and decision-making informing their study, the authors provide an instructive how to on the following topics: finding a research question and a method; assessing risks and benefits; sampling; gaining entry/access to research informants; participant observation; interviewing; analyzing data, and establishing relational integrity. In a final section, the first author offers reflections on the personal challenges she faced while conducting her research