research methods for the social sciences

Research Methods for the Social Sciences

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Wellington, Jerry / Szczerbinski, Marcin, PUBLISHER: Continuum, The aim of this book is to provide an introductory but not simplistic guide to research in the social and behavioural sciences. The book sets out to tackle difficult issues and concepts in a scholarly but accessible manner, providing ample guidance and signposts to further reading. We explore a wide range of questions about research and research methods, including: * What counts as good research? * Research approaches, paradigms, methods and methodology: what are they and what is the difference? * What is the so-called qualitative/ quantitative? * When and where is quantitative research indispensable? * If one suggests that research should be scientific what does that mean? * What methods and methodologies are used in social research? * What is the role of statistics in social and behavioural research? How should statistical evidence be interpreted? * What are the ways in which research can, and should, be disseminated and presented? This book is aimed as much at the reflective, researching professional as for the professional researcher.

Meta-Analytic Procedures for Social Research

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Rosenthal, Robert, PUBLISHER: Sage Publications (CA), Rosenthal sets out to describe meta-analytic procedures (the quantitative summary of a research domain) in sufficient detail for readers either to carry them out for themselves, or evaluate the procedures when used by others. The book addresses itself to techniques for solving the problems of poor cumulation and small effects -- both of which are sources of pessimism in the social and behavioural sciences. The level of mathematical sophistication required is that of elementary algebra and introductory data analysis, and the book is designed to be used by advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and researchers in the social and behavioural sciences.

Health Services Research Methods

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Shi, Leiyu, PUBLISHER: Cengage Learning, This book is intended to become a reference on research methods and analysis for health related research. It provides health students, practitioners, and researchers with a practical guide for conducting and evaluating health related research. It details the major components involved in conducting research including conceptualization, groundwork, choice of research methods, design, sampling, measurement, data collection and processing, statistical analysis and research reporting and application.

Practical Statistics for Students: An Introductory Text

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Cohen, Louis / Holliday, Michael, PUBLISHER: Paul Chapman Publishing, This bestselling textbook is designed to help students understand parametric and nonparametric statistical methods so that they can tackle research problems successfully. By working through this book carefully and systematically, those who may not have a strong background in mathematics will gain a thorough grasp of the most widely used statistical methods in the social sciences.

Motor Learning: Concepts and Applications with Powerweb:

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Magill, Richard A., PUBLISHER: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Langua, Designed for introductory students, this text provides the reader with a solid research base and defines difficult material by identifying concepts and demonstrating applications for each of those concepts. Motor Learning: Concepts and Applications also includes references for all relevant material to encourage students to examine the research for themselves.

Social Work Research and Evaluation: Quantitative and

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Grinnell, Richard M., JR. / Unrau, Yvonne A., PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press, USA, This book is the longest standing and most widely adopted text in the field of social work research and evaluation. Since the first edition in , it has been designed to provide beginning social work students the basic methodological foundation they need in order to successfully complete more advanced research courses that focus on single-system designs or program evaluations. Its content is explained in extraordinarily clear everyday language which is then illustrated with social work examples that social work students not only can understand, but appreciate as well. Many of the examples concern women and minorities, and special emphasis is given to the application of research methods to the study of these groups. Without a doubt, the major strength of this book is that it is written by social workers for social work students. The editors have once again secured an excellent and diverse group of social work research educators. The 31 contributors know firsthand, from their own extensive teaching and practice experiences, what social work students need to know in relation to research. They have subjected themselves to a discipline totally uncommon in compendia-that is, writing in terms of what is most needed for an integrated basic research methods book, rather than writing in line with their own predilections.

Evolutionary Politics

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Schubert, Glendon A., JR., PUBLISHER: Southern Illinois University Press, This synthesis of research into the behavior of humans and other social animals ranges horizontally from a congruence of the perspectives of the life sciences, social sciences, and physical sciences and longitudinally from that of the most recent 60 million years, but emphasizing the last 12 thousand years. From a political science perspective, these essays focus on both individual and small-group political behavior. Schubert's work draws extensively on contemporary evolutionary theory, biosocial and psychobiological theory, ethology and primatology, behavioral ecology, experimental work in animal behavior, neurobiology, human development, and the philosophy of both life and social sciences. Introducing and concluding the book are essays that discuss the implications of biology and the life sciences for the study of political science. The others center on five topics: political ethology (naturalistic study of human behavior as animal behavior); political evolution; evolutionary theory; evolutionary development (ecological, epigenetic, and ontogenetic); and the evolution of human thinking.

Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Research in

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Bamberger, Michael / Bamberger, Michael, PUBLISHER: World Bank Publications, "Much of the early work on poverty was highly quantitative:... It became increasingly clear, however, that while numbers are essential for policy and monitoring purposes, it is also important to understand people's perception of poverty and their mechanisms for coping with poverty and other situations of extreme economic and social stress." Researchers have recognized over the past few years that quantitative analysis of the incidence and trends in poverty, while essential for national economic development planning, must be complemented by qualitative methods that help planners and managers understand the cultural, social, political, and institutional context within which projects are designed and implemented. This report is based on a two-day workshop held in June , where outside research specialists and World Bank staff discussed the importance of integrating these research methods. The participants reviewed experiences in the use of mixed-method approaches in Bank research and project design. This report is a result of those discussions. The report examines the need for integrated research approaches in social and economic development, presents case studies of integrated approaches in practice, and talks about lessons learned.

Configurational Comparative Methods: Qualitative Comparative

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Rihoux, Benoit / Ragin, Charles C., PUBLISHER: Sage Publications (CA), Configurational Comparative Methods paves the way for an innovative approach to empirical scientific work through a strategy that integrates key strengths of both qualitative (case-oriented) and quantitative (variable-oriented) approaches. This first-of-its-kind text is ideally suited for "small-N" or "intermediate-N" research situations, which both mainstream qualitative and quantitative methods find difficult to address. Benoit Rihoux and Charles C. Ragin, along with their contributing authors, offer both a basic, comparative research design overview and a technical and hands-on review of Crisp-Set QCA (csQCA), Multi-Value QCA (mvQCA), and Fuzzy-Set QCA (fsQCA). Key Features Discusses existing applications in many different fields and disciplines along with state-of-the-art coverage of the strengths and limitations of these techniquesDemonstrates further inventive ways of using QCA techniquesProvides advice on how to develop a comparative research design (case and variable selection) as well as a specific technique called MSDO/MDSO (most similar, different outcome/most different, same outcome).Shows how to perform the technical operations linked to three specific QCA techniques: csQCA, mvQCA, and fsQCAIncludes a glossary, an extensive bibliography, and a detailed list of good practices at every stage of the research process Intended Audience A must for any student or researcher who wants to engage in systematic cross-case comparison in the social and behavioral sciences, the book is ideal for use in upper-level undergraduate and graduate-level social science research methods courses.

Essential Research Methods for Social Work

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Allen Rubin Earl R Babbie, PUBLISHER: Brooks Cole, NA

Methodology, Theory, and Knowledge in the Managerial and

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Geisler, Eliezer / Rogers, Everett M., PUBLISHER: Quorum Books, Geisler argues that the over-reliance on co-variation techniques and statistical methods, instead of process approach and in-depth analysis, produces meaningless knowledge in the managerial and organizational sciences, and indeed throughout all the social sciences. He offers instead a new and different approach, based on the notion of what he calls "dynamic morphologies"--an "architecture of slicing complex phenomena." This way it is possible to explain many inconsistencies in research findings, and to find a cohesive, systematic outlook on research, research design, and knowledge creation. Intellectually challenging and following in the footsteps of Kuhn, Argyris, and Popper, Geisler's approach is frankly revolutionary in research design and contains its own notions, terms, and nomenclature. A provocative discussion for academics and others well trained in the organizational, managerial, and social sciences. Geisler's dynamic morphologies provide a means to research complex phenomena and gain knowledge about them. They are composed of a chain of events, combined logically and temporally, and a method by which this process is studied. Geisler also contends that knowledge in the organizational and managerial sciences is only viable when it describes and explains the complex, higher-order phenomena. Therefore, theory building and research in these fields must be linked to higher-order constructs and the phenomena that they attempt to explain. This is the central notion of "amplitude" that Geisler introduces and describes. His book also criticizes the evolutionary epistemology view of knowledge creation and contends that knowledge in all of these fields of study in general is notevolutionary, but instead, cumulative and expansive.

Mining the Motherlode: Methods in Womanist Ethics

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Floyd-Thomas, Stacey M. / Cannon, Katie Geneva, PUBLISHER: Pilgrim Press, ital]Mining the Motherlode ital] clearly defines the tenets, resources, and methods of womanist Christian social ethics by providing a womanist orientation on how racial and gender ideologies as well as social position inform research methods for this field. Floyd-Thomas accomplishes this by: bullet] a) articulating the methodological contributions that womanist ethicists have made in this field of Christian ethics bullet] b) distinguishing between ital]traditional Christian ethics ital] and ital]liberation ethics ital] bullet] c) upholding Black women's moral struggles with race, class, and gender as an essential context to inform ethical inquiry and new possibilities for social justice. Will appeal to a board scholarly audience.

Research Methods for Generalist Social Work (Includes

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Christine R Marlow, PUBLISHER: CENGAGE Learning, NA Acquista Ora

Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Neuman, W. Lawrence / Neuman, PUBLISHER: Allyn & Bacon, This highly regarded text presents a comprehensive and balanced introduction to both qualitative and quantitative approaches to social research, emphasizing the benefits of combining various approaches.

Human Differences

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Aiken, Lewis R. / Aiken, PUBLISHER: Psychology Press, This text reviews the mass of information concerning the ways in which individuals and groups differ from each other. Reviews of research findings and interpretations are provided on: physical appearance, performance and health; cognitive abilities; personality; and development across the life span. Extensive treatment of foundations (historical, measurement, research methods, biological, social, and cultural) is also provided. Both normal and abnormal behaviors are considered. The book provides an interdisciplinary focus, including material from all the behavior and natural sciences, not just psychology, sociology, or biology.

Social Research and Social Reform: Essays in Honour of A. H.

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Crouch, Colin / Heath, Anthony, PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press, USA, In light of recent skepticism about the effectiveness of social research, this work provides an opportune reassessment of its influence. It also proposes new ways to consider the relationship of research to reform. The range of topics covered includes secondary educational reform, changing concepts of social work, women's studies, as well as the role of evaluation research in social policy in the United States and Sweden.

NYSTCE Last Liberal Arts and Sciences Test 001

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Wynne, Sharon A., PUBLISHER: Xam Online.com, Review for your Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (LAST) with confidence using XAMonline's sate-aligned LAST study guide, which offers comprehensive content for the sub-areas of Scientific, Mathematic, and Technological Processes; Historical and Social Scientific Awareness; Artistic Expression and the Humanities; and Communication and Research Skills. Sample test questions, over 80 in total, are provided at the end of each content area to help you practice and prepare for the real exam. Check your responses using the detailed answer rationales. In addition to a brand new layout, this edition features a bonus Assessment of Teaching Skills- Written (ATS-W) section. Get the guide that gets results and start studying today for your Liberal Arts and Sciences Test You can also purchase flashcards at www.xamonline.com for additional help.

Doing Critical Ethnography

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Thomas, Jim / Thomas, Jim, PUBLISHER: Sage Publications (CA), "The book offers communication researchers some of the best recent work on qualitative inquiry in the human disciplines.... Published by Sage, the leading publisher of qualitative research in the social sciences today.... Jim Thomas's method, well displayed in illustrations drawn from his emancipatory work in prisons, has important connections to the participatory action (Friere) and critical theory traditions.... This work brings the communication scholar up-to-date on where qualitative methods are in current sociological and educational discourse." --Norman K. Denzin in Journal of Communication If a researcher's responsibility entails the righting of social wrongs and producing valid research results, how is it possible to juxtapose these two goals? Representing the marriage of two traditions in social science, critical theory and qualitative research, Doing Critical Ethnography applies a critical worldview to the conventional logic of cultural inquiry. This innovative volume does not oppose conventional ethnography; rather, it offers a style of thinking about the direct relationship between knowledge, society, and political action. The author defines the rules and guidelines for a praxis-oriented ethnographic tradition, one both ideologically engaged and scientifically valid. He also outlines the various types of critical ethnography and explains the tenets of each and how research can be carried out under these frameworks. This challenging volume will be useful to students and professionals in qualitative research in social theory, and critical studies.

Ecological Research to Promote Social Change: Methodological

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Revenson, Tracey A. / D'Augelli, Anthony R., PUBLISHER: Springer, During the past quarter century, community psychologists have worked to make relevant contributions to human welfare in community settings and to effect social change. Working with and in schools, neighborhood organizations, religious institutions, social programs, and government agencies, the community psychologist has come to understand how social settings and social policy influence behavior and foster change that promotes individual health and well-being. Using a social ecological paradigm as their guiding framework, they focus on the interactions between persons and their environments, cultural diversity, and local empowerment for understanding organizational, community, and social change. Community psychologists have relied on multiple methods of obtaining data but more often, they have had to develop new methodologies or adapt existing ones. These innovative methods have been recorded in the American Journal of Community Psychology throughout the years of its history and have changed the way that researchers in the field have gathered data.

A Narrative History of Experimental Social Psychology: The

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Patnoe, Shelley, PUBLISHER: Springer, "A Narrative History of Experimental Social Psychology" presents lengthy and intensive interviews with the contemporary scientists that founded and shaped the field of social psychology. The story of social psychology is told through the autobiographical narratives of leading figures, such as Dorwin Cartwright, Harold Kelley, Kurt Back, Robert Krauss, Stanley Schachter, and Leon Festinger. The author traces the beginning of the field from the close-knit group of students around Kurt Lewin to the major research groups responsible for the scientific origins of the discipline. The interviews offer unique insights into the beginnings of the fields and prospects for future trends.

The Statistical Imagination: Elementary Statistics for the

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Ritchey, Ferris, PUBLISHER: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Langua, "The Statistical Imagination," a basic social science statistics text with illustrations and exercises for sociology, social work, political science, and criminal justice courses, teaches readers that statistics is not just a mathematical exercise; it is a way of analyzing and understanding the social world. Praised for a writing style that takes the anxiety out of statistics courses, the author explains basic statistical principles through a variety of engaging exercises, each designed to illuminate the unique theme of examining society both creatively and logically. In an effort to make the study of statistics relevant to students of the social sciences, the author encourages readers to interpret the results of calculations in the context of more substantive social issues, while continuing to value precise and accurate research. Ritchey begins by introducing students to the essentials of learning statistics; fractions, proportions, percentages, standard deviation, sampling error and sampling distribution, along with other math hurdles, are clearly explained to fill in any math gaps students may bring to the classroom. Treating statistics as a skill learned best by doing, the author supplies a range of student-friendly questions and exercises to both demystify the calculation process, and to encourage the kind of proportional thinking needed to master the subject. In addition to pencil-and-paper exercises, "The Statistical Imagination" includes computer-based assignments for use with the free Student Version SPSS 9.0 CD-ROM that accompanies each new copy of the book.

Evaluating Research Methods in Psychology: A Case Study

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Dunbar, George, PUBLISHER: Bps Blackwell, Using a series of over 40 case studies, this valuable text illustrates the processes and pitfalls involved in evaluating psychological research. Invites students to consider whether the conclusion drawn at the end of each case is correct, or whether the results could have an alternative explanation. Cross-referencing between sections is made easy by page references that link the case studies and explanations. Cases reflect the range of research methods taught at undergraduate level and include qualitative research. Gives students an understanding of methodological problems. Equips students to critically evaluate published research. The author and publishers have made every effort to be fair to the authors of the research described in this book. Like all sciences, psychology is forged in the fire of criticism and refinement, and we hope that the original researchers will understand that any criticism is made with the utmost respect. If you are an author of one of the pieces of research mentioned in the book and would like to respond to the critique presented, please e-mail your comments to Andrew McAleer at .

Master the CLEP

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Petersons Publishing, PUBLISHER: Peterson's Nelnet Co, Each year, more than students take one or more of the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests to get college credit for their life experiences. Peterson's Master the CLEP offers the essential test prep for the 5 General CLEP tests: College Mathematics, Humanities, Social Sciences and History, Natural Sciences, and the new College Composition exam. Packed with practice tests as well as expert test-taking advice and thorough subject review, Master the CLEP provides complete preparation for the CLEP tests. Offers pre-tests, subject overviews, and post-tests for each of the 5 CLEP test subjects. Contains 2 full-length practice tests for each of the 5 general subject exams: College Composition, Humanities, College Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences/History All questions include answer keys and full answer explanations. Expert test-taking tips and techniques to help score high on the CLEP. Everything test-takers need to know about the CLEP tests-what they are, how they're scored and reported, how and where to register for them, and study and test-taking tips-essential information for the more than students who take this exam each year to gain college credit.

Mathematical Methods in Queuing Theory

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Kalashnikov, Vladimir V., PUBLISHER: Springer, This volume presents an overview of mathematical methods used in queuing theory, and various examples of solutions of problems using these methods are given. Many of the topics considered are not traditional, and include general Markov processes, test functions, coupling methods, probability metrics, continuity of queues, quantitative estimates in continuity, convergence rate to the stationary state and limit theorems for the first occurrence times. Much attention is also devoted to the modern theory of regenerative processes. Each chapter concludes with problems and comments on the literature cited. For researchers and graduate students in applied probability, operations research and computer science.

Using Research in Organizations: A Guide to Successful

ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Rothman, Jack, PUBLISHER: Sage Publications (CA), Applied social research is a resource as yet largely untapped by the very organizations that could most benefit from it. In order to discover the ways in which research can best be brought into social programmes, the author went directly to organizations that have made effective use of research -- in this case British Social Services departments -- which are uniquely appropriate for this kind of study as they are staffed with researchers as well as administrators. The answers of key informants, synthesized with existing utilization research, provides the first comprehensive attempt to define the concerns and techniqes of an important new focus of study. 'In this short volume, Rothman has done researchers of all types a favor by cogently summarizing the literature on research utilization as well as presenting many explicit guidelines for enhancing the research utilization. Both basic researchers as well as applied researchers will find the book of interest and direct applicability.' -- Sociology, Jul/Aug

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