Social Research Methods
Published on 29. July 2022
Book
Paperback/Softback
432 pages
978-0-19-085366-2 (ISBN)
Description
This is a comprehensive text for the research methods course taught out of sociology or other social science disciplines. It covers a wide range of methods and approaches to study design, data collection, and analysis. It is clear, comprehensive, and pays equal attention to both qualitative and quantitative methods, while offering practical, step-by-step advice to students through all stages of the research process. This includes formulating questions, choosing methods, recruiting participants, analyzing the data, and writing up the results. The text also features examples from studies that employ an intersectional analysis, and engages meaningfully with discussions of race, class, gender, sexuality, and disability.
Reviews / Votes
This is an accessible and student-friendly text that makes research methods come to life by connecting them to the most important and relevant issues of the day. This book checks every box for something that I would want for my students. * Kathrin Parks, ^lLoras College* Social Research Methods uses clear examples from current studies and prioritizes issues of diversity. It provides a fresh perspective, uses accessible language, and employs logic to explain complex concepts to students. * Monica Solinas-Saunders, ^lIndiana University Northwest
* This is by far the most helpful sociology methods textbook I've come across. It sets itself apart from other social science textbooks by paying less attention to experiments and more to survey and in-depth interview skills. * Hien Park, ^lVanguard University
* As a textbook for undergrads being introduced to research methods, it is just right. It is straightforward, concise, and conversational. I love the interactive classroom exercises at the end of each chapter. * Karen Jeong Robinson, ^lCSU-San Bernardino
*
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Dimensions
Height: 254 mm
Width: 203 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-19-085366-2 (9780190853662)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Alan Bryman | Edward Bell | Jennifer Reck
Social Research Methods
Loose-leaf edition
09/2021
Oxford University Press
€67.14
Article exhausted; check different version
Content
- Contents
- Part One
- Principles of Research
- 1 What Is Social Research?
- A Particular Way of Knowing?
- Overview
- Introduction: Why Study Research Methods?
- Knowledge Creation
- Theory Building and Testing
- Perceptions, Values, and Practicalities
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- 2 What Principles and Standards Guide Research?
- Research Ethics ?
- Overview
- Introduction: Why Are Research Ethics Important?
- The History of Research Ethics
- Institutional Oversight and Research Ethics
- Key Ethical Principles in Research
- Ethics as a Question of Power and Social Justice
- Considering Ethics in Research
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- Part Two
- Concepts and Cases
- 3 How Do Researchers Identify and Evaluate Social Concepts?
- Measurement
- Overview
- Introduction: What Is Measurement?
- Identifying and Measuring Concepts
- Conceptualization and Operationalization
- Measurement in Quantitative Research
- Reliability and Validity
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- 4 How Do Researchers Select the People, Places, and Things to Study?
- Sampling?
- Overview
- Introduction: Why do Researchers Do Sampling?
- Sampling in the Research Process
- Generalizability and Representativeness
- Probability Sampling
- Types of Probability Sampling
- Non-Probability Sampling
- Types of Non-Probability Sampling
- Sampling Error
- Considerations during the Sampling Process
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- Part Three
- Modes and Practices of Inquiry
- 5 How Can Researchers Understand Meaning, Process, and Experience in the Social World?
- Qualitative Research?
- Overview
- Introduction: How Qualitative Research Favors Depth over Breadth
- The Emergence of Qualitative Approaches
- Defining Qualitative Research
- The Main Goals of Qualitative Researchers
- The Main Steps in Qualitative Research
- The Distinct Perspective of Qualitative Research
- Considering Qualitative Approaches
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- 6 How Can Researchers Enumerate and Examine Broad Patterns to Social Life?
- Quantitative Research
- Overview
- Introduction: How Quantitative Research Examines Broad Trends and Patterns
- The Emergence of Quantitative Approaches
- The Main Goals of Quantitative Researchers
- The Main Steps in Quantitative Research
- The Distinct Perspective of Quantitative Research
- Some Contrasts between Qualitative and Quantitative Research
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- 7 Where Do Principles and Practice Meet in Research?
- Study Design?
- Overview
- Introduction: Choosing a Study Design for Your Research
- Experimental Design
- Collecting Data at Different Points in Time: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Design
- Case Study Design
- Modes of Inquiry and Study Design
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- Part Four
- Gathering Information
- 8 How Do Researchers Study Patterns that Span Populations and Categories of Experience?
- Questionnaires and Structured Interviews?
- Overview
- Introduction: Why Surveys Are Efficient
- Different Kinds of Surveys
- Writing Survey Questions
- Questionnaire Design
- Conducting Structured Interviews
- Pilot Studies and Pre-Testing Questions
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- 9 How Do Researchers Learn about People's Perspectives and Lives?
- Qualitative Interviewing
- Overview
- Introduction: Why the Interview Is the Most Widely Used Qualitative Research Method
- Types of Qualitative Interviews: Unstructured and Semi-structured
- Preparing for a Qualitative Interview
- Conducting Qualitative Interviews
- Focus Groups
- Online Interviews and Focus Groups
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- 10 How Can Researchers Study the Patterns of People's Lives?
- Participant Observation and Ethnography
- Overview
- Introduction: Why Participant Observation and Ethnography Are Not the Same
- Why Participant Observation?
- Selecting and Navigating a Setting
- Balancing Participation and Observation
- Field Notes
- Innovations in Ethnographic Research
- Exiting the Field Well
- Comparing Ethnography and Qualitative Interviewing
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- 11 How Do Researchers Study the Ways Meanings Are Communicated in Everyday Life?
- Content Analysis
- Overview
- Introduction: Why Content Analysis Is an Unobtrusive Method of Research
- Documents for Study
- Choosing Documents to Examine: Sampling
- Analyzing Communication Trends and Meanings using Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches
- Key Considerations in Content Analysis
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- 12 What Can Researchers Learn from Information Others Collected?
- Existing Data
- Overview
- Introduction: Research Using Shared Data
- Large Surveys as Existing Data
- Analysis of Official Statistics
- Analysis of Government Documents
- Analysis of Oral History Collections
- Analysis of Big Data
- Considerations When Conducting Secondary Analysis
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- Part Five
- Interpreting and Sharing What We've Learned
- 13 How Do Researchers Develop Inductive Findings?
- Qualitative Data Analysis
- Overview
- Introduction: Why Managing Qualitative Information Can Be Challenging
- Managing and Organizing Qualitative Data
- Approaches to Qualitative Analysis
- Other Methods of Qualitative Analysis
- The Technology of Analysis
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- 14 How Do Researchers Develop Deductive Findings?
- Quantitative Data Analysis
- Overview
- Introduction: Why Data Analysis Is the Starting Point for Quantitative Research
- Types of Variables
- Descriptive and Inferential Statistics
- Quantitative Analysis as a Tool for Understanding
- Univariate Analysis
- Bivariate Analysis
- Multivariate Analysis
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- 15 How Do Researchers Record and Share Their Work?
- Writing and Dissemination
- Overview
- Introduction: How to Get Started
- Effective Writing
- Disseminating Your Work
- Presentations
- Issues to Consider when Disseminating Research
- And Finally
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- Glossary
- References
- Photo Credits
- Index
- Part One
- Principles of Research
- 1 What Is Social Research?
- A Particular Way of Knowing?
- Overview
- Introduction: Why Study Research Methods?
- Knowledge Creation
- Theory Building and Testing
- Perceptions, Values, and Practicalities
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- 2 What Principles and Standards Guide Research?
- Research Ethics ?
- Overview
- Introduction: Why Are Research Ethics Important?
- The History of Research Ethics
- Institutional Oversight and Research Ethics
- Key Ethical Principles in Research
- Ethics as a Question of Power and Social Justice
- Considering Ethics in Research
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- Part Two
- Concepts and Cases
- 3 How Do Researchers Identify and Evaluate Social Concepts?
- Measurement
- Overview
- Introduction: What Is Measurement?
- Identifying and Measuring Concepts
- Conceptualization and Operationalization
- Measurement in Quantitative Research
- Reliability and Validity
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- 4 How Do Researchers Select the People, Places, and Things to Study?
- Sampling?
- Overview
- Introduction: Why do Researchers Do Sampling?
- Sampling in the Research Process
- Generalizability and Representativeness
- Probability Sampling
- Types of Probability Sampling
- Non-Probability Sampling
- Types of Non-Probability Sampling
- Sampling Error
- Considerations during the Sampling Process
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- Part Three
- Modes and Practices of Inquiry
- 5 How Can Researchers Understand Meaning, Process, and Experience in the Social World?
- Qualitative Research?
- Overview
- Introduction: How Qualitative Research Favors Depth over Breadth
- The Emergence of Qualitative Approaches
- Defining Qualitative Research
- The Main Goals of Qualitative Researchers
- The Main Steps in Qualitative Research
- The Distinct Perspective of Qualitative Research
- Considering Qualitative Approaches
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- 6 How Can Researchers Enumerate and Examine Broad Patterns to Social Life?
- Quantitative Research
- Overview
- Introduction: How Quantitative Research Examines Broad Trends and Patterns
- The Emergence of Quantitative Approaches
- The Main Goals of Quantitative Researchers
- The Main Steps in Quantitative Research
- The Distinct Perspective of Quantitative Research
- Some Contrasts between Qualitative and Quantitative Research
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- 7 Where Do Principles and Practice Meet in Research?
- Study Design?
- Overview
- Introduction: Choosing a Study Design for Your Research
- Experimental Design
- Collecting Data at Different Points in Time: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Design
- Case Study Design
- Modes of Inquiry and Study Design
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- Part Four
- Gathering Information
- 8 How Do Researchers Study Patterns that Span Populations and Categories of Experience?
- Questionnaires and Structured Interviews?
- Overview
- Introduction: Why Surveys Are Efficient
- Different Kinds of Surveys
- Writing Survey Questions
- Questionnaire Design
- Conducting Structured Interviews
- Pilot Studies and Pre-Testing Questions
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- 9 How Do Researchers Learn about People's Perspectives and Lives?
- Qualitative Interviewing
- Overview
- Introduction: Why the Interview Is the Most Widely Used Qualitative Research Method
- Types of Qualitative Interviews: Unstructured and Semi-structured
- Preparing for a Qualitative Interview
- Conducting Qualitative Interviews
- Focus Groups
- Online Interviews and Focus Groups
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- 10 How Can Researchers Study the Patterns of People's Lives?
- Participant Observation and Ethnography
- Overview
- Introduction: Why Participant Observation and Ethnography Are Not the Same
- Why Participant Observation?
- Selecting and Navigating a Setting
- Balancing Participation and Observation
- Field Notes
- Innovations in Ethnographic Research
- Exiting the Field Well
- Comparing Ethnography and Qualitative Interviewing
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- 11 How Do Researchers Study the Ways Meanings Are Communicated in Everyday Life?
- Content Analysis
- Overview
- Introduction: Why Content Analysis Is an Unobtrusive Method of Research
- Documents for Study
- Choosing Documents to Examine: Sampling
- Analyzing Communication Trends and Meanings using Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches
- Key Considerations in Content Analysis
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- 12 What Can Researchers Learn from Information Others Collected?
- Existing Data
- Overview
- Introduction: Research Using Shared Data
- Large Surveys as Existing Data
- Analysis of Official Statistics
- Analysis of Government Documents
- Analysis of Oral History Collections
- Analysis of Big Data
- Considerations When Conducting Secondary Analysis
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- Part Five
- Interpreting and Sharing What We've Learned
- 13 How Do Researchers Develop Inductive Findings?
- Qualitative Data Analysis
- Overview
- Introduction: Why Managing Qualitative Information Can Be Challenging
- Managing and Organizing Qualitative Data
- Approaches to Qualitative Analysis
- Other Methods of Qualitative Analysis
- The Technology of Analysis
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- 14 How Do Researchers Develop Deductive Findings?
- Quantitative Data Analysis
- Overview
- Introduction: Why Data Analysis Is the Starting Point for Quantitative Research
- Types of Variables
- Descriptive and Inferential Statistics
- Quantitative Analysis as a Tool for Understanding
- Univariate Analysis
- Bivariate Analysis
- Multivariate Analysis
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- 15 How Do Researchers Record and Share Their Work?
- Writing and Dissemination
- Overview
- Introduction: How to Get Started
- Effective Writing
- Disseminating Your Work
- Presentations
- Issues to Consider when Disseminating Research
- And Finally
- Key Points
- Questions for Review
- Portfolio Exercise
- Interactive Activities
- Online Resources
- Glossary
- References
- Photo Credits
- Index