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Good Research Guide : For Small-Scale Social Research Projects.

By: Material type: TextPublisher: Milton Keynes : McGraw-Hill Education, 2014Copyright date: ©2014Edition: 5th edDescription: 1 online resource (378 pages)Content type:
  • text
Media type:
  • computer
Carrier type:
  • online resource
ISBN:
  • 9780335264704
Subject(s): Genre/Form: DDC classification:
  • 300.72
Online resources:
Contents:
The Good Research Guide: For small-scale social research projects -- The Good Research Guide -- Summary of contents -- Contents -- List of tables and figures -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Part 1 Strategies for social research -- What are research strategies? -- Which strategy to choose? -- Checklist for the choice of research strategy -- 1 Surveys -- What is a survey? -- Types of survey -- Which type of survey to choose? -- Postal surveys -- Face-to-face surveys -- Group-administered surveys -- Telephone surveys -- Internet surveys -- Web-based questionnaire surveys -- Social network sites -- Facebook surveys -- The research population -- Response rates -- How to achieve good response rates -- Non-response bias -- Advantages of surveys -- Disadvantages of surveys -- Further reading -- Checklist for the use of surveys -- 2 Sampling -- Representative samples and exploratory samples -- Probability sampling and non-probability sampling -- Sampling frames -- Probability sampling techniques -- Non-probability sampling techniques -- Which sampling technique should be used? -- Size of the sample -- Advantages of sampling -- Disadvantages of sampling -- Further reading -- Checklist for the use of sampling -- 3 Case studies -- What is a 'case'? -- The case study approach -- The purpose of a case study -- Selecting a case -- Can you generalize from a case study? -- Advantages of the case study approach -- Disadvantages of the case study approach -- Further reading -- Checklist for the use of case studies -- 4 Experiments -- What is an experiment? -- When to use an experiment -- Types of experiment -- Experiments involving people - the observer effect -- Causal relationships and variables -- The use of controls -- Control groups -- Blind trials -- True experiments and quasi-experiments -- Advantages of experiments -- Disadvantages of experiments.
Further reading -- Checklist for the experimental approach -- 5 Ethnography -- What is ethnography? -- The alien, the exotic and the routine -- Life on the Internet -- Life history -- Access to fieldwork settings -- Description and theory -- Reflexivity: ethnographers as part of the world they seek to describe -- Putting the researcher's 'self' into ethnographic research -- Advantages of ethnography -- Disadvantages of ethnography -- Further reading -- Checklist for ethnographic research -- 6 Phenomenology -- What is the phenomenological approach? -- Experience -- The everyday world -- Seeing things through the eyes of others -- The social construction of reality -- Multiple realities -- Description -- The suspension of common-sense beliefs -- Members' accounts -- Types of phenomenology: underlying essences or actual experiences -- Advantages of phenomenology -- Disadvantages of phenomenology -- Further reading -- Checklist for phenomenology -- 7 Grounded theory -- What is the grounded theory approach? -- When is the grounded theory approach useful? -- Starting grounded theory research -- Theoretical sampling: the selection of sites for fieldwork -- Completing the research (theoretical saturation) -- Methods of data collection -- Analysing the data -- Displaying the process -- Theories and grounded research -- Developments in grounded theory -- Advantages of the grounded theory approach -- Disadvantages of the grounded theory approach -- Further reading -- Checklist for the grounded theory approach -- 8 Action research -- What is action research? -- The practical nature of action research -- Change and professional self-development -- Action research as a cyclical process -- Participation in the research process -- Issues connected with the use of action research -- Advantages of action research -- Disadvantages of action research.
Further reading -- Checklist for action research -- 9 Systematic reviews -- What is a systematic review? -- Benefits of a systematic review -- Kinds of research problem suitable for systematic review -- Qualitative research and systematic reviews -- How to conduct a systematic review -- Limitations to systematic reviews -- Advantages of systematic reviews -- Disadvantages of systematic reviews -- Further reading -- Checklist for the use of systematic reviews -- 10 Mixed methods -- What is the mixed methods approach? -- The benefits of using a mixed methods approach -- Resources and skills -- The design of mixed methods projects -- Triangulation in mixed methods research -- Non-corroboration of data -- Pragmatism and mixed methods -- A new research paradigm? -- Advantages of the mixed methods approach -- Disadvantages of the mixed methods approach -- Further reading -- Checklist for mixed methods research -- Part 2 Methods of data collection -- Selecting methods: a matter of 'horses for courses' -- Authorization for the research -- Preparation, planning and project management -- Record keeping -- Pilot study -- 11 Questionnaires -- What is a questionnaire? -- When is it appropriate to use a questionnaire? -- Self-completion questionnaires -- Successful questionnaires -- Vital elements of a research questionnaire -- The length of the questionnaire -- Questionnaire fatigue -- Devising the questions -- Check questions -- 'Open' and 'closed' questions -- Types of questions -- Web-based questionnaires -- Advantages of questionnaires -- Disadvantages of questionnaires -- Further reading -- Checklist for the use of questionnaires -- 12 Interviews -- What is a research interview? -- When is it appropriate to use interviews? -- The structure of interviews -- One-to-one interviews -- Group interviews -- Focus groups -- The interviewer effect.
Skills for face-to-face interviewing -- Conducting a face-to-face interview -- Recording the interview -- Online interviews -- How do you know the informant is telling the truth? -- Advantages of interviews -- Disadvantages of interviews -- Further reading -- Checklist for the use of interviews -- 13 Observation -- What is observational research? -- Perception and memory -- Systematic observation -- Observation schedules -- Sampling and observation -- Retaining the naturalness of the setting -- Example of an observation schedule -- Advantages of systematic observation -- Disadvantages of systematic observation -- Further reading -- Checklist for the use of observation schedules -- Participant observation -- Types of participation -- Fieldwork -- Research ethics -- Self, identity and participant observation -- Dangers of fieldwork -- Advantages of participant observation -- Disadvantages of participant observation -- Further reading -- Checklist for participant observation -- 14 Documents -- What is documentary research? -- Sources of documentary data -- Access to documentary sources -- The validity of documentary data -- The credibility of articles, journals and books -- The evaluation of Internet documents and web pages -- The credibility of official statistics -- The credibility of records of meetings -- Image-based research -- The use of 'created' images -- The use of 'found' images -- Advantages of documentary research -- Disadvantages of documentary research -- Further reading -- Checklist for the use of documents (text and visual images) -- Part 3 Data analysis -- Description -- Explanation -- Interpretation -- Quantitative and qualitative research -- The process of data analysis -- 15 Quantitative data -- Sources of quantitative data -- Types of quantitative data -- Describing the mid-point or average -- Describing the spread of data.
Looking for patterns and relationships in the data -- Statistical tests for association and difference -- Presenting the data: tables and charts -- Reliability and validity: quantitative research -- Advantages of quantitative data analysis -- Disadvantages of quantitative data analysis -- Further reading -- Checklist for the use of quantitative data -- 16 Qualitative data -- Types of qualitative data (words and images) -- Preparing qualitative data for analysis -- Transcribing audio recordings of interviews -- Computer-assisted qualitative data analysis -- Analysis of talk and text -- Content analysis -- Grounded theory -- Discourse analysis -- Conversation analysis -- Narrative analysis -- Analysis of image-based data -- Presenting the data -- Reliability and validity: qualitative research -- Advantages of qualitative data analysis -- Disadvantages of qualitative data analysis -- Further reading -- Checklist for the analysis of qualitative data -- Part 4 Context -- 17 Research ethics -- Ethics Committee approval -- The kinds of research that need ethical approval -- Codes of research ethics -- Key principles of research ethics -- Written consent form -- Data protection -- Ethics and Internet research -- Summary -- Further reading -- Checklist for research ethics -- 18 Research reports -- The structure of research reports -- Writing up qualitative research -- The research methods section -- Referencing -- Guidelines on style -- Guidelines on presentation -- Writing for an audience -- Producing accounts of research -- Further reading -- Checklist for writing research reports -- References -- Index.
Summary: The Good Research Guide is a best-selling introductory book on the basics of social research.
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The Good Research Guide: For small-scale social research projects -- The Good Research Guide -- Summary of contents -- Contents -- List of tables and figures -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Part 1 Strategies for social research -- What are research strategies? -- Which strategy to choose? -- Checklist for the choice of research strategy -- 1 Surveys -- What is a survey? -- Types of survey -- Which type of survey to choose? -- Postal surveys -- Face-to-face surveys -- Group-administered surveys -- Telephone surveys -- Internet surveys -- Web-based questionnaire surveys -- Social network sites -- Facebook surveys -- The research population -- Response rates -- How to achieve good response rates -- Non-response bias -- Advantages of surveys -- Disadvantages of surveys -- Further reading -- Checklist for the use of surveys -- 2 Sampling -- Representative samples and exploratory samples -- Probability sampling and non-probability sampling -- Sampling frames -- Probability sampling techniques -- Non-probability sampling techniques -- Which sampling technique should be used? -- Size of the sample -- Advantages of sampling -- Disadvantages of sampling -- Further reading -- Checklist for the use of sampling -- 3 Case studies -- What is a 'case'? -- The case study approach -- The purpose of a case study -- Selecting a case -- Can you generalize from a case study? -- Advantages of the case study approach -- Disadvantages of the case study approach -- Further reading -- Checklist for the use of case studies -- 4 Experiments -- What is an experiment? -- When to use an experiment -- Types of experiment -- Experiments involving people - the observer effect -- Causal relationships and variables -- The use of controls -- Control groups -- Blind trials -- True experiments and quasi-experiments -- Advantages of experiments -- Disadvantages of experiments.

Further reading -- Checklist for the experimental approach -- 5 Ethnography -- What is ethnography? -- The alien, the exotic and the routine -- Life on the Internet -- Life history -- Access to fieldwork settings -- Description and theory -- Reflexivity: ethnographers as part of the world they seek to describe -- Putting the researcher's 'self' into ethnographic research -- Advantages of ethnography -- Disadvantages of ethnography -- Further reading -- Checklist for ethnographic research -- 6 Phenomenology -- What is the phenomenological approach? -- Experience -- The everyday world -- Seeing things through the eyes of others -- The social construction of reality -- Multiple realities -- Description -- The suspension of common-sense beliefs -- Members' accounts -- Types of phenomenology: underlying essences or actual experiences -- Advantages of phenomenology -- Disadvantages of phenomenology -- Further reading -- Checklist for phenomenology -- 7 Grounded theory -- What is the grounded theory approach? -- When is the grounded theory approach useful? -- Starting grounded theory research -- Theoretical sampling: the selection of sites for fieldwork -- Completing the research (theoretical saturation) -- Methods of data collection -- Analysing the data -- Displaying the process -- Theories and grounded research -- Developments in grounded theory -- Advantages of the grounded theory approach -- Disadvantages of the grounded theory approach -- Further reading -- Checklist for the grounded theory approach -- 8 Action research -- What is action research? -- The practical nature of action research -- Change and professional self-development -- Action research as a cyclical process -- Participation in the research process -- Issues connected with the use of action research -- Advantages of action research -- Disadvantages of action research.

Further reading -- Checklist for action research -- 9 Systematic reviews -- What is a systematic review? -- Benefits of a systematic review -- Kinds of research problem suitable for systematic review -- Qualitative research and systematic reviews -- How to conduct a systematic review -- Limitations to systematic reviews -- Advantages of systematic reviews -- Disadvantages of systematic reviews -- Further reading -- Checklist for the use of systematic reviews -- 10 Mixed methods -- What is the mixed methods approach? -- The benefits of using a mixed methods approach -- Resources and skills -- The design of mixed methods projects -- Triangulation in mixed methods research -- Non-corroboration of data -- Pragmatism and mixed methods -- A new research paradigm? -- Advantages of the mixed methods approach -- Disadvantages of the mixed methods approach -- Further reading -- Checklist for mixed methods research -- Part 2 Methods of data collection -- Selecting methods: a matter of 'horses for courses' -- Authorization for the research -- Preparation, planning and project management -- Record keeping -- Pilot study -- 11 Questionnaires -- What is a questionnaire? -- When is it appropriate to use a questionnaire? -- Self-completion questionnaires -- Successful questionnaires -- Vital elements of a research questionnaire -- The length of the questionnaire -- Questionnaire fatigue -- Devising the questions -- Check questions -- 'Open' and 'closed' questions -- Types of questions -- Web-based questionnaires -- Advantages of questionnaires -- Disadvantages of questionnaires -- Further reading -- Checklist for the use of questionnaires -- 12 Interviews -- What is a research interview? -- When is it appropriate to use interviews? -- The structure of interviews -- One-to-one interviews -- Group interviews -- Focus groups -- The interviewer effect.

Skills for face-to-face interviewing -- Conducting a face-to-face interview -- Recording the interview -- Online interviews -- How do you know the informant is telling the truth? -- Advantages of interviews -- Disadvantages of interviews -- Further reading -- Checklist for the use of interviews -- 13 Observation -- What is observational research? -- Perception and memory -- Systematic observation -- Observation schedules -- Sampling and observation -- Retaining the naturalness of the setting -- Example of an observation schedule -- Advantages of systematic observation -- Disadvantages of systematic observation -- Further reading -- Checklist for the use of observation schedules -- Participant observation -- Types of participation -- Fieldwork -- Research ethics -- Self, identity and participant observation -- Dangers of fieldwork -- Advantages of participant observation -- Disadvantages of participant observation -- Further reading -- Checklist for participant observation -- 14 Documents -- What is documentary research? -- Sources of documentary data -- Access to documentary sources -- The validity of documentary data -- The credibility of articles, journals and books -- The evaluation of Internet documents and web pages -- The credibility of official statistics -- The credibility of records of meetings -- Image-based research -- The use of 'created' images -- The use of 'found' images -- Advantages of documentary research -- Disadvantages of documentary research -- Further reading -- Checklist for the use of documents (text and visual images) -- Part 3 Data analysis -- Description -- Explanation -- Interpretation -- Quantitative and qualitative research -- The process of data analysis -- 15 Quantitative data -- Sources of quantitative data -- Types of quantitative data -- Describing the mid-point or average -- Describing the spread of data.

Looking for patterns and relationships in the data -- Statistical tests for association and difference -- Presenting the data: tables and charts -- Reliability and validity: quantitative research -- Advantages of quantitative data analysis -- Disadvantages of quantitative data analysis -- Further reading -- Checklist for the use of quantitative data -- 16 Qualitative data -- Types of qualitative data (words and images) -- Preparing qualitative data for analysis -- Transcribing audio recordings of interviews -- Computer-assisted qualitative data analysis -- Analysis of talk and text -- Content analysis -- Grounded theory -- Discourse analysis -- Conversation analysis -- Narrative analysis -- Analysis of image-based data -- Presenting the data -- Reliability and validity: qualitative research -- Advantages of qualitative data analysis -- Disadvantages of qualitative data analysis -- Further reading -- Checklist for the analysis of qualitative data -- Part 4 Context -- 17 Research ethics -- Ethics Committee approval -- The kinds of research that need ethical approval -- Codes of research ethics -- Key principles of research ethics -- Written consent form -- Data protection -- Ethics and Internet research -- Summary -- Further reading -- Checklist for research ethics -- 18 Research reports -- The structure of research reports -- Writing up qualitative research -- The research methods section -- Referencing -- Guidelines on style -- Guidelines on presentation -- Writing for an audience -- Producing accounts of research -- Further reading -- Checklist for writing research reports -- References -- Index.

The Good Research Guide is a best-selling introductory book on the basics of social research.

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