Handbook of Applied Social Research Methods


Book Description

Handbook of Applied Social Research Methods is a comprehensive, intelligent & authoritative guide to researchers who need to select & use the most suitable approach, specific designs, & data collection procedures for their applied research.




The SAGE Handbook of Applied Social Research Methods


Book Description

This Handbook addresses the methodology of social science research and the appropriate use of different methods.




Applied Research Design


Book Description

"The Terry E. Hedrick, Leonard Bickman, and Debra J. Rog text provides a framework for designing research that is adaptable to almost any applied setting and constantly reiterates the need for establishing and maintaining credibility with the client at each level of the research process. Although the applied research book is a practical guide, suitable to accompany any thorough applied design textbook, it does a comprehensive job of presenting the distinction between basic and applied research. It introduces many topics found in the general methodology textbooks. This overlap will help students to feel comfortable in using the general skills in a more specific and complex manner." --Contemporary Psychology "For researchers needing to know how to plan and design applied research projects, Applied Research Design will be a most welcome publication. . . . The writing is clear and concise, graphics are utilized helpfully, and this book will be much appreciated by beginning social scientists who are serious but uncertain about the methodologies possible for doing applied research." --Academic Library Book Review Aimed at helping researchers and students make the transition from the classroom and the laboratory to the "real" world, the authors reveal pitfalls to avoid and strategies to undertake in order to overcome obstacles in the design and planning of applied research. Applied Research Design focuses on refining research questions when actual events force deviations from the original analysis. To accomplish this, the authors discuss how to study and monitor program implementation, statistical power analysis, and how to assess the human and material resources needed to conduct an applied research design to facilitate the management of data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Appropriate for professionals and researchers who have had some previous exposure to research methods, this book will enable the development of research strategies that are credible, useful, and--more important--feasible.




The SAGE Handbook of Social Research Methods


Book Description

The SAGE Handbook of Social Research Methods is a must for every social-science researcher. It charts the new and evolving terrain of social research methodology, covering qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods in one volume. The Handbook includes chapters on each phase of the research process: research design, methods of data collection, and the processes of analyzing and interpreting data. The volume maintains that there is much more to research than learning skills and techniques; methodology involves the fit between theory, research questions research design and analysis. The book also includes several chapters that describe historical and current directions in social research, debating crucial subjects such as qualitative versus quantitative paradigms, how to judge the credibility of types of research, and the increasingly topical issue of research ethics. The Handbook serves as an invaluable resource for approaching research with an open mind. This volume maps the field of social research methods using an approach that will prove valuable for both students and researchers.




The SAGE Handbook of Applied Social Psychology


Book Description

In the present epoch of global change, movement, interconnection and the intensification of social issues within and across many societies, applied social psychology is more relevant than ever. The SAGE Handbook of Applied Social Psychology offers an overview of the field and the disparate and evolving approaches. Through an international team of contributors, the handbook brings prominent research literature together and organises it around ten key areas: Part 01: Culture, race, indigeneity Part 02: Gender & Sexuality Part 03: Politics Part 04: Health and mental health Part 05: Work Part 06: Ageing Part 07: Communication Part 08: Education Part 09: Environment Part 10: Criminal Justice, Law, & Crime This handbook is a uniting and invigorating resource for the field of Applied Social Psychology.




Practical Sampling


Book Description

Sampling is fundamental to nearly every study in the social and policy sciences, yet clear, concise guidance for practitioners and graduate students has been difficult to find. Practical Sampling provides guidance for researchers dealing with the everyday problems of sampling. Using the practical design approach Henry integrates sampling into the overall research design and explains the interrelationships between research design and sampling choices. He lays out alternatives and implications of the choices using four detailed examples to illustrate the alternatives selected and the trade-offs made by applied researchers. The author uses a narrative, conceptual approach throughout the book; mathematical presentations are limited to necessary formulas; and calculations are kept to the absolute minimum, making it an easily approachable book for any researcher, student or professional across the social sciences.




The Handbook of Social Research Ethics


Book Description

Brings together international scholars across the social and behavioural sciences and education to address those ethical issues that arise in the theory and practice of research within the technologically advancing and culturally complex world in which we live.




Managing Applied Social Research


Book Description

Essential management guidance for real-world applied research projects Managing Applied Social Research equips you with the skills, strategies, and knowledge you need to effectively manage research projects. Written by a team of nationally-known researchers, this book covers the systematic management of applied social research studies from 'soup to nuts,' providing researchers with an easy-to-follow process and the tools and templates for improving the quality, ethical conduct, and usefulness of the final products. The authors merge expertise adapted from the field of project management with their decades of experience in using established research methodologies and practices to offer readers; practical examples and insights gleaned from major research houses such as Rand, Urban Institute, Mathematica, American Institutes for Research, and others. Key concepts and methodologies are systematically unpacked, with detailed discussion of both theoretical bases and practical applications in the field. Written in plain English, the case studies and vignettes illustrate typical approaches to different scenarios, and the checklists, templates, and other tools provide guides for action. Starting from basic social research strategies, you'll build an understanding of applied research issues and how projects are best managed in a messy, imperfect world. From conceptualization and proposal through implementation, analysis, and reporting, this book helps you lead your projects to success. Learn the skills and concepts necessary to effectively manage applied research projects for the social science disciplines Anticipate and prepare for common challenges and obstacles Understand the various roles and their requisite tasks and responsibilities Learn strategies for making effective decisions about a study's scope, work, schedule, people, budget, and risks during each phase of the research study Social science research is an essential well of information upon which society is run. Proper management is the key to any research project's success, and success becomes more critical in the field given the potential ramifications in terms of policy and its effects on real, everyday people. Managing Applied Social Research provides sound guidance and expert insight with an essential real-world focus.




Research Methods in Family Therapy


Book Description

Fully revised and updated, the second edition of this widely adopted text and professional reference reflects significant recent changes in the landscape of family therapy research. Leading contributors provide the current knowledge needed to design strong qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies; analyze the resulting data; and translate findings into improved practices and programs. Following a consistent format, user-friendly chapters thoroughly describe the various methodologies and illustrate their applications with helpful concrete examples. Among the ten entirely new chapters in the second edition is an invaluable research primer for beginning graduate students. Other new chapters cover action and participatory research methods, computer-aided qualitative data analysis, feminist autoethnography, performance methodology, task analysis, cutting-edge statistical models, and more.




Applied Social Research


Book Description

Applied Social Research focuses on the real world context of applied research. It discusses the often overlooked, yet essential process of planning: poor planning inevitably produces inadequate research. The text helps researchers decide how to approach their applied research problems and to think through the major issues in the design and analysis of their project. 'Applied Social Research' also discussed the idea that in applied social research the use of a single method type is unlikely to provide answers to the often complex set of research questions being addressed and highlights the benefits of using two or more research methods in the one study. The author argues that such mixed method designs are becoming widely used in applied social research, particularly where the methods combine qualitative and quantitative data, thereby enabling a richer set of data to provide various perspectives on the research topic, removing limitations imposed by using single methods. Examples of such designs are provided throughout, useful mixed method designs are outlined and their advantages discussed.