Social Research


Book Description







Strategies and Tactics of Behavioral Research and Practice


Book Description

Strategies and Tactics of Behavioral Research and Practice focuses on the most effective methods for measuring and evaluating changes in behavior. The authors provide the rationale for different procedures for measuring behavior and designing within-subject comparisons between control and intervention conditions. The text explains the strengths and weaknesses of methodological alternatives for every topic so that behavioral researchers and practitioners can make the best decisions in each situation. This classic text has been extensively revised to be more accessible and practical. Not only does it feature much more discussion of how research methods are relevant to today’s practitioners, it also includes additional examples based on field research and service delivery scenarios. With expanded coverage on creating experimental designs, as well as new chapters on behavioral assessment, the statistical analysis of data, and ethical issues associated with research methods, this book provides a strong foundation for direct behavioral measurement, within-subject research design, and interpretation of behavioral interventions. Enriched with more pedagogical features, including key terms, tables summarizing important points, figures to help readers visualize text, and updated examples and suggested readings, this book is an invaluable resource for students taking courses in research methods. This book is appropriate for researchers and practitioners in behavior analysis, psychology, education, social work, and other social and health science programs that address questions about behavior in research or practice settings.




Guide to Methods for Students of Political Science


Book Description

Stephen Van Evera greeted new graduate students at MIT with a commonsense introduction to qualitative methods in the social sciences. His helpful hints, always warmly received, grew from a handful of memos to an underground classic primer. That primer evolved into a book of how-to information about graduate study, which is essential reading for graduate students and undergraduates in political science, sociology, anthropology, economics, and history - and for their advisers. -How should we frame, assess, and apply theories in the social sciences? "I am unpersuaded by the view that the prime rules of scientific method should differ between hard science and social science. Science is science." -A section on case studies shows novices the ropes. -Van Evera contends the realm of dissertations is often defined too narrowly "Making and testing theories are not the only games in town.... If everyone makes and tests theories but no one ever uses them, then what are they for?" -In "Helpful Hints on Writing a Political Science Ph.D. Dissertation," Van Evera focuses on presentation, and on broader issues of academic strategy and tactics. -Van Evera asks how political scientists should work together as a community. "All institutions and professions that face weak accountability need inner ethical rudders that define their obligations in order to stay on course."




Handbook of Teaching and Learning Social Research Methods


Book Description

This comprehensive Handbook illustrates the wide range of approaches to teaching and learning social research methods in the classroom, online, in the field and in informal contexts. Bringing together contributors from varied disciplines and nations, it represents a landmark in the development of pedagogical culture for social research methods.




Methods of Social Research


Book Description

An introduction for undergraduates to every stage of sociological research, showing how to deal effectively with typical problems they might encounter. The book is fully updated to include examples from the LA riots and the 1992 presidential elections.







Bryman's Social Research Methods


Book Description

Clear, comprehensive, and trusted, Bryman's Social Research Methods has guided over a quarter of a million students through their research methods course and student research project. The thoroughly updated sixth edition offers unrivalled coverage of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods with renewed focus and a fresh, modern feel.The authors have worked closely with lecturers and students in thoroughly updating the sixth edition to reflect the current social science landscape, and carefully streamlining content to make it relevant and appealing to today's students. As a result, the text's comprehensive coverage - which includes many new examples and additional material on areas such as social media research and big data - is now even clearer, more focused, and easier to navigate.NEW TO THIS EDITIONThoroughly but sensitively updated by three new authors. Dr Tom Clark, Dr Liam Foster, and Dr Luke Sloan bring specialist expertise and have worked closely with students and lecturers to build on Alan Bryman's impressive legacy.Extensively streamlined to provide even more focused coverage of the key aspects of social research, with adjustments made throughout to improve clarity and aid navigation.A clean, attractive new design makes the material easier than ever to read and use.Coverage - including citations and real research examples - has been broadened to better reflect the concerns and contexts of the book's geographically diverse, multi-disciplinary readership. Discussions of feminist perspectives have also been updated to highlight wider issues relating to marginalised groups and power dynamics in research, and inclusive, ethical practices are consistently endorsed.New material on recent developments within social research, including social media research and big data, has been embedded throughout and the numerous examples of real research have been thoroughly updated.In new 'Learn from experience' boxes, recent social science graduates from across the UK and Europe share their experiences of conducting a student research project. These candid accounts will inspire readers and help them to avoid common pitfalls and emulate successful approaches.Expanded digital resources now include a 'research process in practice' simulation, answers to the end-of-chapter questions, videos from the new 'Learn from experience' graduate panel, and screencast tutorials covering the data analysis software packages SPSS, Nvivo, R, and Stata.This title is available as an eBook. Please contact your Learning Resource Consultant for more information.







Philosophical Foundations of Social Research Methods: Philosophical issues in research strategies


Book Description

The 'philosophy of social research' is a subset of the philosophy of social science, but also an important subject area spanning methodology and method. The articles in this collection are the best exemplars of key positions in a very wide disciplinary field. Topics covered include science and art in the history of social research, positivism and antipositivism, language and the linguistic turn, realism and anti-realism, theory and theory choice, logic and models, prediction and laws, interpretation, probability and complexity.