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Why Research Methods Matter

Author : Susan T. Gooden and Rajade Berry-James

Publisher : Melvin & Leigh, Publishers

Page : 136 pages

File Size : 13,81 MB

Release : 2018-05-01

Category : Political Science

ISBN : 0999235931

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Book Description

This concise resource provides practical applications of why research methods are important for public administrators, who do not routinely perform data analysis, but often find themselves having to evaluate and make important decisions based on data analysis and evaluative reports they receive. It is also intended as a supplemental text for research methods courses at the graduate level and upper division undergraduate level. Why Research Methods Matter is essential reading for current and future managers in the public sector who seek to become savvy consumers of research.



Methods Matter

Author : Richard J. Murnane

Publisher : Oxford University Press

Page : 414 pages

File Size : 37,97 MB

Release : 2010-09-17

Category : Psychology

ISBN : 0199890153

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Book Description

Educational policy-makers around the world constantly make decisions about how to use scarce resources to improve the education of children. Unfortunately, their decisions are rarely informed by evidence on the consequences of these initiatives in other settings. Nor are decisions typically accompanied by well-formulated plans to evaluate their causal impacts. As a result, knowledge about what works in different situations has been very slow to accumulate. Over the last several decades, advances in research methodology, administrative record keeping, and statistical software have dramatically increased the potential for researchers to conduct compelling evaluations of the causal impacts of educational interventions, and the number of well-designed studies is growing. Written in clear, concise prose, Methods Matter: Improving Causal Inference in Educational and Social Science Research offers essential guidance for those who evaluate educational policies. Using numerous examples of high-quality studies that have evaluated the causal impacts of important educational interventions, the authors go beyond the simple presentation of new analytical methods to discuss the controversies surrounding each study, and provide heuristic explanations that are also broadly accessible. Murnane and Willett offer strong methodological insights on causal inference, while also examining the consequences of a wide variety of educational policies implemented in the U.S. and abroad. Representing a unique contribution to the literature surrounding educational research, this landmark text will be invaluable for students and researchers in education and public policy, as well as those interested in social science.



Methods That Matter

Author : M. Cameron Hay

Publisher : University of Chicago Press

Page : 459 pages

File Size : 18,36 MB

Release : 2016-05-05

Category : Education

ISBN : 022632866X

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Book Description

To do research that really makes a difference -- the authors of this book argue -- social scientists need a diverse set of questions and methods, both qualitative and quantitative, in order to reflect the complexity of the world. Bringing together a consortium of voices across a variety of fields, Methods That Matter offers compelling and successful examples of mixed methods research that does just that. Discussing their own endeavors to combine quantitative and qualitative methodologies, the authors invite readers into a conversation about the best designs and practices of mixed methods to stimulate creative ideas and find new pathways of insight. The result is an engaging exploration of a promising approach to the social sciences. --



Research Methods

Author : Kirsty Williamson

Publisher : Chandos Publishing

Page : 680 pages

File Size : 29,14 MB

Release : 2017-11-27

Category : Language Arts & Disciplines

ISBN : 0081022212

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Book Description

Research Methods: Information, Systems, and Contexts, Second Edition, presents up-to-date guidance on how to teach research methods to graduate students and professionals working in information management, information science, librarianship, archives, and records and information systems. It provides a coherent and precise account of current research themes and structures, giving students guidance, appreciation of the scope of research paradigms, and the consequences of specific courses of action. Each of these valuable sections will help users determine the relevance of particular approaches to their own questions. The book presents academics who teach research and information professionals who carry out research with new resources and guidance on lesser-known research paradigms. - Provides up-to-date knowledge of research methods and their applications - Provides a coherent and precise account of current research themes and structures through chapters written by authors who are experts in their fields - Helps students and researchers understand the range of quantitative and qualitative approaches available for research, as well as how to make practical use of them - Provides many illustrations from projects in which authors have been involved, to enhance understanding - Emphasises the nexus between formulation of research question and choice of research methodology - Enables new researchers to understand the implications of their planning decisions



Research Methods in Human-Computer Interaction

Author : Jonathan Lazar

Publisher : Morgan Kaufmann

Page : 562 pages

File Size : 40,6 MB

Release : 2017-04-28

Category : Computers

ISBN : 0128093439

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Book Description

Research Methods in Human-Computer Interaction is a comprehensive guide to performing research and is essential reading for both quantitative and qualitative methods. Since the first edition was published in 2009, the book has been adopted for use at leading universities around the world, including Harvard University, Carnegie-Mellon University, the University of Washington, the University of Toronto, HiOA (Norway), KTH (Sweden), Tel Aviv University (Israel), and many others. Chapters cover a broad range of topics relevant to the collection and analysis of HCI data, going beyond experimental design and surveys, to cover ethnography, diaries, physiological measurements, case studies, crowdsourcing, and other essential elements in the well-informed HCI researcher's toolkit. Continual technological evolution has led to an explosion of new techniques and a need for this updated 2nd edition, to reflect the most recent research in the field and newer trends in research methodology. This Research Methods in HCI revision contains updates throughout, including more detail on statistical tests, coding qualitative data, and data collection via mobile devices and sensors. Other new material covers performing research with children, older adults, and people with cognitive impairments. - Comprehensive and updated guide to the latest research methodologies and approaches, and now available in EPUB3 format (choose any of the ePub or Mobi formats after purchase of the eBook) - Expanded discussions of online datasets, crowdsourcing, statistical tests, coding qualitative data, laws and regulations relating to the use of human participants, and data collection via mobile devices and sensors - New material on performing research with children, older adults, and people with cognitive impairments, two new case studies from Google and Yahoo!, and techniques for expanding the influence of your research to reach non-researcher audiences, including software developers and policymakers



Research Methods and Statistics for Public and Nonprofit Administrators

Author : Masami Nishishiba

Publisher : SAGE Publications

Page : 393 pages

File Size : 22,39 MB

Release : 2013-09-17

Category : Political Science

ISBN : 1483301419

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Book Description

Research Methods and Statistics for Public and Nonprofit Administrators: A Practical Guide is a comprehensive, easy-to-read, core text that thoroughly prepares readers to apply research methods and data analysis to the professional environments of public and non-profit administration. The authors expertly incorporate original case examples to demonstrate concepts using “real actors,” facing specific scenarios, in which research methods must be applied. This unique approach—presented in language accessible to both students new to research as well as current practitioners—guides the reader in fully understanding the research options detailed throughout the text.



Research Methods in Education

Author : Joseph Check

Publisher : SAGE Publications

Page : 441 pages

File Size : 31,16 MB

Release : 2011-10-27

Category : Education

ISBN : 1412998514

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Book Description

Research Methods in Education introduces research methods as an integrated set of techniques for investigating questions about the educational world. This lively, innovative text helps students connect technique and substance, appreciate the value of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and make ethical research decisions. It weaves actual research "stories" into the presentation of research topics, and it emphasizes validity, authenticity, and practical significance as overarching research goals. The text is divided into three sections: Foundations of Research (5 chapters), Research Design and Data Collection (7 chapters), and Analyzing and Reporting Data (3 chapters). This tripartite conceptual framework honors traditional quantitative approaches while reflecting the growing popularity of qualitative studies, mixed method designs, and school-based techniques. This approach provides a comprehensive, conceptually unified, and well-written introduction to the exciting but complex field of educational research.



Understanding and Evaluating Research

Author : Sue L. T. McGregor

Publisher : SAGE Publications

Page : 880 pages

File Size : 46,60 MB

Release : 2017-10-25

Category : Social Science

ISBN : 1506350976

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Book Description

Understanding and Evaluating Research: A Critical Guide shows students how to be critical consumers of research and to appreciate the power of methodology as it shapes the research question, the use of theory in the study, the methods used, and how the outcomes are reported. The book starts with what it means to be a critical and uncritical reader of research, followed by a detailed chapter on methodology, and then proceeds to a discussion of each component of a research article as it is informed by the methodology. The book encourages readers to select an article from their discipline, learning along the way how to assess each component of the article and come to a judgment of its rigor or quality as a scholarly report.



Organizational Research Methods

Author : Paul M Brewerton

Publisher : SAGE

Page : 219 pages

File Size : 26,72 MB

Release : 2001-04-06

Category : Business & Economics

ISBN : 1412931479

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Book Description

`This text provides a timely and comprehensive introduction to major research methods in the Organizational sciences. It will be a boon to all students conducting their projects in this area, and may well become a standard reference for staff teaching research methods to undergraduate and postgraduate students of business studies or organizational behaviour′ - Professor Neil Anderson, Goldsmiths College, University of London ′This reasonably priced text would provide an invaluable starting point for those considering undertaking research in organisational settings′ - Paula Roberts, Nurse Researcher This book provides the reader with clear pointers for how to conduct organizational research appropriately, through planning and making informed and systematic research decisions, to understanding the ethical implications of applied organizational research, to implementing, reporting and presenting the findings to the highest possible standards. It provides an overview of a wide variety of research strategies, methods of data collection (both qualitative and quantitative) and analysis in a volume accessible to both an undergraduate, postgraduate and practitioner readership alike. Organizational Research Methods also represents a useful aid to the report writing task, indicating ways in which the project material can be most effectively organised for academic and feedback purposes, and by drawing upon real-life organizational contexts and examples to help the reader understand the core issues. Finally, the book offers a clear, manageable procedure for preparing a presentation to an academic or an organizational audience. Providing practical guidance on all elements of the research process, this book will be essential reading to all undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as researchers, in psychology, organizational studies and management disciplines.



Critical Sociolinguistic Research Methods

Author : Monica Heller

Publisher : Routledge

Page : 241 pages

File Size : 19,1 MB

Release : 2017-10-25

Category : Language Arts & Disciplines

ISBN : 1317577574

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Book Description

Critical Sociolinguistic Research Methods is a guide to conducting concrete ethnographic and discourse analytic research projects, written by top scholars for students and researchers in social science fields. Adopting a critical perspective focusing on the role of language in the construction of social difference and social inequality, the authors walk the reader through five key moments in the life of a research project: composing research questions, designing the project, doing fieldwork, performing data analysis and writing academic texts or otherwise engaging in conversation with different types of social actors about the project. These moments are illustrated by colour-coded examples from the authors’ experiences that help researchers and students follow the sequential stages of a project. Clear and highly applicable, with a detailed workbook full of practical tips and examples, this book is a great resource for graduate-level qualitative methods courses in linguistics and anthropology, as well as methods courses in the humanities and social sciences that focus on the role of language in research. It is a timely text for investigating language issues that matter and have consequences for people’s lives.