How to Ask Survey Questions


Book Description

Intended at helping readers prepare and use reliable and valid survey questions, this title shows readers how to: ask valid and reliable questions for the context; determine whether to use open or closed questions; and, choose the right type of measurement (categorical, nominal or ordinal) for responses to survey questions.




Measuring Social Judgments


Book Description

`Assign this book in a graduate social psychology methods course. It deserves to be read by social psychologists, and the factorial survey technique should be fully integrated into the tool kit of those who go on to practice policy-relevant research...The Rossi-Nock volume is a quite important work as it stands, and future developments will make it even more important.' -- Contemporary Psychology, Vol 28 No 6, 1983 `Measuring Social Judgments provides ready access to a highly adaptable technique for measuring complex perceptions of social objects, situations, and actions that is systematic and capable of considerable accuracy. Anyone with an interest in the state of this useful art should take a look.' -- C




Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods


Book Description

To the uninformed, surveys appear to be an easy type of research to design and conduct, but when students and professionals delve deeper, they encounter the vast complexities that the range and practice of survey methods present. To complicate matters, technology has rapidly affected the way surveys can be conducted; today, surveys are conducted via cell phone, the Internet, email, interactive voice response, and other technology-based modes. Thus, students, researchers, and professionals need both a comprehensive understanding of these complexities and a revised set of tools to meet the challenges. In conjunction with top survey researchers around the world and with Nielsen Media Research serving as the corporate sponsor, the Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods presents state-of-the-art information and methodological examples from the field of survey research. Although there are other "how-to" guides and references texts on survey research, none is as comprehensive as this Encyclopedia, and none presents the material in such a focused and approachable manner. With more than 600 entries, this resource uses a Total Survey Error perspective that considers all aspects of possible survey error from a cost-benefit standpoint. Key Features Covers all major facets of survey research methodology, from selecting the sample design and the sampling frame, designing and pretesting the questionnaire, data collection, and data coding, to the thorny issues surrounding diminishing response rates, confidentiality, privacy, informed consent and other ethical issues, data weighting, and data analyses Presents a Reader′s Guide to organize entries around themes or specific topics and easily guide users to areas of interest Offers cross-referenced terms, a brief listing of Further Readings, and stable Web site URLs following most entries The Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods is specifically written to appeal to beginning, intermediate, and advanced students, practitioners, researchers, consultants, and consumers of survey-based information.




An Introduction to Survey Research, Polling, and Data Analysis


Book Description

The nature of survey research - The survey process - Sampling procedures - Questionnaire construction - The data collection stage - Coding practices - Designing survey - The process of data analysis - Single-variable statistics - Statistical inference for means - Two-variable tables - Measures of association - Control tables - Correlation and regression - Writing survey reports - Evaluating surveys - The ethics of polls.




Character Strengths and Virtues


Book Description

"Character" has become a front-and-center topic in contemporary discourse, but this term does not have a fixed meaning. Character may be simply defined by what someone does not do, but a more active and thorough definition is necessary, one that addresses certain vital questions. Is character a singular characteristic of an individual, or is it composed of different aspects? Does character--however we define it--exist in degrees, or is it simply something one happens to have? How can character be developed? Can it be learned? Relatedly, can it be taught, and who might be the most effective teacher? What roles are played by family, schools, the media, religion, and the larger culture? This groundbreaking handbook of character strengths and virtues is the first progress report from a prestigious group of researchers who have undertaken the systematic classification and measurement of widely valued positive traits. They approach good character in terms of separate strengths-authenticity, persistence, kindness, gratitude, hope, humor, and so on-each of which exists in degrees. Character Strengths and Virtues classifies twenty-four specific strengths under six broad virtues that consistently emerge across history and culture: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. Each strength is thoroughly examined in its own chapter, with special attention to its meaning, explanation, measurement, causes, correlates, consequences, and development across the life span, as well as to strategies for its deliberate cultivation. This book demands the attention of anyone interested in psychology and what it can teach about the good life.







Factorial Survey Experiments


Book Description

Filling a gap in the literature of the field, Factorial Survey Experiments provides researchers with a practical guide to using the factorial survey method to assess respondents’ beliefs about the world, judgment principles, or decision rules through multi-dimensional stimuli (“vignettes”) that resemble real-life decision-making situations. Using insightful examples to illustrate their arguments, authors Katrin Auspurg and Thomas Hinz guide researchers through all relevant steps, including how to set up the factorial experimental design (drawing samples of vignettes and respondents), how to handle the practical challenges that must be mastered when an experimental plan with many different treatments is embedded in a survey format, and how to deal with questions of data analysis. In addition to providing the “how-tos” of designing factorial survey experiments, the authors cover recent developments of similar methods, such as conjoint analyses, choice experiments, and more advanced statistical tools.




Measures of Personality and Social Psychological Attitudes


Book Description

This volume is sponsored by Division 9 of the American Psychological Association: The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.****This is an essential reference book for any social scientist or student who uses measuresof attitude or personality in his or her research. The earlier version, published twenty years ago, was to be found on the shelf of virtually everyone who worked in the field. - Serves as an update and extension of a highly useful book published twenty years ago - Employs a systematic standardized evaluation of 150 scales - Chapters on specific types of scales are written by experts in those subfields




DHEW Publication


Book Description




EBOOK: Researching Criminology


Book Description

"...what makes the book stand out is the inclusion of real research into various criminal justice institutions that have actually been undertaken by the authors. In doing so, what is produced is a book that stimulates interest and injects research passion, as well as offering research ‘know how’ into what can often be a difficult and sometimes dry area of research." Tina Patel, Liverpool John Moores University "This book provides an essential tool for undergraduate students embarking upon their own research projects in Criminology. It provides clear and informative guidance on a range of research methods and designs to assist students in their own criminological endeavours." Jacki Tapley, University of Portsmouth How do criminologists go about studying crime and its consequences? How are programmes for offenders and communities evaluated? How can you collect and analyse criminological material? Research on crime and criminality is often referred to by the media, policy makers and practitioners, but where does this research come from and how reliable is it? Designed especially for students on criminology and criminal justice courses, and professionals working in the field, Researching Criminology emphasises the importance of research as an integrated process. It looks at the ways in which a mixture of investigative methods can be used to analyze a criminological question. Written by two experienced researchers and lecturers Researching Criminology is a comprehensive introduction to the aims, principles and methods of doing criminological research. The book covers all the key topics that you will encounter when researching crime. Individual chapters include material on: The research process Principles of researching criminology How to design criminological research Evaluation research Researching ethically A glossary of essential key concepts Structured in three parts, addressing the principles of criminological research, how to collect and analyse material and providing detailed examples of real world research, Researching Criminology will be of benefit to all students of criminology and criminal justice, for practitioners interested in criminological research, and for those undertaking criminological research for the first time.