Now in its fourth edition, this textbook continues to provide students with explanation and demonstration of the main approaches and techniques in social research methods. It shows students how to assess the contexts within which different research methods may be used, and how they should be implemented
. Packed with features to promote learning this text is ideal for use on an introductory methods course or for readers carrying out their own research project. It presents: - an overview of the philosophy and principles of research - qualitative and quantitative research methods and research design - a critical review of selected methods - methods of gathering information, such as interviews and focus groups, and discusses issues associated with ensuring quality of information - appropriate methods for analysing and interpreting data, and covers the process of communicating research. The inclu.
Qualitative research methods: an overview / Darin Weinberg -- The stranger / Georg Simmel -- Paradigmatic traditions in the history of anthropology / George W. Stocking, Jr. -- Everett C. Hughes and the development of fieldwork in sociology / Jean-Michel Chapoulie -- The life history and the scientific mosaic / Howard S. Becker -- Talking and listening from women's standpoint: feminist strategies for interviewing and analysis / Marjorie L. DeVault -- Active interviewing / James A. Holstein and Jaber F. Gubrium -- Narrative authenticity / Elinor Ochs and Lisa Capps -- The place of field work in social science / Everett C. Hughes -- On fieldwork / Erving Goffman -- Difference and dialogue: members' readings of ethnographic texts / Robert M. Emerson and Melvin Pollner -- In search of Horatio Alger: culture and ideology in the crack economy / Phillipe Bourgois -- Activity types and language - Stephen C. Levinson -- Reflections on talk and social structure / Emanuel A. Schegloff -- Refusing invited applause: preliminary observations from a case study of charismatic oratory / J. Maxwell Atkinson -- The interpretation of documents and material culture / Ian Hodder -- Professional vision / Charles Goodwin -- Artwork: collection and contemporary culture / Chandra Mukerji
Qualitative research is employed more and more often by business researchers and practitioners alike. Part of its success is due to the fact that qualitative research seems to demand less effort and skill than quantitative research. However, because of the multitude of possibilities and choices that need to be made, performing a qualitative research project is not, as at first glance it seems to be, an easy endeavor. This custom book intends to provide participants in the Qualitative Research Methods course with the basic handles to steer their first qualitative research project journey. The road to success in this project is made up by a trajectory of methodological procedures: choosing the appropriate qualitative research techniques; performing a systematic collection and analysis of qualitative data; and a constant comparison of and critical reflection on the findings. --
"We wrote this book for undergraduate students taking a research methods course, most often in sociology departments but also in other social science disciplines, such as health studies, social work, and education. We cover a wide range of methods and approaches to study design, data collection, and analysis. Research methods are not tied to any particular nation, and the principles underlying them transcend national boundaries. The same is true of this book. Alan Bryman wrote the original text on which ours is based with the needs of British postsecondary students in mind, but instructors across Europe and Canada adopted it as well. Edward Bell later adapted Bryman's textbook for Canadian instructors and students. He preserved the qualities that contributed to the book's initial success-its clarity, comprehensiveness, and presentation of social research methods in an international context-while expanding the discussion of Canadian and, more broadly, North American examples, sources, and research studies. We, Jen Reck and Jessica Fields, adapted Bryman and Bell's Canadian text for a U.S. audience. We were initially drawn to the text as a foundation for ours not only because of its clarity and comprehensiveness but also for its attention to qualitative and quantitative methods. The text took differences between qualitative and quantitative research seriously, but did not assume that those differences are either inevitable or insurmountable. We've tried to preserve these qualities in this adaptation while bringing concerns and commitments of special importance to American readers. We emphasize research methods as a tool to understand and address social problems, divisions, and inequities with which the United States and other countries struggle. We approach research as a collection of decisions to be made thoughtfully: having considered one's options and with implications and consequences in sight. And we highlight the work of scholars from historically marginalized communities in an effort to broaden and deepen the available picture of sociological research. Our hope is that this book, first, elevates the work already underway to address historical inequities and, second, welcomes a new generation of scholars into the sociological project of seeking understanding as way to promote justice"--
Addiction Research Methods is a comprehensive handbook for health professionals, policy-makers and researchers working and training in the field of addiction. The book provides a clear, comprehensive and practical guide to research design, methods and analysis within the context of the field of alcohol and other drugs. The reader is introduced to fundamental principles and key issues; and is orientated to available sources of information and key literature.
Disembodied research erects false dichotomies between flesh and reason, and between the corporeal and the social. By contrast, Torkild Thanem and David Knights engage with approaches and practices that exploit the body's capacity to generate knowledge, craft lively accounts, and create fleshy concepts. These approaches enrich our understanding of how people live, work, and interact with their bodies within the social world. Thanem and Knights discuss methods, practices, and personal experiences which involve bodies in the research process -- in generating and analysing empirical material, reflecting on the work they do as researchers, and turning research into written text. Embodied Research Methods is an important and practical resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students across the social sciences, and a thought-provoking read for researchers in these areas.