Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approache

Features

• Presents a more balanced coverage of qualitative and quantitative methods than any other book on the market, and illustrates how the greatest benefit often comes fromcombining various approaches.

• Discusses the social and historical context of research, and teaches students to recognize ethnocentric perspectives and the assumptions, values, and beliefs of their own society.

• In chapter 1, there are separate descriptions and examples of the steps in the research process for quantitative and qualitative approaches, to underscore some of the fundamental differences.

• Chapter 3, “Theory and Research,”  helps students with no prior coursework in social theory understand the importance of theory and its connection to research.

• Contains many explanatory diagrams and interesting examples drawn from scholarly literature.

• Incorporates feminist and postmodernist theories in the “Meaning of Methodologies” chapter (Ch. 4).

• Covers "Writing a literature review" and "Ethics" early in Chapter 5.

• Concludes with a chapter on writing a research report.

• Appendix on Evaluation Research help students see how to apply research in practical settings.

• The Chapter on Survey Research (Ch. 10) covers the latest technology, including computer-assisted interviewing and Web surveys.

• The politics of research are discussed in the context of writing a literature report (Ch. 16).

• Key terms are called out and defined in boxes at the bottom of the pages where they appear, for easier study and review.