Designing Social Research

Designing Social Research
Author: Norman Blaikie
Publisher: Polity
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2009-11-16
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0745643388

The basic requirements for research designs and research proposals are laid out at the beginning of the book, followed by discussion of the major design elements, and the choices that need to be made about them. Four sample research designs at the end of the volume illustrate the application of the research strategies.

Designing Social Research

Designing Social Research
Author: Ian Greener
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2011-04-13
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1446210081

Designing Social Research aims to guide students and new researchers using everyday non-jargonised language through the jungle of setting up their own research study. Ian Greener provides readers an accessible combination of guidance on how to practically plan one′s research and understand the underpinning methodological principles that should inform the decisions we make about the methods we plan to use. This is the perfect starter book for anyone looking to design their own research project and make sense of and justify the many decisions that go into the research design process. The goal throughout is to enable students and researchers to assess the appropriateness of a range of methods and to get understanding of the strengths and limitations of different approaches to research. Greener highlights key debates in the field - both philosophical and practical - and presents them in such a way that they remain constantly relevant to research practice of his readers. Coverage includes: - Framing an effective research question/problem; - Examining the jargon of social research; - The links between theory, methodology and method; - The role of literature reviewing in research design; - Managing and planning the research process; - Sampling; - Qualitative designs; - Quantitative designs; - Mixed methods designs; - Data analysis. Designing Social Research will be ideal first reading for M-level students and undergraduates planning significant research projects for their dissertations. It will also be invaluable to first year PhD students considering how they will go about their research projects.

Designing Social Inquiry

Designing Social Inquiry
Author: Gary King
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 259
Release: 1994-05-22
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0691034710

Designing Social Inquiry focuses on improving qualitative research, where numerical measurement is either impossible or undesirable. What are the right questions to ask? How should you define and make inferences about causal effects? How can you avoid bias? How many cases do you need, and how should they be selected? What are the consequences of unavoidable problems in qualitative research, such as measurement error, incomplete information, or omitted variables? What are proper ways to estimate and report the uncertainty of your conclusions?

Research Design in Social Research

Research Design in Social Research
Author: D. A. De Vaus
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2001-03-05
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 9780761953470

The book provides the reader with an understanding of the importance of research design and its place in the research process; describes the main types of research designs in social research; explains the logic and purposes of design to enable students to evaluate particular research strategies; equips students with the design skills to operate in real-world research situations.

Designing Social Science Research

Designing Social Science Research
Author: Oddbjørn Bukve
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2019-01-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 303003979X

This book presents different research designs, their respective purposes and merits as well as their underlying assumptions. Research designs are characterised by a certain combination of knowledge aims and strategies for data production. An adequate design is the key to carrying out a successful research project. Nevertheless, the literature on design is scarce, compared to the literature on methods. This book clarifies the basic distinction between variable-oriented designs and case designs, and proceeds to integrated, comparative and intervention-oriented designs. A step-by-step guide to the design process and the choices to make is also included. The book's clear style makes it an excellent guide for master students and PhD students doing their first research exercises, while it is also useful for more experienced researchers who want to broaden their design repertoire and keep up to recent innovations in the field of research design.

Designing Research in the Social Sciences

Designing Research in the Social Sciences
Author: Martino Maggetti
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2012-12-18
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 144629109X

This innovative research design text will help you make informed choices when carrying out your research project. Covering both qualitative and quantitative approaches, and with examples drawn from a wide range of social science disciplines, the authors explain what is at stake when choosing a research design, and discuss the trade-offs that researchers have to make when considering issues such as: - causality - categories and classification - heterogeneity - interdependence - time This book will appeal to students and researchers looking for an in-depth understanding of research design issues to help them design their projects in a thoughtful and responsible way.

Research Design

Research Design
Author: Stephen Gorard
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2013-02-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1446290859

Research design is of critical importance in social research, despite its relative neglect in many methods resources. Early consideration of design in relation to research questions leads to the elimination or diminution of threats to eventual research claims, by encouraging internal validity and substantially reducing the number of alternative explanations for any finite number of research ′observations′. This new book: discusses the nature of design; gives an introduction to design notation; offers a flexible approach to new designs; looks at a range of standard design models; and presents craft tips for real-life problems and compromises. Most importantly, it provides the rationale for preferring one design over another within any given context. Each section is illustrated with case studies of real work and concludes with suggested readings and topics for discussion in seminars and workshops, making it an ideal textbook for postgraduate research methods courses. Based on the author′s teaching on the ESRC Doctoral Training Centre "Masters in Research Methods" at the University of Birmingham, and his ongoing work for the ESRC Researcher Development Initiative, this is an essential text for postgraduate researchers and academics. There is no book like Research Design on the market that addresses all of these issues in an easy to comprehend style, for those who want to design research and make critical judgements about the designs of others.

Designing and Constructing Instruments for Social Research and Evaluation

Designing and Constructing Instruments for Social Research and Evaluation
Author: David Colton
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 465
Release: 2015-06-22
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1119177979

Written in easy-to-understand language, this important text provides a systematic and commonsense approach to developing instruments for data collection and analysis. This book can be used by both those who are developing instruments for the first time and those who want to hone their skills, including students, agency personnel, program managers, and researchers. This book provides a thorough presentation of instrument construction, from conception to development and pre-testing of items, formatting the instrument, administration, and, finally, data management and presentation of the findings. Throughout the book, the authors emphasize how to create an instrument that will produce trustworthy and accurate data. To that end they have included guidelines for reviewing and revising the questionnaire to enhance validity and reliability. They also show how to work effectively with stakeholders such as instruments designers, decision-makers, agency personnel, clients, and raters or respondents.