Small-Scale Research

Small-Scale Research
Author: Peter T Knight
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2002-03-29
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780761968627

Written with the needs of students uppermost, Small-Scale Research is a direct, comprehensive guide for students doing theses, dissertations, papers and projects. It systematically works through the central methods of inquiry and demonstrates the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches.

Mastering the Semi-Structured Interview and Beyond

Mastering the Semi-Structured Interview and Beyond
Author: Anne Galletta
Publisher: NYU Press
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2013-06-17
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0814732941

Mastering the Semi-Structured Interview and Beyond offers an in-depth and captivating step-by-step guide to the use of semi-structured interviews in qualitative research. By tracing the life of an actual research project–an exploration of a school district's effort over 40 years to address racial equality–as a consistent example threaded across the volume, Anne Galletta shows in concrete terms how readers can approach the planning and execution of their own new research endeavor, and illuminates unexpected real-life challenges they may confront and how to address them. The volume offers a close look at the inductive nature of qualitative research, the use of researcher reflexivity, and the systematic and iterative steps involved in data collection, analysis, and interpretation. It offers guidance on how to develop an interview protocol, including the arrangement of questions and ways to evoke analytically rich data. Particularly useful for those who may be familiar with qualitative research but have not yet conducted a qualitative study, Mastering the Semi-Structured Interview and Beyond will serve both undergraduate and graduate students as well as more advanced scholars seeking to incorporate this key methodological approach into their repertoire.

The SAGE Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods

The SAGE Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods
Author: Michael Lewis-Beck
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 460
Release: 2004
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 9780761923633

Featuring over 900 entries, this resource covers all disciplines within the social sciences with both concise definitions & in-depth essays.

Using Semi-structured Interviews in Small-scale Research

Using Semi-structured Interviews in Small-scale Research
Author: Eric Drever
Publisher:
Total Pages: 100
Release: 1995
Genre: Education
ISBN:

Interviewing is one of the most common methods used in small-scale educational research. This book is about semi-structured interviews, in which the interviewer sets up a general structure by deciding in advance the ground to be covered and the main questions to be asked. The detailed structure is left to be worked out during the interview, and the person being interviewed has a fair degree of freedom in what to talk about, how much to say, and how to express it. Semi-structured interviewing is a very flexible technique for small-scale research. It is not suitable for studies involving large numbers of people, but is most helpful in mini-studies and case studies. Chapters address: (1) the use of interviews; (2) different kinds of interviews; (3) the interview schedule; (4) planning and preparation; (5) doing the interview; (6) analyzing the interview; and (7) reporting and communication. (Contains one figure, three references, and five suggestions for further reading.) (SLD)

Research Methods in Anthropology

Research Methods in Anthropology
Author: H. Russell Bernard
Publisher: Rowman Altamira
Total Pages: 827
Release: 2006-01-03
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0759112568

Research Methods in Anthropology is the standard textbook for methods classes in anthropology. Written in Russ BernardOs unmistakable conversational style, his guide has launched tens of thousands of students into the fieldwork enterprise with a combination of rigorous methodology, wry humor, and commonsense advice. The author has thoroughly updated this new fourth edition. Whether you are coming from a scientific, interpretive, or applied anthropological tradition, you will learn field methods from the best guide in both qualitative and quantitative methods.

School-based Research

School-based Research
Author: Elaine Wilson
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2009-01-18
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1446205134

′This book will provide a very valuable resource for developing teachers and their University tutors. There is great breadth and depth in reflections upon different aspects of researching school based practice and the reader is guided carefully through the challenging processes of devising enquiries, collecting evidence, analysing data and writing up research. The book can be used on different levels - from quick reference to thorough analysis on research methodology. The examples drawn from the work of new researchers on M level PGCEs and MA programmes provide excellent models for reflection′ - Simon Thompson, Director of Initial Teacher Education at the University of Sussex The new M-level PGCE courses require trainee teachers to demonstrate the ability to systematically research their own practice during professional placements. This book is designed to guide students through the research process, supporting novice researchers as they build research skills. The book will help new teachers beginning to use research literature to ask questions about published work, showing that the nature of knowledge sought, and how such knowledge is justified, depends on the standpoint from which questions are asked, what sorts of answers are deemed researchable and the audience to whom results are to be addressed. It also contextualises methodological issues alongside key ideas which teachers are likely to be concerned with, such as ability grouping, pupil voice, pupil behaviour, teaching approaches and pupil motivation. Focused clearly on the needs of the new classroom researcher, this book is a thorough and thoughtful guide to the research process.

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Author: Jonathan A Smith
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 233
Release: 2012-08-14
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1446203891

′It is not often I can use "accessible" and "phenomenology" in the same sentence, but reading the new book, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis...certainly provides me the occasion to do so. I can say this because these authors provide an engaging and clear introduction to a relatively new analytical approach′ - The Weekly Qualitative Report Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is an increasingly popular approach to qualitative inquiry. This handy text covers its theoretical foundations and provides a detailed guide to conducting IPA research. Extended worked examples from the authors′ own studies in health, sexuality, psychological distress and identity illustrate the breadth and depth of IPA research. Each of the chapters also offers a guide to other good exemplars of IPA research in the designated area. The final section of the book considers how IPA connects with other contemporary qualitative approaches like discourse and narrative analysis and how it addresses issues to do with validity. The book is written in an accessible style and will be extremely useful to students and researchers in psychology and related disciplines in the health and social sciences.

Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation

Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation
Author: Joseph S. Wholey
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
Total Pages: 600
Release: 2004-06-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0787973882

The second edition of Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation offers managers, analysts, consultants, and educators in government, nonprofit, and private institutions a valuable resource that outlines efficient and economical methods for assessing program results and identifying ways to improve program performance. The Handbook has been thoroughly revised. Many new chapters have been prepared for this edition, including chapters on logic modeling and on evaluation applications for small nonprofit organizations. The Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation is a comprehensive resource on evaluation, covering both in-depth program evaluations and performance monitoring. It presents evaluation methods that will be useful at all levels of government and in nonprofit organizations.