Synopses & Reviews
Provides a foundation for understanding research findings in social sciences.
Designed to help students acquire basic skills in the methods of social science research, the second edition of Research Methods and Society contains numerous excerpts from professional journal articles, scholarly books, and popular press. The text uses a straightforward writing style to present essential information, without eliminating key concepts, tools, and their applications. Concrete, everyday examples and “hands-on” practice activities reinforce fundamental concepts that will be useful to students in their future careers and life. Topics are illustrated in ways that are student-centered, yet instructor-friendly.
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Learning Goals
Upon completing this book, readers will be able to:
- Understand research findings in the social sciences.
- Conduct social research.
- Apply social research skills and principles to everyday situations.
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Synopsis
Provides a foundation for understanding research findings in social sciences.
Designed to help students acquire basic skills in the methods of social science research, the second edition of Research Methods and Society contains numerous excerpts from professional journal articles, scholarly books, and popular press. The text uses a straightforward writing style to present essential information, without eliminating key concepts, tools, and their applications. Concrete, everyday examples and "hands-on" practice activities reinforce fundamental concepts that will be useful to students in their future careers and life. Topics are illustrated in ways that are student-centered, yet instructor-friendly.
Features and updates to this 2nd edition include:
- Highlighted concepts and terms in each chapter -- In addition to a chapter-end list of key terms. These familiarize students with important content, and helps ensure they understand and retain it.
- Chapter summaries - Includes a section titled Your Review Sheet: Questions Discussed in This Chapter. Enables students to review the major themes presented in each chapter, and encourages them to reflect on the key points.
- Numerous "real-world" activities - Help students meet specific learning needs, such as evaluating excerpts from research articles, analyzing secondary data, and analyzing primary data from direct observation and other mini-projects
- Excerpts from professional journal articles and popular press readings - these are followed by questions, which guide learning on specific methods topics, and illustrates specific issues related to methodology typically employed by social scientists.
- Added and expanded discussion of Ethics, with special attention to chapters on direct methods of data collection, as well as new discussions about online research.
- New secondary data tables and their discussions/applications.
About the Author
Dr. Linda Dorsten is Professor of Sociology at SUNY-Fredonia. She has served as research consultant to six state and community agencies across several states, and as an evaluator for “Steps to a Healthier U.S.,” a 5-year initiative funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Dorsten has published articles in Demography, Population Research and Policy Review, Sociology of Education, Research in Sociology of Education and Socialization, and Sociological Focus. She also has written two textbooks on research methods, including Research Methods and Society, 1/e (with L. Hotchkiss; Prentice-Hall 2005).
Lawrence Hotchkiss is retired from the University of Delaware where he spent 20 years doing statistical consulting. He is author or coauthor of numerous journal articles, past president of the Delaware Chapter of the American Statistical Association and current Treasurer of same.
Table of Contents
Brief Table of Contents:
Chapter 1. Introducing Social Research
Chapter 2. Doing Social Research: An Overview of this Text
Chapter 3. Foundations of Social Research
Chapter 4. Variables and Measurement
Chapter 5. Designing Social Research
Chapter 6. Observation and Ethnography
Chapter 7. Indirect Methods
Chapter 8. Surveys
Chapter 9. Populations, Samples and Sampling
Chapter 10. Data Preparation and Analysis
Chapter 11. Data Analysis 2: Describing, Explaining and Evaluating
Chapter 12. Preparing the Report
Chapter 13. Applying Principles of "Science Learning" to Everyday Learning