This book includes a wide selection of the papers presented at the 48th Scientific Meeting of the Italian Statistical Society (SIS2016), held in Salerno on 8-10 June 2016. Covering a wide variety of topics ranging from modern data sources and survey design issues to measuring sustainable development, it provides a comprehensive overview of the current Italian scientific research in the fields of open data and big data in public administration and official statistics, survey sampling, ordinal and symbolic data, statistical models and methods for network data, time series forecasting, spatial analysis, environmental statistics, economic and financial data analysis, statistics in the education system, and sustainable development. Intended for researchers interested in theoretical and empirical issues, this volume provides interesting starting points for further research.

This book employs a corpus-based Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) methodology to analyse the language used by university careers services in the UK. Drawing on a corpus which includes the public-facing websites of careers services from 24 Russell Group and 34 Post-92 universities, the author highlights some of the potentially problematic 'common-sense' views and ideas that are currently promoted to students using these services. She argues that the language used by university websites promotes neoliberal ideology and encourages the denaturalisation of such language. This book will be of interest to linguists, sociologists, education scholars, and scholars who are otherwise interested in the notion of employability.

What is educational research? What are its current approaches, methods and methodologies? How should existing literature be reviewed and evaluated critically? What are the key philosophical debates in and on educational research? How should research in education be conducted and how should it be presented? And what is the value of such research?With this extensively revised edition of a much-admired and engaging guide, Jerry Wellington provides clear and constructive answers to these questions, complete with detailed advice on methods such as interviewing, surveys, documentary research and the use of focus groups. Thoroughly overhauled and updated, this edition includes new case studies, helpful 'key theories' and 'key theorist' boxes, and a range of activities or 'points to ponder' to foster engagement with current issues. Retaining the clarity and concision of the previous edition, and its approachable and practical style, Jerry Wellington provides an invaluable text for all those engaged in educational research.

This supplemental volume is divided into parts covering the broad view of international human resources management, HRM issues and practices in Europe and in other important regions, and international HRM and expatriates.

What are the implications of caring about the things we research? How does that affect how we research, who we research with and what we do with our results? Proposing what Joan C. Tronto has called a 'paradigm shift' in research thinking, this book invites researchers across disciplines and fields of study to do research that thinks and acts with care. The authors draw on their own and others' experiences of researching, the troubles they encounter and the opportunities generated when research is approached as a caring practice. Care ethics provides a guide, from starting out, designing and conducting projects to thinking about research legacies. It offers a way in which research can help repair harms and promote justice.

This is the first textbook that allows readers who may be unfamiliar with matrices to understand a variety of multivariate analysis procedures in matrix forms. By explaining which models underlie particular procedures and what objective function is optimized to fit the model to the data, it enables readers to rapidly comprehend multivariate data analysis. Arranged so that readers can intuitively grasp the purposes for which multivariate analysis procedures are used, the book also offers clear explanations of those purposes, with numerical examples preceding the mathematical descriptions. Supporting the modern matrix formulations by highlighting singular value decomposition among theorems in matrix algebra, this book is useful for undergraduate students who have already learned introductory statistics, as well as for graduate students and researchers who are not familiar with matrix-intensive formulations of multivariate data analysis. The book begins by explaining fundamental matrix operations and the matrix expressions of elementary statistics. Then, it offers an introduction to popular multivariate procedures, with each chapter featuring increasing advanced levels of matrix algebra. Further the book includes in six chapters on advanced procedures, covering advanced matrix operations and recently proposed multivariate procedures, such as sparse estimation, together with a clear explication of the differences between principal components and factor analyses solutions. In a nutshell, this book allows readers to gain an understanding of the latest developments in multivariate data science.

Contemporary Studies in Sociology

This book provides an overview of the developments in the area of Bayesian evaluation of informative hypotheses that took place since the publication of the ?rst paper on this topic in 2001 [Hoijtink, H. Con?rmatory latent class analysis, model selection using Bayes factors and (pseudo) likelihood ratio statistics. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 36, 563-588]. The current state of a?airs was presented and discussed by the authors of this book during a workshop in Utrecht in June 2007. Here we would like to thank all authors for their participation, ideas, and contributions. We would also like to thank Sophie van der Zee for her editorial e?orts during the construction of this book. Another word of thanks is due to John Kimmel of Springer for his con?dence in the editors and authors. Finally, we would like to thank the Netherlands Organization for Scienti?c Research (NWO) whose VICI grant (453-05-002) awarded to the ?rst author enabled the organization of the workshop, the writing of this book, and continuation of the research with respect to Bayesian evaluation of informative hypotheses.

This book highlights major quantitative and qualitative methods and approaches used in the field of urban analysis. The respective chapters cover the background and relevance of various approaches to urban studies and offer guidance on implementing specific methodologies. Each chapter also provides links to real-world examples. The book is unique in its focus on Australian examples and subject matter, presented by recognized experts in the field.

Social movement studies have grown enormously in the last few decades, spreading from sociology and political science to other fields of knowledge, as varied as geography, history, anthropology, psychology, economics, law and others. With the growing interest in the field, there has been also an increasing need for methodological guidance for empirical research. This volume addresses this need by introducing the main methods of data collection and data analysis as they have been used in past research on social movements. Unlike other volumes, the book offers a practical, how-to approach and not simply a review of the methodological literature. Each author writes on a method they are very familiar with, having used it extensively in their own work. And each chapter presents specific discussions on every stage of research: from research design to data collection and the use of the information gathered. Throughout, research dilemmas and choices are presented, illustrated, and discussed. The volume offers an essential point of references for anyone undertaking research on social movements.

Statistical illiteracy can have an enormously negative impact on decision making. This volume of collected papers brings together applied and theoretical research on risks and decision making across the fields of medicine, psychology, and economics. Collectively, the essays demonstrate why the frame in which statistics are communicated is essential for broader understanding and sound decision making, and that understanding risks and uncertainty has wide-reaching implications for daily life. Gerd Gigerenzer provides a lucid review and catalog of concrete instances of heuristics, or rules of thumb, that people and animals rely on to make decisions under uncertainty, explaining why these are very often more rational than probability models. After a critical look at behavioral theories that do not model actual psychological processes, the book concludes with a call for a "heuristic revolution" that will enable us to understand the ecological rationality of both statistics and heuristics, and bring a dose of sanity to the study of rationality.

Academics across the globe are being urged by universities and research councils to do research that impacts the world beyond academia. Yet to date there has been very little reflection amongst scholars and practitioners in these fields concerning the relationship between the theoretical and engaged practices that emerge through such forms of scholarship. Theoretical Scholarship and Applied Practice investigates the ways in which theoretical research has been incorporated into recent applied practices across the social sciences and humanities. This collection advances our understanding of the ethics, values, opportunities and challenges that emerge in the making of engaged and interdisciplinary scholarship.

This handbook is a comprehensive reference guide for researchers, funding agencies and organizations engaged in survey research. Drawing on research from a world-class team of experts, this collection addresses the challenges facing survey-based data collection today as well as the potential opportunities presented by new approaches to survey research, including in the development of policy. It examines innovations in survey methodology and how survey scholars and practitioners should think about survey data in the context of the explosion of new digital sources of data. The Handbook is divided into four key sections: the challenges faced in conventional survey research; opportunities to expand data collection; methods of linking survey data with external sources; and, improving research transparency and data dissemination, with a focus on data curation, evaluating the usability of survey project websites, and the credibility of survey-based social science. Chapter 23 of this book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com.

Clear, comprehensive, and trusted, Bryman's Social Research Methods has supported over a quarter of a million students through their research methods course and research project. Spanning theory and practice and covering quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods, this bestselling text offers unrivalled coverage of the whole research process. The authors have worked closely with lecturers and students in thoroughly updating the sixth edition to reflect the current social science landscape, and carefully streamlining content to make it relevant and appealing to today's students. As a result, the text's comprehensive coverage - which includes many new examples and additional material on areas such as social media research and big data - is now even clearer, more focused, and easier to navigate. In addition to many new examples of published research, this edition features the insights of a panel of recent graduates from their experiences of researching a variety of fascinating topics, including attitudes towards the LGBT+ community on social media, the experiences of Pakistani Muslim single mothers, and the impact of screen time on sleep. 'Learn from experience' boxes in every chapter contain their candid reflections on the successes and challenges of their projects, and their advice for student researchers. Digital formats and resources Bryman's Social Research Methods is available for students and institutions to purchase in a variety of formats, and is supported by extensive online resources. The e-book offers a mobile experience and convenient access, with learning resources embedded and hyperlinked throughout to offer self-assessment activities and extra support: www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/ebooks The student resources, accessible both online and via the e-book, include: - Over 300 multiple choice questions - A 'Research process in practice' simulation - Student researcher's toolkit - Answers to the end-of-chapter questions, including audio commentary from the authors - A flashcard glossary - Data analysis software tutorials covering SPSS, NVivo, R, and Stata - Guidance on using Excel in data analysis - 'Learn from experience' videos, expanding on the graduate insights provided in the book - Regularly-updated video reflections from the authors on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on social research The book's teaching resources, accessible online to adopting lecturers, include: - PowerPoint slides for every chapter - 250 test bank questions - 25 seminar outlines - 75 exam- or coursework-based questions - Figures and tables from the book

This book seeks to introduce students to the challenges of 'real life' social research through a detailed consideration of eight recent empirical studies. Designed to complement existing introductory methods texts, it emphasises the importance of context in understanding and interpreting both the practice and 'product' of empirical research. The book focuses on research from eight key sub-areas of sociology, making it a useful secondary text for introductory courses on contemporary British society.

The competitiveness of firms, regions and countries greatly depends on the generation, dissemination and application of new knowledge. Modern innovation research is challenged by the need to incorporate knowledge generation and dissemination processes into the analysis so as to disentangle the complexity of these dynamic processes. With innovation, however, strong uncertainty, nonlinearities and actor heterogeneity become central factors that are at odds with traditional modeling techniques anchored in equilibrium and homogeneity. This text introduces SKIN (Simulation Knowledge Dynamics in Innovation Networks), an agent-based simulation model that primarily focuses on joint knowledge creation and exchange of knowledge in innovation co-operations and networks. In this context, knowledge is explicitly modeled and not approximated by, for instance, the level of accumulated R&D investment. The SKIN approach supports applications in different domains ranging from sector-based research activities in knowledge-intensive industries to the activities of international research consortia engaged in basic and applied research. Following a general description of the SKIN model, several applications and modifications are presented. Each chapter introduces in detail the structure of the model, the relevant methodological considerations and the analysis of simulation results, while options for empirically validating the models' structure and outcomes are also discussed. The book considers the scope of further applications and outlines prospects for the development of joint modeling strategies.

There is no other source that provides in one place the wide range and depth of insight found in Vital Statistics on American Politics (VSAP), published since 1988. VSAP provides historical and statistical information on all aspects of American politics: Political parties Voter turnout Public opinion Campaign finance Media perspective and influence, congressional membership and voting patterns The presidency and executive branch Military policy and spending Supreme Court and federal court make-up and caseloads Foreign, social, and economic policy In over 230 tables and figures, students and professional researchers will find chapters devoted to key subject areas such as elections and political parties, public opinion and voting, the media, the three branches of U.S. government, foreign, military, social and economic policy, and much more. This book provides a vivid and multifaceted portrait of the broad spectrum of United States politics and policies. Along with updated and new data content, this edition offers brand new data literacy lessons that take a "guide on the side" approach to teach data researchers how to wade through the sea of data and do the difficult work of grappling for the meaning of the data on their own. Lessons include understanding descriptive representation data, comparing data over time, noticing gaps in data, unpacking dichotomies of public opinion, and more.

Research Methods: A Practical Guide for the Social Sciences is an essential resource for the social researcher. It offers a comprehensive introduction for first time researchers right through to thorough and practical advice for those undertaking more advanced work. The book draws on real life experiences from a wide variety of disciplines to show how theory translates into practice, and offers a rigorous analysis of why researchers choose the methods they use. Think about it boxes throughout the text offer questions and ideas to help the researcher to focus on core issues and practical considerations, whilst your research summaries present questions, activities and checklists to help the researcher to develop their ideas. The book is supported by a fantastic companion website that contains learning materials, interactive exercises, videos, questionnaires, datasets and much more. The website can be found at: www.pearsoned.co.uk/matthews Written to reflect the breadth of the social sciences, Research Methods is essential for anyone conducting research in sociology, health policy, social work, criminology, social policy, cultural studies, political studies, public policy and related fields.

During the last two decades, structural equation modeling (SEM) has emerged as a powerful multivariate data analysis tool in social science research settings, especially in the fields of sociology, psychology, and education. Although its roots can be traced back to the first half of this century, when Spearman (1904) developed factor analysis and Wright (1934) introduced path analysis, it was not until the 1970s that the works by Karl Joreskog and his associates (e. g., Joreskog, 1977; Joreskog and Van Thillo, 1973) began to make general SEM techniques accessible to the social and behavioral science research communities. Today, with the development and increasing avail ability of SEM computer programs, SEM has become a well-established and respected data analysis method, incorporating many of the traditional analysis techniques as special cases. State-of-the-art SEM software packages such as LISREL (Joreskog and Sorbom, 1993a, b) and EQS (Bentler, 1993; Bentler and Wu, 1993) handle a variety of ordinary least squares regression designs as well as complex structural equation models involving variables with arbitrary distributions. Unfortunately, many students and researchers hesitate to use SEM methods, perhaps due to the somewhat complex underlying statistical repre sentation and theory. In my opinion, social science students and researchers can benefit greatly from acquiring knowledge and skills in SEM since the methods-applied appropriately-can provide a bridge between the theo retical and empirical aspects of behavioral research."

Investigates theoretically and empirically what it means to design technological artefacts while embracing the large number of practices which practitioners engage with when handling technologies. The authors discusses the fields of design and sociomateriality through their shared interests towards the basic nature of work, collaboration, organization, technology, and human agency, striving to make the debates and concepts originating in each field accessible to each other, and thus moving sociomateriality closer to the practical concerns of design and providing a useful analytical toolbox to information system designers and field researchers alike. Sociomaterial-Design: Bounding Technologies in Practice takes on the challenge of redefining design practices through insights from the emerging debate on sociomateriality. It does so by bringing forward a comparative examination of two longitudinal ethnographic studies of the practices within two emergency departments - one in Canada and one in the United States of America. A particular focus is placed upon the use of current collaborative artefacts within the emergency departments and the transformation into digital artefacts through design.

Advanced Statistics provides a rigorous development of statistics that emphasizes the definition and study of numerical measures that describe population variables. Volume 1 studies properties of commonly used descriptive measures. Volume 2 considers use of sampling from populations to draw inferences concerning properties of populations. The volumes are intended for use by graduate students in statistics and professional statisticians, although no specific prior knowledge of statistics is assumed. The rigorous treatment of statistical concepts requires that the reader be familiar with mathematical analysis and linear algebra, so that open sets, continuous functions, differentials, Raman integrals, matrices, and vectors are familiar terms.

This thoroughly revised, extended and updated second edition of Silvia Gherardi's classic book gives the reader a must-read orientation through the myriad of methods and styles involved in practice-based research. Practice-based approaches to knowing, learning, innovating, and managing have thrived in recent years. Calling upon numerous narratives from a range of research fields, the author offers insight into the many possibilities of practice research, highlighting the inextricable links between humans and technology as the key emergent trend in management studies. Developing an innovative posthumanist approach, this novel book offers a useful and insightful compass for the navigation of practice-based studies through the lens of exemplar vignettes from internationally acclaimed researchers. A valuable and instructive work, this book is critical to any scholars of practice theories, as well as management and organizational studies and those with a keen interest in research methods. Masters students seeking insight into the development of practice-based studies, and PhD researchers developing their own methodologies will also find the guidance of this book indispensable in their studies.

"Jarvis does a real service by introducing a new vision of research into the current debates over the nature and mission of the academy."
--Continuing Higher Education Review

"Jarvis has managed to bridge the worlds of theory and professional practice in a way that will help each better understand the other."
--Jon Wergin, professor of educational studies, School of Education, Virginia Commonwealth University

Genuine understanding of any field can only be developed through practice in that field. Peter Jarvis, an internationally known authority in the field of professional adult and continuing education, shows how theories of practice evolve from the practice itself and are unique to each practitioner. Doing professional work gives practitioners many opportunities to question, test, and revise theories taught in graduate programs. Such practice-based research gives rise to personalized theories of practice and also raises new questions for personal exploration.

Using examples and vignettes drawn from professional fields and settings around the world, Jarvis provides valuable insights into the nature of professional practice, the ways professionals learn, and how education for practice can be enhanced at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Jarvis examines why so many practitioners find their professional education inadequate preparation for actual practice, and he calls for a partnership between higher education and the professional workplace that will meet the challenges of the relationship between the two.

The Practitioner-Researcher is designed to help all practitioners for whom research is a tool in improving practice--from graduate students and their professors to employees in diverse industries or professional groups--and to facilitate an understanding of the relationship between practice and theory within the worlds of work and learning.

This book presents the proceedings from ECONOPHYS-2015, an international workshop held in New Delhi, India, on the interrelated fields of "econophysics" and "sociophysics", which have emerged from the application of statistical physics to economics and sociology. Leading researchers from varied communities, including economists, sociologists, financial analysts, mathematicians, physicists, statisticians, and others, report on their recent work, discuss topical issues, and review the relevant contemporary literature. A society can be described as a group of people who inhabit the same geographical or social territory and are mutually involved through their shared participation in different aspects of life. It is possible to observe and characterize average behaviors of members of a society, an example being voting behavior. Moreover, the dynamic nature of interaction within any economic sector comprising numerous cooperatively interacting agents has many features in common with the interacting systems of statistical physics. It is on these bases that interest has grown in the application within sociology and economics of the tools of statistical mechanics. This book will be of value for all with an interest in this flourishing field.