For courses in Research Methods in Political Science and Sociology, and in Qualitative Research Methods Raising questions, rather than giving answers Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences is written with the recognition that different researchers in different fields each bring their own needs and intentions to the process. Authors Howard Lune and Bruce Berg aim to guide the reader through the process of research planning, carrying out one's projects, and making sense of the results. Each chapter provides examples of the best and worst approaches to the kinds of questions that arise with each form of research, as well as discussions of what makes an approach successful or not. Like its predecessors, the 9th Edition stresses the importance of ethics in research and respect for subjects.

This single reference volume features every cutting-edge CQ Researcher report published in 2017. CQ Researcher is the most trusted source for in-depth reporting on current, vital issues, and is the top choice of librarians and students seeking original, comprehensive reporting and analysis on the issues shaping the world.

The only practical guide for helping social work students create high-quality applied capstone research projects from start to finishThis "mentor-in-a-book" provides social work students with invaluable information on designing, implementing, and presenting first-rate applied research projects focused on improving social work programs and services. Taking students step-by-step through the entire process, the book helps students plan their projects by providing descriptions of the various research methodologies that can be used to improve social work programs and services. It offers extensive instruction on how to write effectively by providing detailed information on all written components of capstone research projects, as well as the dos and don'ts of writing research reports. Covering data collection methods, program evaluation, organization and community needs assessments, practice-effectiveness studies, and quantitative and qualitative data analysis, this brand-new book also addresses best practices for presenting findings upon completion of the applied research project. Additional features include abundant case examples demonstrating the application of theory to practice and an examination of both qualitative and quantitative research approaches, while also helping students demonstrate social work practice competencies within their capstone projects. Practice activities in each chapter help students apply knowledge to their research projects; and technology exercises help students master important digital research techniques. A capstone project checklist and competency log help students monitor progress, and QR codes provide supplementary support and resources. Additional resources include competency rubrics, detailed group exercises for each chapter, and a sample syllabus for faculty. Purchase of the book includes digital access for use on most mobile devices or computers. Key Features: Delivers step-by-step information on creating high-quality social work capstone projects from conception through presentation Includes a detailed summary of the major applied research approaches to improving social work programs and services Explains how to research literature and write a problem statement on a social service issue Contains extensive information on how to write effective capstone research papers along with abundant examples Helps students to demonstrate social work practice competencies Offers case examples throughout to demonstrate the application of theory to practice Presents practice activities and technology exercises in each chapter Provides a capstone project checklist and competency log Includes QR codes providing additional resources for each chapter

The lifecourse perspective continues to be an important subject in the social sciences. Researching the Lifecourse offers a distinctive approach in that it truly covers the lifecourse (childhood, adulthood and older age), focusing on innovative methods and case study examples from a variety of European and North American contexts. This original approach connects theory and practice from across the social sciences by situating methodology and research design within relevant conceptual frameworks. This diverse collection features methods that are linked to questions of time, space and mobilities while providing practitioners with practical detail in each chapter.

This book gathers together an original collection of papers on gender and qualitative research. The contributors draw on a variety of research methods and research settings to demonstrate the value of a qualitative approach for studying gender related issues. Individual chapters include discussions on participant observation, ethnographic interviewing, focus groups and the analysis of documentary sources. The volume as a whole reflects the wide range of gender focused work which is ongoing in Cardiff - covering issues such as occupational cultures, violence, genetics and risk, the life cycle and time. This book was originally published as part of the Cardiff Papers in Qualitative Research series edited by Paul Atkinson, Sara Delamont and Amanda Coffey. The series publishes original sociological research that reflects the tradition of qualitative and ethnographic inquiry developed at Cardiff. The series includes monographs reporting on empirical research, edited collections focussing on particular themes, and texts discussing methodological developments and issues.

This book is the sixth in a series covering bet practices in community quality-of-life (QOL) indicators. The cases in this volume describe communities that have launched their own community indicators programs. Elements that are included in the descriptions are the history of the community indicators work within the target region, the planning of community indicators, the actual indicators that were selected, the data collection process, the reporting of the results, and the use of the indicators to guide community development decisions and public policy.

This book provides an overview of ninety key concepts which often trouble those who are new to researching within the social sciences. It covers theories of knowledge, methodologies and methods. Each entry offers a definition of a concept, shows how researchers have used that concept in their research and discusses difficulties that the concept presents. The book supports those undertaking their own social research projects by providing detailed critical commentary on key concepts in a particularly accessible way. In exploring these concepts, a wide range of research reports across many different fields are described. These include not only classic accounts, but also a broad selection of recent studies, some written by new researchers. The book will be useful for higher-education students carrying out projects within social science faculties at the end of their first degree or during a master's programme, though it will also be helpful for those undertaking doctoral research, and some entries have been written with the production of a thesis in mind. This second edition of Research Methods: The Key Concepts provides a more comprehensive and up-to-date coverage, as old entries have been updated and 19 new entries added. It helps new researchers to navigate the changing landscape of social research by recognising a) the changes in the ways researchers are thinking about knowledge and acquiring knowledge, b) the increasing use of digital tools to collect data, and c) the desire many contemporary researchers feel to promote social justice through their research.

This book offers a unique and much-needed interrogation of the broader questions surrounding international performance research which are pertinent to the present and the future of Theatre and Performance studies. Marking the completion of eight years of the Erasmus Mundus MA Programme in International Performance Research (MAIPR) - a programme run jointly by the universities of Warwick (UK), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Helsinki/Tampere (Finland), Arts in Belgrade (Serbia), and Trinity College Dublin (Ireland) - the essays in this volume take stock of the achievements, insights and challenges of what international performance research is or ought to be about. By reflecting on the discipline of Performance Studies using the MAIPR programme as a case study in point, the volume addresses the broader question of the critical link between the discipline of Performance Studies and humanities education in general, examining their interactions in the contemporary university in the context of globalisation.

This volume examines the impact of wealth on quality of life and subjective well-being (SWB). As wealth is related to economic, environmental and social features of societies, this volume serves as an important resource in understanding economic and SWB. It further discusses a variety of experiences and consequences of inequalities of wealth. Through the availability of wealth data in recent international surveys, this volume explores the multiple relations between wealth and SWB. Structured around four main pillars the book presents analysis of the topic at various levels such as theoretical and conceptual, methodological and empirically, ending with a section on distribution and policies.

Advances in Autoethnography and Narrative Inquiry pays homage to two prominent scholars, Arthur Bochner and Carolyn Ellis, for their formative and formidable contributions to autoethnography, personal narrative, and alternative forms of scholarship. Their autoethnographic-and life-project gives us tools for understanding shared humanity and precious diversity; for striving to become ever-more empathic, loving, and ethical; and for living our best creative, relational, and public lives. The collection is organized into two sections: "Foundations" and "Futures." Contributors to "Foundations" explore Carolyn and Art's scholarship and legacy and/or their singular presence in the author's life. Contributors to "Futures" offer novel and innovative applications of autoethnographic and narrative inquiry. Throughout, contributors demonstrate how Bochner's and Ellis' work has created and shifted the terrain of autoethnographic and narrative research. This collection will be of interest to researchers familiar with Bochner's and Ellis' research. It also serves as a resource for graduate students, scholars, and professionals who have an interest in autoethnographic and narrative research. This collection can be used in upper-division undergraduate courses and graduate courses solely about autoethnography and narrative, and as a secondary text for courses about ethnography and qualitative research.

The third edition of Research Methods for Political Science retains its effective approach to helping students learn what to research, why to research and how to research. The text integrates both quantitative and qualitative approaches to research in one volume and covers such important topics as research design, specifying research problems, designing questionnaires and writing questions, designing and carrying out qualitative research and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative research data. Heavily illustrated, classroom tested, exceptionally readable and engaging, the text presents statistical methods in a conversational tone to help students surmount "math phobia." Updates to this new edition include: Research topics chapters have been upgraded and expanded. Two mixed methods design chapters have been added. A new chapter on hermeneutic analysis designs and research with large data sets. The chapter on multivariate statistics has been expanded, with an expanded discussion on logistic regression. Tools on how to prepare and present research findings are now featured in the appendix, allowing instructors more flexibility when teaching their courses. Research Methods for Political Science will give students the confidence and knowledge they need to understand the methods and basics skills for data collection, presentation and analysis.

The book begins with a discussion of Lipset-Rokkan's theory of cleavages and its continuations. The author's interpretation of this theory is applied to a historical context: the communist system that divided society into communist and anti-communist sides. They survived the fall of communism, resulting in the post-communist cleavage. This cleavage manifested itself in social identities, electoral behavior, the shape of the party system and the attitudes of party elites. The problem of generalizing Lipset-Rokkan's theory is considered - its scope and applicability to the various post-communist countries. The problem of persistence is also discussed - the post-communist cleavage was sustained by various factors, but also weakened by the actions and choices made by the party elites.

This book engages readers via the international contributions from "home" field sites around the world and international authors. Importantly, the various chapters address a wide spectrum of educational contexts - ranging from higher education, to K-12 public and private schools, to prison schools. The realistic accounts portrayed in each of the chapters address how local collaborations are instantiated through the research process, from access and data collection to the write-up phases. The major themes that emerge across the chapters highlight 1) positionality and negotiation of multiple roles, i.e., researcher, educator, colleague, friend, community member; 2) reconciling multiple, hybrid, and intersectional identities with varying insider/outsider statuses vis-a-vis research participants; 3) resulting power dynamics in connection to relational identities - sometimes conflicting, consolidating, equalizing, and/or elevating; 4) innovative methodological responses to these dilemmas; and 5) integrated research designs and research ethics, offering possibilities for participation and insights on the social impact of research findings. Each of the book's chapters thus individually and collectively treat and resolve local ways of doing home (field) work and highlight the creation and sharing of knowledge among researchers and research participants.

Netnography has become an essential tool for qualitative research in the dynamic, complex, and conflicted worlds of contemporary technoculture. Shaped by academic fields, industries, national contexts, technologies and platforms, and languages and cultures for over two decades, netnography has impacted the research practices of scholars around the world. In this volume, 34 researchers present 19 chapters that examine how they have adapted netnography and what those changes can teach us. Positioned for students and researchers in academic and professional fields, this book examines how we can better use netnographic research to understand the many ways networked technologies affect every element of contemporary business life and consumer existence. Netnography Unlimited provides an unprecedented new look at netnography. From COVID-19 to influencer empathy, gambling and the Dark Web to public relations and the military, AI and more-than-human netnography to video-streaming and auto-netnography, there has never been a wider or deeper treatment of technocultural netnographic research in one volume. Readers will learn what kind of work they can do with netnography and gain an up-to-date understanding of the most pressing issues and opportunities. This book is a must-read for those interested in technology, research methods, and contemporary culture.

The Routledge Handbook of Communication and Bullying provides an essential and unique analysis of bullying and anti-bullying efforts from a communication-based perspective. Drawing on communication theory and compelling empirical research, this volume offers valuable international perspectives of this pervasive concern, examined within varied contexts. In addition to providing exemplary data-based scholarship, the Handbook is comprised of first-hand accounts of those who have been bullied, adding an integral pragmatic and complementary dimension to the topic. This anthology serves as a useful resource for educators, administrators, managers, and other stakeholders who are challenged with this difficult social issue. Responding to the various charges emanating from the National Communication Association's (NCA) Anti-Bullying Project, this collection constitutes a valuable foundation from which to draw as conversations about bullying continue around the globe.

Simple Lives, Cultural Complexity explores how people manage to live relatively simple lives while remaining seemingly unaware of the cultural complexity they produce while doing so. Using complexity theory, the book reconceptualizes culture as a complex dynamic system called cultural complexity, and argues that cultural complexity arises from persistent interactions among people and groups who act according to simple rules. The order produced is different from, and not reducible to, the interactions that created it. People only need simple rules of engagement in order to cope with their surroundings: rules that can be enacted through all kinds of strategies, and that together produce very complex emergent properties. Bergendorff argues that people do not need to know their entire "cultural order" and its formal logics to cope with everyday life. They do not need to be enculturated; they only need to be enskilled to act in everyday situations. Theoretically dense and rich, this book offers an innovative perspective on the concept of culture and the many ways that it is deployed and understood by its bearers.

Practice research partnerships in social work can make a significant difference to social work service delivery. This comprehensive, accessibly written resource, is designed to help students and practitioners to actively engage with research through their frontline work. Through clear practice scenarios, critical questions and examples from research the text guides researchers, students, educators, practice managers, funders and practitioners to creatively explore partnerships in creating, contributing, consuming, commissioning or critiquing evidence in and for social work practice. The text encourages collaborative practice by demonstrating the transformative nature of knowledge networks to 'make a difference' in social work practice. An essential text for students undertaking professional training at all levels as well as meeting the needs of qualified staff for continued professional development.

This accessible text on social research methodology teaches students of sociology and related disciplines how standard methods can be adapted toward critical ends. The second edition has been updated throughout to incorporate the latest critical scholarship, enhanced discussion of qualitative methods, new material on global issues, sex/sexuality/gender, new discussion of intersectionality, how social media can shape research, and more. Author Joey Sprague describes and evaluates a wide array of methodological options-from quantitative to qualitative-and explores the links between epistemology and methodology. She proposes a program to overcome bias in standard methodologies and offers practical suggestions that can be used effectively by all progressive researchers. The second edition of Feminist Methodology for Critical Researchers is of value to scholars across disciplines and an essential text or supplement for methods classes.

Today's pressing political, social, economic, and environmental crises urgently ask for effective policy responses and fundamental transitions towards sustainability supported by a sound knowledge base and developed in collaboration between all stakeholders. This book explores how action research forms a valuable methodology for producing such collaborative knowledge and action. It outlines the recent uptake of action research in policy analysis and transition research and develops a distinct and novel approach that is both critical and relational. By sharing action research experiences in a variety of settings, the book seeks to explicate ambitions, challenges, and practices involved with fostering policy changes and sustainability transitions. As such it provides crucial guidance and encouragement for future action research in policy analysis and transition research. This text will be of key interest to scholars and students of policy analysis and transition research and more broadly to public administration and policy, urban and regional studies, political science, research and innovation, sustainability science, and science and technology studies. It will also speak to practitioners, policymakers and philanthropic funders aiming to engage in or fund action research.

This edited collection explores issues that arise when researching "hard-to-reach" groups and those who remain socially excluded and marginalized in society, such as access, the use of gatekeepers, ethical dilemmas, "voice," and how such research contributes to issues of inclusion and social justice. The book uses a wide range of empirical and theoretical approaches to examine the difficulties, dilemmas and complexities surrounding research methodologies with particular groups. It emphasizes the importance of national and international perspectives in such discussions, and suggests innovative methodological procedures.