Principles of Research Design in the Social Sciences is an essential buy for students who know what they want to study, but who have yet to decide how best to study it. This book does not aim to provide a set of rigid recipes for social scientists - as many methodology books do - rather it is intended to stimulate them to think about the issues involved when deciding upon their research design.

This book will prove indispensable to students of all levels in the social sciences embarking upon a research project, and also to experienced researchers looking for a fresh perspective on their object of study.

Principles of Research Design in the Social Sciences is a book for researchers who know what they want to study, but who have yet to decide how best to study it. This book does not aim to provide a set of rigid recipes for social scientists - like many methodology books do - rather it is intended to stimulate them to think about the issues involved when deciding upon their research design.
By discussing standard approaches to research design and method in various disciplines within the social sciences, the authors illustrate why particular designs have traditionally predominated in certain areas of study. But whilst they acknowledge the strengths of these standard approaches, Bechofer and Paterson's emphasis is on helping researchers to find the most effective solution to their given problem, encouraging them, through this familiarity with the principles of a variety of approaches, to innovate where it is appropriate.
Principles of Research Design in the Social Sciences will prove indispensable to students of all levels in the social sciences embarking upon a research project and to experienced researchers looking for a fresh perspective on their object of study.

Scotland developed a series of educational surveys between the late-1940s and the early-21st century that allow the country's experience of education to be studied in systematic detail. No other country has an archive of this length and depth. The surveys include evidence on pupils' curriculum, attainment, subjective experience of school, and destinations after leaving school, as well as details of their social characteristics and of the secondary schools which they attended. By linking also to archival evidence on the histories of schools, the book's analysis investigates the interplay between deliberate policy and wider social change. The transformation of education in this period is accompanied by equally important economic restructuring which has led to unprecedented changes in the way that education relates to lifelong opportunity in the twenty-first century. The book investigates how these changes have underpinned Scotland's civic values, and have contributed fundamentally to shaping the debate about the country's constitutional future.

An Edinburgh Classic edition of the cornerstone work on Scotland's intellectual identity First published in 1961, The Democratic Intellect provoked a re-evaluation of Scotland's philosophy of itself. George Davie's account of the history of the movements which set Scotland apart from its neighbours, and of the great personalities involved, has proved seminal in restoring to Scotland a sense of the value of its unique cultural identity. Scotland's approach to higher education has always been distinctive. From the inauguration of its first universities, the accent was on first principles, and this broad, philosophical interpretation unified the approach to knowledge - even of mathematics and science. The resulting generalist tradition contrasted with the specialism of the two English universities, Oxford and Cambridge. It stood Scotland in good stead, characterising its intellectual life even into the nineteenth century when economic, social and political pressures enforced an increasing conformity to English models. The Democratic Intellect is rightly a benchmark in Scotland's intellectual heritage and continues to have a marked influence on those now promoting enquiry and improvement within our colleges and universities.

Scotland's education system has been claimed by many to be one of the most successful in the world and its alleged decline in recent decades has generated a great deal of controversy. This book is the first full account of the history of twentieth-century Scottish education, by Lindsay Paterson, a leading specialist in the area. Scottish Education investigates Scotland's response to the key question faced by all mass systems of education. How can democracy be reconciled with the necessity of selection -- both selection of culture in the maintenance of excellence, and selection of people, allocating them to differentiated occupations while also preparing them for life as equal citizens in the common culture of the community? Paterson argues that the Scottish answer to this has been recurrent attempts to give wide access to common types of educational institution, but continuing to define that education in fairly traditional academic terms. This is then also Scotland's attempt to reconcile the tension between social solidarity and liberal opportunity, between the needs of the individual and the needs of society and its inherited culture.This broad-ranging and stimulating account of a century of Scottish education is organised chronologically into two broad parts: Competition and Opportunity, 1880s--1930s; and Welfare and Individualism, 1940s--1990s. Within these periods are chapters on each of the main sectors of education. Key Features: *Scottish education often claimed to be a world-leader -- the facts behind this are explored *Written by one of the most prominent commentators in the area *Topical, in light of on-going controversy surrounding the Scottish Qualifications Authority *Provides background history to the development of Scottish education through the 20th century

This book explores the governance of the UK, and the process of constitutional change, between Scotland's independence referendum in September 2014 and the UK general election in May 2015. The book contrasts the attitudes of the public, captured through an original survey, with those of politicians, civil servants, and civic leaders, identified through over forty interviews. It pays particular attention to two case studies involving recent changes to the UK's governing arrangements: the Smith Commission and the transfer of further powers to the Scottish Parliament, and Greater Manchester's devolution deal that has become a model for devolution across England. It also considers the issue of lowering the voting age to 16, contrasting the political attitudes of younger voters in Scotland with those in the rest of the UK. The book will be of interest to students and scholars of UK politics, devolution, constitutional change, public attitudes, and territorial politics.

Shortlisted for the Saltire Society/NLS Scottish Research Book of the Year Award, 2005 Living in Scotland gives an account of the key social changes in Scottish society, describing how it has been transformed over the last two to three decades. Drawing on a uniquely wide range of data from government statistics, social surveys and over-time data sources, the book tells the story of society in Scotland during the approach and arrival of the new century. The authors analyse the large-scale changes which have profoundly altered Scottish society affecting the country's demography, patterns of work and employment, the distributions of income, wealth and poverty, social class and social mobility, educational opportunities, and patterns of consumption and lifestyle. While Scotland shares many of these social trends with similar western societies, its reaction to them is shaped by its own history and culture. The authors argue that Scotland is now a more affluent, comfortable and pleasant place to live in than just two or three decades ago, but that it remains seriously divided and stratified. A significant minority of its people remain disadvantaged and relatively deprived.This represents the major political and cultural challenge for the new Scotland. Living in Scotland is written by three of the country's foremost sociologists. Together, they build a picture of a changing Scotland at the beginning of the 21st century. Key Features: * A cd-rom of all the key tables is provided with the book * Written by three of Scotland's foremost sociologists * Builds a picture of the changing society of Scotland over the second half of the twentieth century * Uses a uniquely wide range of statistical data sources which are set in context and explained in non-technical ways

Liberal education used to command wide political support. Radicals disagreed with conservatives on whether the best culture could be appreciated by everyone, and they disagreed, too, on whether the barriers to understanding it were mainly social and economic, but there was no dispute that any worthwhile education ought to hand on the best that has been thought and said. That consensus has vanished since the 1960s. The book examines why social radicals supported liberal education, why they have moved away from it, and what the implications are for the future of an intellectually stimulating and culturally literate education.

Liberal education used to command wide political support. Radicals disagreed with conservatives on whether the best culture could be appreciated by everyone, and they disagreed, too, on whether the barriers to understanding it were mainly social and economic, but there was no dispute that any worthwhile education ought to hand on the best that has been thought and said. That consensus has vanished since the 1960s. The book examines why social radicals supported liberal education, why they have moved away from it, and what the implications are for the future of an intellectually stimulating and culturally literate education.

New Scotland, New Society asks a series of vital questions regarding the attitudes and behaviour of the Scots. Are the ties that bind people to each other and to the democratic system fragmenting? Do people no longer trust each other? How do people relate to each other in terms of social trust? How do they relate to social institutions such as the family and systems of morality? Is constitutional reform restoring that trust? Drawing on the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey and its predecessors, the overall aim of the book is to provide an independent account of public opinion in post-devolution Scotland. Chapters will cover a range of contemporary debates. Attitudes to key issues such as co-habitation, teenage pregnancy, religion, sexuality, abortion, and racial prejudice will be explored. The capacity of Scotland's new political institutions to restore trust will be questioned, and the links between the trust which people have in each other and the trust they have in their institutions will be tested.These attitudes will be set in context over time and also in comparison with the rest of the UK, to see how attitudes have developed, and whether Scottish attitudes are distinctive. Much of the public debate in Scotland in recent years has been about constitutional and political change. This book moves beyond these issues to look at their social basis. It asks whether popular attitudes might actually be even more fundamental than the undoubtedly important constitutional upheaval that Scotland has recently experienced.