| Title: | Doing Survey Research: A Guide to Quantitative Methods |
| Authors: | Peter M. Nardi, Author |
| Material Type: | printed text |
| Publisher: | London and NewYork : Routledge Taylor&Francis Group, 2014 |
| ISBN (or other code): | 978-1-138-04651-1 |
| Size: | ix, 258 p. |
| Languages: | English |
| Original Language: | English |
| Class number: | 300.72 (Research methodology in the social sciences) |
| Keywords: | Social Surveys, Social Science, Research Methodology, Sampling Statistics, Quantitative, |
| Contents note: |
Table of Contents
Preface CHAPTER ONE Why We Do Research 1 In this chapter, the differences between everyday thinking and scientific thinking are discussed. An argument is made about the advantages of doing survey research and understanding various kinds of research: exploratory, descriptive, explanatory, and evaluation. The chapter concludes with a comparison of quantitative and qualitative research methods. CHAPTER TWO Finding Ideas to Research 25 Discovering topics to study by searching for research ideas and finding existing studies is one of the goals of this chapter. Learning to write a good literature review is discussed, especially in the context of using theory to guide your research. The chapter also raises the ethical issues involved in doing research. CHAPTER THREE Designing Research: Concepts, Hypotheses, and Measurement 45 Central to doing survey research is understanding the idea of operationalization and how to go from ideas to concepts to variables. Learning the various levels of measurement is also essential for analyzing data. This chapter shows how to write hypotheses using independent and dependent variables and how to evaluate the reliability and validity of measures. CHAPTER FOUR Developing a Questionnaire 70 The strengths and weaknesses of different types of survey methods are discussed. The focus is on learning how to design a questionnaire: how to write attitude, behavior, and demographic questions and to format a survey. Ways to code responses and prepare data for computer analysis are also presented. CHAPTER FIVE Sampling 112 This chapter explains random probability sampling and describes different methods for obtaining samples. Longitudinal and cross-sectional research designs are discussed, as are different types of probability and nonprobability sampling and the idea of sampling error. CHAPTER SIX Presenting Data: Descriptive Statistics 133 Understanding how to describe findings using graphs, tables, and statistics is the focus of this chapter. In addition, the emphasis is on learning to make decisions about when to use the mean, median, mode, and standard deviation and understanding the concept of the normal curve and z-scores. Concepts of probability and statistical significance are introduced. CHAPTER SEVEN Analyzing Data: Bivariate Relationships 159 This chapter discusses how to read and construct cross-tables of data and decide which statistics to use to measure association and correlation. Understanding how to reject or accept a hypothesis by using the appropriate statistics to assess bivariate relationships is highlighted. CHAPTER EIGHT Analyzing Data: Comparing Means 184 This chapter shows how to assess differences between means using t-tests and analysis of variance. As with other bivariate data analysis, knowing when to use these statistical procedures and how to interpret them is central to testing hypotheses. CHAPTER NINE Analyzing Data: Multiple Variables 202 This chapter focuses on the analysis of three or more variables to answer more complex research questions. It discusses when to use and how to interpret multiple regression analyses and how to perform elaboration techniques with control variables. CHAPTER TEN Presenting Results, Making Conclusions, and Writing Reports 225 In this final chapter, learning to write a report of the research project is emphasized, along with the key elements that go into a presentation of your study. Understanding the different audiences reading a report guides the preparation of the findings. Appendix 245 References 251 Index 255 |
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| Barcode | Call number | Media type | Location | Section | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P420 | 300.72 PET | Books | PPRC | Books | Available |
