A Short Introduction to Social ResearchA Short Introduction to Social Research introduces students and researchers to the key ideas and issues that inform research practice. Henn, Weinstein and Foard provide a clear and easy-to-understand route-map to help the reader plan their research project from beginning to end. This book is perfect for use on introductory methods courses and is also an invaluable guide for the first time researcher embarking on their own small-scale research project. It provides answers to the following questions: What is social research, and why do we conduct it? What is and what is not acceptable knowledge about the social world? What are and what are not acceptable methods for acquiring social knowledge? What are the primary debates about the relative merits and weaknesses of quantitative and qualitative research styles? To what extent is it possible to combine methods in a single research study? Can - and should - social research ever be objective and value-free? |
Contents
Combining methods | 7 |
Critical Social Research | 28 |
The Research Process | 45 |
Copyright | |
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A Short Introduction to Social Research Dr Matt Henn,Dr Mark Weinstein,Mr Nick Foard Limited preview - 2005 |
Common terms and phrases
academic agency analytic induction approach argue behaviour carried Chapter research task concepts conducting consider crime critical social researchers data collection develop discussion documents enable ethical codes ethnography example experiences experimental feminist fieldnotes findings focus group generalisability grounded theory Hammersley Henn hypothesis identify important interested investigation involved level of measurement literature London means measure methodological Nuremberg Code official statistics opinion polls organisation participant observation particular phenomena population possible practice qualitative data qualitative research quantitative questionnaire readers record reference relations relationship relevant research design research methods research participants research problem research process research project research proposal research questions research study respondents review committee role Sage sample survey sampling error sampling methods selected situation snowball sampling social science social world strategy structured survey research techniques theoretical sampling topic types understanding Unification Church validity values variables writing