Studying Families

Anne P. Copeland, Kathleen M. White

SAGE Publications, 1991 - Family & Relationships - 116 pages

"This volume provides valuable guidelines and information to the family studies research. Each chapter contains thought provoking exercises and a reference list. Anyone considering a family study needs to read this volume before beginning. While no single volume can provide a complete roadmap, this text provides a good outline and points out major roadblocks. However, one should not get the idea this volume is for the researcher only. Anyone who works in the family therapy arena will benefit from the insights provided, especially as they read the literature to keep current."--Evaluation Practice "Studying Families is a very practical, down-to-earth book about how to study families from a psychological perspective. ... The authors present insightful discussions of research issues involved when studying multiple members of the same family and when the objective is to measure properties of the family as a group. There is a well-balanced presentation of the advantages, disadvantages, and techniques of using observations and self-reports to collect data from family members. ... We recommend Studying Families as a useful supplemental text for psychologists who need to teach about or research the family."--Contemporary Psychology "I assigned Studying Families as a text for a graduate class in Family Research Methods. My students and I gave the book rave reviews; it was extremely readable, concise, and thorough. It introduced us to a state-of-the-art thinking in family research. It often helped us to clarify confusing concepts we were struggling with from other family readings. This book should be extremely helpful to anyone engaged in the process of thinking about family research methods." --Leslie Brody, Boston University "In Studying Families, Anne Copeland and Kathleen White present a concise, well-written, and extremely interesting discussion of several distinct issues related to family research. Their appraoch is rather characteristic, in that rather than reviewing basic social science research methodology, they have chosen to outline very succinctly the unique (and often problematic) aspects of methodology relevant to the study of families. ... Each chapter concludes with a set of challenging exercises and a list of suggested readings. This book, along with the supplementary readings, would be excellent in a course on family research methods, in which students had already completed a basic social science research methods course. It also will make a valuable addition to every family researcher's collection of resource materials." --The Journal of Marriage and the Family By exploring the special issues and problems related to research on families, Copeland and White show the reader how the techniques needed to study families differ from the standard methods used to study individuals. In addition to covering such techniques as self- report and observational methods, the book includes suggestions for the use of existing data and an evaluation of the problems with secondary data use, as well as the considerations necessary for aggregating data and performing analyses. Through a focus on the issues involved in assessing individuals, their relationships, and families, Studying Families offers a guide through the complex challenges inherent in doing family research.

Contents

• ix: 12
• Conclusion: 25
• SelfReport Measures: 32

About the author

Dr. Copeland is a licensed psychologist with expertise in cultural transition and clinical psychology. Prior to founding The Interchange Institute in 1997, Dr. Copeland was Associate Professor of Psychology at Boston University, where she conducted research and research supervision in psychological aspects of family process assessment, ethnicity, cultural influences, immigration, development, developmental disabilities and affective development. During her tenure at the University, she relocated with her family to work in London in 1988, where she was the academic advisor for Boston University's British Programmes. After leaving her full-time position at the university, she served as Adjunct Associate Professor until 2007, continuing her role as mentor and research advisor to Psychology graduate students. Dr. Copeland has written several books on topics of families and transition (Studying Families, Sage 1991, and Separating Together, 1997), and has authored over 60 research articles, chapters, and professional presentations. She has also written extensively, through The Interchange Institute, for people moving into or out of the United States, including Newcomer's Almanac, a newsletter for international newcomers to the United States published monthly since 1994, Understanding American Schools, Global Baby, A Smooth Beginning, and other support materials. Dr. Copeland provides cross-cultural training for individuals and families moving to and from the United States. She also trains others to deliver tailored, individualized cross-cultural orientation programs. She developed and conducts International Writers' Club meetings for international newcomers in her community; essays from these Clubs about cultural differences are published in school newsletters, enhancing intercultural understanding throughout the school community.

Dr. Kathleen (Kathi) M. White previously directed the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and the master's degree programs and also coordinated both the MSN health systems management track and the MSN-MBA dual degree option. in July 2010, she began a stint at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration, where she will serve for two years as a Senior Advisor to the Office of Workforce Policy and Performance Management though an Individual Personal Assignment. Dr. White also maintains a faculty practice appointment at Howard County General Hospital where she serves as nurse research liaison focusing on evidence-based practice initiatives. With a joint appointment as a clinical nurse specialist at the Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH), she is a member of a collaborative SON/JHH team that developed the widely published, award-winning Johns Hopkins Nursing evidence-based practice model and guidelines. Dr. White's numerous practice leadership roles include consulting with Parkway Group Healthcare in Singapore and the primary healthcare reform project in Armenia; and serving as visiting faculty at the American University of Armenia, as a member of the Hopkins-Healthways Advisory Group, and as the Chairperson of the American Nursing Association Congress on Nursing Practice and Economics. She also serves on the Maryland Health Care Commission's Hospital Performance Evaluation Guide Advisory Committee and the CareFirst Board of Directors, and is the Chairperson of the Maryland Patient Safety Center's Board of Directors.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Studying Families; Volume 27 of Applied Social Research Methods
• Authors: Anne P. Copeland, Kathleen M. White
• Editors: Anne P. Copeland, Kathleen M. White
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, 1991
• ISBN: 0803932480, 9780803932487
• Length: 116 pages
• Subjects: Family & Relationships / General; Medical / General