Making Sense of the Social World
Methods of Investigation
- Daniel F. Chambliss - Hamilton College, USA
- Russell K. Schutt - University of Massachusetts Boston, USA
Research Methods in Sociology
The new Sixth Edition of Making Sense of the Social World continues to be an unusually accessible and student-friendly introduction to the variety of social research methods, guiding undergraduate readers to understand research in their roles as consumers and novice producers of social science. Known for its concise, casual, and clear writing, its balanced treatment of quantitative and qualitative approaches, and its integrated approach to the fundamentals, the text has much to offer both novice researchers and more advanced students alike. The authors use a wide variety of examples from formal studies and everyday experiences to illustrate important principles and techniques.
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Learning About the Social World |
Can Social Scientists See the Social World More Clearly? |
How Well Have We Done Our Research? |
Conclusion |
Key Terms |
Highlights |
Student Study Site |
Exercises |
What Is the Question? |
What Is the Theory? |
What Is the Strategy? |
What Is the Design? |
Conclusion |
Key Terms |
Highlights |
Student Study Site |
Exercises |
Historical Background |
Ethical Principles |
Conclusion |
Key Terms |
Highlights |
Student Study Site |
Exercises |
What Do We Have in Mind? |
How Will We Know When We’ve Found It? |
How Much Information Do We Really Have? |
Did We Measure What We Wanted to Measure? |
Conclusion |
Key Terms |
Highlights |
Student Study Site |
Exercises |
How Do We Prepare to Sample? |
What Sampling Method Should We Use? |
Conclusion |
Key Terms |
Highlights |
Student Study Site |
Exercises |
Causal Explanation |
What Causes What? |
Why Experiment? |
What If a True Experiment Isn’t Possible? |
What Are the Threats to Validity? |
How Do Experimenters Protect Their Subjects? |
Conclusion |
Key Terms |
Highlights |
Student Study Site |
Exercises |
Why Is Survey Research So Popular? |
How Should We Write Survey Questions? |
How Should Questionnaires Be Designed? |
What Are the Alternatives for Administering Surveys? |
A Comparison of Survey Designs |
Ethical Issues in Survey Research |
Conclusion |
Key Terms |
Highlights |
Student Study Site |
Exercises |
Why Do Statistics? |
How to Prepare Data for Analysis |
What Are the Options for Displaying Distributions? |
What Are the Options for Summarizing Distributions? |
How Can We Tell Whether Two Variables Are Related? |
Secondary Data Analysis |
Big Data |
Big Data, Big Ethics Issues |
Conclusion |
Key Terms |
Highlights |
Student Study Site |
Exercises |
What Are Qualitative Methods? |
How Does Participant Observation Become a Research Method? |
How Do You Conduct Intensive Interviews? |
How Do You Run Focus Groups? |
Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research |
Conclusion |
Key Terms |
Highlights |
Student Study Site |
Exercises |
What Is Distinctive About Qualitative Data Analysis? |
What Techniques Do Qualitative Data Analysts Use? |
What Are Some Alternatives in Qualitative Data Analysis? |
Why Are Mixed Methods Helpful? |
How Can Computers Assist Qualitative Data Analysis? |
What Ethical Issues Arise in Doing Qualitative Data Analysis? |
Conclusion |
Key Terms |
Highlights |
Student Study Site |
Exercises |
Creative Sources |
Content Analysis |
Historical Methods |
Comparative Methods |
Ethical Issues in Unobtrusive Methods |
Conclusion |
Key Terms |
Highlights |
Student Study Site |
Exercises |
What Is the History of Evaluation Research? |
What Is Evaluation Research? |
What Are the Alternatives in Evaluation Designs? |
What Can an Evaluation Study Focus On? |
Ethical Issues in Evaluation Research |
Conclusion |
Key Terms |
Highlights |
Student Study Site |
Exercises |
Comparing Research Designs |
Reviewing Research |
Proposing New Research |
Reporting Research |
Conclusion |
Key Terms |
Highlights |
Student Study Site |
Exercises |
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