Communication Research Methods

by Merrigan, Gerianne; Huston, Carole

• ISBN13: 9780190652777
• ISBN10: 0190652772
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2019-01-18
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Table of Contents

Brief Contents
Preface
Foreword

Part 1
The What and Why of Communication Research

1 Introduction to Communication Research
2 Three Paradigms of Knowing
3 Ethics and Research

Part 2
How to Explain and Predict Communication

4 Making Arguments for Association and Causality
5 Measuring and Designing Quantitative Social Science Research
6 Experimental Research: Predicting Causes and Effects
7 Survey Research: Explaining and Predicting Attitudes and Behaviors
8 Content Analysis: Explaining and Predicting Message Categories
9 Analyzing and Interpreting Quantitative Data
10 Conversation Analysis: Explaining Talk's Structure and Function

Part 3
How to Interpret, Evaluate and Reform Communication

11 Making Arguments for Multiple Plausible Realities
12 Interviews and Focus Groups: Interpreting Guided Responses
13 Ethnography: Interpreting and Evaluating Cultural Communication
14 Discourse Analysis: Interpreting and Evaluating Language-in-use
15 Rhetorical Criticism: Interpreting and Evaluating Messages
16 Critical Studies: Evaluating and Reforming Ideologies

Glossary
References
Index


Contents
Preface
Foreword

Part 1
The What and Why of Communication Research

1 Introduction to Communication Research
Introduction
What Will You Get from this Chapter?
Outline
Critical Thinking and Information Literacy
Academic and Proprietary Research and Creative Work
What is Communication Theory?
Relating Theories and Research Methods
? Everyday Ways of Knowing
? Research Methods as Argument
? Making Good Academic and Practical Arguments
Audiences for Communication Scholarship
? Professional Associations
? Scholarly Journals
? Trade Journals and Popular Press Publications
Making Sense of Scholarly Journal Articles
? Research Reports
? Critical Essays
Chapter Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
"Try It!" Activities

2 Three Paradigms of Knowing
Introduction
What Will You Get from this Chapter?
Outline
Why Three Paradigms?
Methodological Ways of Knowing
? Knowing through Quantitative Social Science
? Knowing through Interpretation
? Knowing through Criticism
Paradigms: A Final Note
Chapter Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
"Try It!" Activities

3 Ethics and Research
Introduction
What Will You Get from this Chapter?
Outline
A Brief History of Communication Ethics
Codes of Conduct: Linking Values to Research Practices
The IRB Review Process
Ethical Choices in Communication Research
? Before Doing Research: Motives for Projects and Topics
? During Research Projects: Protecting the Rights of Research Participants
Right to Freely Choose Research Participation
Right to Privacy
Right to Be Treated with Honesty and Respect
? Afterward: Reporting and Evaluating Research Ethically
Chapter Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
"Try It!" Activities

Part 2
How to Explain and Predict Communication

4 Making Arguments for Association and Causality
Introduction
What Will You Get from this Chapter?
Outline
Values of Quantitative Social Science Research
Inductive and Deductive Reasoning: Cycle of Inquiry
Claims in Quantitative Social Science Research
? Explanatory and Predictive Claims
Research Questions and Hypotheses
? Associative and Causal Relationships
?Independent and Dependent Variables
Evidence for Causal and Associative Research Arguments
? Data Sources
? Data Settings: When Settings Count
? Selecting Data Samples: Preference for Random Sampling
Warranting Quantitative Social Science Research Arguments
? Validity as a Standard for Evaluating Evidence
Bias: A Threat to Valid Design and Measurement
Types of Measurement Validity
Errors that Threaten External Validity
External Validity
? Reliability as a Standard for Evaluating Evidence
Noise: A Threat to Consistent Measurement
Types of Measurement Reliability
? The Relationship between Reliability and Validity
Chapter Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
"Try It!" Activities

5 Measuring and Designing Quantitative Social Science Research
Introduction
What Will You Get from this Chapter?
Outline
Research Design as the Essential Framework
Measurement
? Conceptual and Operational Definitions
? Levels of Measurement
Building Arguments through Research Designs
? Designs in Content Analysis and Survey Research
Cross-sectional
Longitudinal
? Experimental Research Design
Design elements
Types of Designs
Warranting Quantitative Research through Design Elements
? Threats to Validity: Time Progression Effects
? Threats to Validity: Reactivity Effects
Chapter Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
"Try It!" Activities

6 Experimental Research: Predicting Causes and Effects
Introduction
What Will You Get from this Chapter?
Outline
Experimental Research Claims
? Emphasis on Deductive Reasoning
? Constructing Causal Arguments
? Research Designs
Experimental Research Data
? Data Sources and Variable Types
? Data Settings
? Data Collection and Analysis
? Data Collection Strategies
? Analysis of Variance Effects
Experimental Research Warrants
? Internal Validity Threats
? External Validity Threats
Ethics in Experimental Research
Chapter Summary
Key Terms
Discussions Questions
"Try It!" Activities

7 Survey Research: Explaining and Predicting Attitudes and Behaviors
Introduction
What Will You Get from this Chapter?
Outline
Survey Research Claims
? Claims in Exploratory Surveys
? Explanatory and Predictive Claims
? Claims in Network Analysis
Survey Research Data
? Sources and Modes of Data Collection
Primary and Secondary (Archived) Sources
Collection Modes
? Survey Research Design
? Survey Construction and Measurement
Survey Format
Survey Structure
Question Format and Function
Warranting in Survey Research
? Survey Coverage
? Survey Sampling Strategies
Random Selection Methods
Nonrandom or Purposive Selection Methods
? Measurement Errors
? Response Rate
Ethical Issues in Survey Research
Survey Research Summary
Chapter Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
"Try It!" Activities

8 Content Analysis: Explaining and Interpreting Message Categories
Introduction
What Will You Get from this Chapter?
Outline
Content Analytic Claims: Explaining and Predicting Message Characteristics
Content Analytic Data
? Message Populations and Data Samples
? Unitizing and Categorizing Textual Data
? Frame Analysis
? Operationalizing Social Media Engagement
? Computers and Content Analysis
? Content Analytic Results
Warrants for Content Analysis
? Valid Coding Schemes
? Reliable Coding Decisions
? Generalizable Findings
Ethical Issues in Content Analysis
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
"Try It!" Activities

9 Analyzing and Interpreting Quantitative Data
Introduction
What Will You Get from this Chapter?
Outline
How to Describe Sample Data
? Visual Representations of Variables
Nominal and Ordinal Data
Interval and Ratio Data
? Numerical Representations of Variables
Measures of Central Tendency
Measures of Shape
Measures of Dispersion
The Logic of Hypothesis Testing
? Three Types of Distributions
? Estimation and Inference
Areas Under the Normal Curve
? Steps to Testing Hypotheses
Formulating Hyptheses
Framing Decision Based on the Likelihood of Error
Calculating the Test Statistic
Deciding to Accept or Reject the Null Hypothesis
Tests of Differences
? Nonparametric Tests
?Interpreting Chi-square
? Parametric Tests of Difference
Interpreting t-tests and F tests
Tests of Relationship
? Parametric Tests
Tests of Relationships
?Correlation
Point-Biserial Correlation
? Bivariate and Multivariate Tests
Chapter Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
"Try It!" Activities

10 Conversation Analysis: Explaining Talk's Structure and Function
Introduction
What Will You Get from this Chapter?
Outline
Conversation Analytic Claims
? Turn Taking
? Adjacency Pairs
? Preference
? Repair
? Action Sequences
Conversation Analytic Data
? Collecting Ordinary Conversations
Recording Techniques
Ethical Issues in CA
? Transcribing Conversations
Formatting Transcripts
Transcription Programs
Determining the Unit of Analysis
? Analytic Induction
Conversation Analytic Warrants
? Accuracy and Detail Level
? Transcription Veracity
? Sample Representativeness
Key Terms
"Try It!" Activities

Part 3
How to Interpret, Evaluate and Reform Communication

11 Making Arguments for Multiple Plausible Realities
Introduction
What Will You Get from this Chapter?
Outline
Humanistic Values
Inductive Reasoning as a Form of Argument
Interpretive Research Claims
Critical Research Claims
Evidence for Interpretive and Critical Research Arguments
? Preferred Sources of Evidence
? Preference for Non-Random Selection of Evidence
? A Note about Research Settings
? Using Triangulation to Enhance Rich Descriptions
Basic Analytic Strategies for Interpretive and Critical Researchers
Warranting Interpretive and Critical Research Arguments
? Researcher Credibility as a Standard
Researcher Training and Experience
Degree of Membership
Faithfulness
? Plausible Interpretations as a Standard
Adequate Evidence
Coherence
Negative Case Analysis
? Impact as a Standard
Two Views of Truth
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
"Try It!" Activities

12 Interviews and Focus Groups: Interpreting Guided Responses
Introduction
What Will You Get from this Chapter?
Outline
Interview and Focus Group Claims
Interview Evidence
? Should I Interview Individuals, Groups, or Both?
? Selecting/Recruiting Participants
? Creating the Interview Protocol(s)
? Moderating the Interviews
? Coding Interview Evidence
? Presenting Interview Evidence in a Research Report
Warranting Interview Studies
? Researcher Credibility
? Plausible Interpretations
Key Terms
"Try It!" Activities

13 Ethnography: Interpreting and Evaluating Cultural Communication
Introduction
What Will You Get from this Chapter?
Outline
Ethnomethodology
Ethnographic Claims
? Interpretive Claims
? Evaluative and Reformist Claims
Ethnographic Evidence
? Sources
Participant Observation
Interviews with Key Informants
Archival Documents
Artifacts
? Triangulation in Ethnographic Research
? Collecting Ethnographic Evidence
Gaining Access to the Setting
Selecting Key Informants
Taking Field Notes
Exiting the Field
? Analyzing Ethnographic Evidence
Transcribing Interviews
Coding and Reducing Field Notes
Writing Case Studies
Ethical Issues for Ethnographers
Ethnographic Warrants
? Valuing Subjectivity and Rich Description
? Researcher Credibility
? Plausible Interpretations
? Impact
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
"Try It!" Activities

14 Discourse Analysis: Interpreting & Evaluating Language-in-Use
Introduction
What Will You Get from this Chapter?
Outline
Discourse Analytic Claims
? Types of Texts (Also Known as Discourse Genres)
? Interpreting Interactional Accomplishments
Social Practices
Roles and Identity Performances
Entities
? Interpreting and Evaluating Ideologies
Discourse Analytic Evidence
? Collecting Samples of Language in Use
? Choosing a Unit of Analysis
? Coding Units and Developing Thematic Analysis
Discourse Analytic Warrants
? Researcher Credibility
? Plausible Interpretations
Ethical Issues for Discourse Analysis
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
"Try It!" Activity

15 Rhetorical Criticism: How to Interpret Persuasive Texts and Artifacts
Introduction
What Will Get from this Chapter?
Outline
Rhetorical Theory and Rhetorical Criticism
Neoclassical and Genre Rhetorical Criticism
? Neoclassical Criticism
Claims and Data
Warrants: Standards for Evaluating Rhetorical Effectiveness
New Directions in Neoclassical Criticism
? Genre Criticism
Traditional Aristotelian Forms
Claims and Data
New Approaches to Genre Studies
Warrants
Interpretive Rhetorical Criticism
? Metaphoric Criticism
Claims and Data
Warrants
? Dramatism
Claims and Data
Warrants
? Narrative Analysis
Claims and Data
Warrants
Shifting Directions for Rhetorical Criticism
? Reconsidering Rhetorical Symbols and Contexts
Ethical Concerns in Rhetorical Criticism
Chapter Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
"Try It!" Activities

16 Critical Studies: Evaluating and Reforming Ideologies
Introduction
What Will You Get from this Chapter?
Outline
Claims in Critical Studies
? Evaluating and Reforming Social Structures
Marxist Criticism
Gender and Feminist Criticism
? Evaluating and Reinventing Discourse Processes
Postmodern Criticism
Cultural Criticism
Semiotic Criticism
Evidence in Critical Studies
? Actions and Events
? Texts
? Researchers' Experiences and Beliefs
Analytic Moves in Critical Studies
? Deconstruction
? Narrative Analysis
? Frame Analysis
Warrants for Critical Studies
? Researcher Positionality
? Plausible Evaluations and Reforms
? Impact: Changes in Awareness and Praxis
Ethical Issues for Critical Scholars
Chapter Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
"Try It!" Activities


Glossary
References
Index