Handbook for Social Science Field Research : Essays and Bibliographic Sources on Research Design and Methods

by Ellen Perecman

• ISBN13: 9781412916813
• ISBN10: 141291681X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-01-24
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc

Summary

A Handbook for Social Science Field Research: Essays & Bibliographic Sources on Research Design and Methods provides both novice and experienced scholars with valuable insights to a select list of critical texts pertaining to a wide array of social science methods useful when doing fieldwork. Through essays on ethnography to case study, archival research, oral history, surveys, secondary data analysis, and ethics, this refreshing new collection offers "tales from the field" by renowned scholars across various disciplines. Key Features: Offers real life guidance: Personal "tales from the field" by renowned social science scholars exemplify how fieldwork requires adaptation, adoption, and flexibility with regards to methodological approaches. In addition, thoughtful commentaries on how to conduct research and pursue a research career in the social sciences offer guidance on making difficult research and career choices. Highlights vital bibliographic references: Bibliographies of critical texts help guide researchers as they broaden their methodological approaches and develop their research skills. This is not your ordinary reference list, but a compilation of the top classics and current, but soon-to-be classics, in the field of social science research. Addresses ethical concerns: Discussions of ethical concerns are presented throughout the collection, as well as a stand-alone essay on ethical considerations in field-based research. Explicit attention throughout the collection to ethical concerns is rare among methodology texts, but required as field work becomes more complex and concerns about human subjects' safety grow. Intended Audience: Ideal for advanced undergraduate and graduate social science methods courses, where there is a growing demand for multiple methods or mixed methods training; as well as a perfect, lightweight handbook for all researchers and professionals interested in having a comprehensive collection of bibliographic information for social science research

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
About the Authors	xi
Foreword	xvii
David L. Featherman
Introduction	xxi
Ellen Perecman and Sara R. Curran
PART I: Selecting the Right Tools	1	(160)
1. Archives	5	(16)
The Past Is Another Country	5	(13)
Robert Vitalis
Bibliography on Archives	18	(1)
Ellen Perecman and Sara R. Curran, Editors
1. General References	18	(1)
2. Missionary Archives	19	(1)
3. Law Cases, Commissions, and Inquiries	19	(1)
4. Medical Reports	19	(1)
5. Personal Papers and Private Correspondence	19	(1)
6. National and Regional Archives	20	(1)
7. Urban Archives	20	(1)
8. Newspapers	20	(1)
2. Case Studies	21	(26)
Case-Based Research	21	(18)
Andrew Schrank
Bibliography on Case Studies	39	(1)
Ellen Perecman and Sara R. Curran, Editors
1. Overviews: Case Studies, Critics, and Rejoinders	39	(1)
2. The "One Shot" Case Study Revisited	40	(1)
3. Comparative Case Approaches	41	(2)
4. Subnational Approaches	43	(1)
5. "Doing" Case Studies	43	(1)
6. Counterfactuals	43	(1)
7. The "Negative Case" Approach	44	(1)
8. Concept Formation	44	(3)
3. Ethnographic Methods	47	(38)
Ethnography: Theory and Methods	47	(22)
Alma Gottlieb
Bibliography on Ethnography	69	(1)
Ellen Perecman and Sara R. Curran, Editors
1. Theory and Methods	69	(9)
2. Case Studies	78	(7)
4. Oral Histories	85	(18)
Oral Histories as Methods and Sources	85	(11)
Tamara Giles-Vernick
Bibliography on Oral History	96	(1)
Ellen Perecman and Sara R. Curran, Editors
1. Oral Traditions	96	(2)
2. Oral History	98	(5)
5. Focus Groups	103	(14)
Focus Group Interviews	103	(13)
Susan E. Short
Bibliography on Focus Groups	116	(1)
Ellen Perecman and Sara R. Curran, Editors
6. Surveys and Secondary Data Sources	117	(26)
Using Survey Data in Social Science Research in Developing Countries	117	(18)
Albert Park
Bibliography on Surveys and Secondary Data Sources	135	(5)
Ellen Perecman and Sara R. Curran, Editors
1. Overview and Essentials	135	(1)
2. Planning, Proposing, and Sampling for Survey Data	136	(1)
3. Qualitative Inquiry in and Beyond the Design Process	137	(1)
4. Developing Good Questions: Fundamental Concepts	137	(1)
5. Pretesting: Rationale and Overview of Field Techniques	138	(1)
6. Data Precoding, Coding, Cleaning, and Management	138	(1)
7. Administration	138	(1)
8. Fieldwork in Principle and Practice	139	(1)
9. Analysis of Survey Data	140	(1)
10. Secondary Data Sources	140	(3)
7. Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Tools	143	(20)
Qualitative Research: Does It Fit in Economics?	143	(15)
Michael J. Piore
Bibliography on Study Design and Quantitative Methods	158	(1)
Ellen Perecman and Sara R. Curran, Editors
1. General Issues in Study Design	158	(1)
2. General Texts for Statistics and Econometrics	158	(1)
3. Specific Quantitative Methods and Concerns	159	(2)
PART II: Essentials for the Conduct of Research	161	(76)
8. Essentials for Ethnography	163	(6)
Ethnographic Methods	163	(6)
Stevan Harrell
9. Essentials for the Case Study Method	169	(6)
The Case Study and Causal Inference	169	(6)
Andrew Schrank
10. Essentials for Research Design	175	(22)
In Search of the Holy Grail: Projects, Proposals, and Research Design, but Mostly About Why Writing a Dissertation Proposal Is So Difficult	175	(22)
Michael Watts
11. Research Ethics are Essential	197	(20)
Ethical Considerations for Research in Cross-Cultural Settings	197	(20)
Sara R. Curran
12. Maintaining Perspective Is Essential	217	(20)
Bringing It All Back Home: Personal Reflections on Friends, Findings, and Fieldwork	217	(9)
Andrew Schrank
Bibliography on Research Ethics and Other Essential Reading	226	(1)
Ellen Perecman and Sara R. Curran, Editors
1. Research Ethics	226	(5)
2. Other Essential Reading	231	(6)
Author Index	237	(12)
Subject Index	249