Media Research Techniques

by Arthur Asa Berger

• ISBN13: 9780761915362
• ISBN10: 0761915362
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-05-05
• Publisher: Sage Publications

Summary

"This new edition, like the first, is as always accessible. It breaks down difficult concepts and themes so that they are understandable to a wide audience. Media Research Techniques, Second Edition engages readers with its approachable style, its useable tasks, and sometimes quirky humor." -Jack Lule, Lehigh University The first edition was praised for being delightful, engaging, readable, and well-organized. Now, once again, Arthur Asa Berger continues the tradition of providing students with a clearly written, user-friendly, hands-on guide to media research techniques with the long-awaited second edition of his best-selling classic Media Research Techniques. Leading the reader through a number of specially designed research projects (such as content analysis, surveys, focus groups, and in-depth interviews), he presents an array of interesting and practical assignments. In response to suggestions from faithful users of the first edition, Berger has added new chapters in the following areas: - Experimentation - Historical Research - Comparative Research - Participant Observation This handy guide can be used in conjunction with texts on research methodology, or it can stand alone and be used in courses dealing with such topics as media, popular arts, and American culture and society. Practical and concise, Media Research Techniques, Second Edition is an essential tool for everyone in communication, journalism, written communication, methodology/research/gaming, and cultural studies.

Author Biography

Arthur Asa Berger is Professor of Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts at San Francisco State University

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Part I. Research Projects
Guided Research Projects	3	(12)
Research Logs	15	(8)
Content Analysis: Newspaper Comics Pages	23	(12)
Survey Interviews: Media Utilization	35	(10)
Social Roles: Television Soap Opera Characters	45	(10)
Depth Interviews: Favorite Singers and Recordings	55	(10)
Rhetorical Analysis: Magazine Advertisements	65	(14)
Library Research: Audiences of Radio Talk Shows	79	(10)
Focus Groups: Reasons for Attending Films	89	(8)
Experiments: Humor	97	(8)
Participant Observation: Video Game Players	105	(6)
Historical Research: Images of Shopping Malls in the Popular Press	111	(6)
Comparative Analysis: Images of Disneyland (and Disney World) in the American Popular and Scholarly Press	117	(6)
Part II. Writing and Thinking
Writing With Style	123	(14)
Avoiding Common Writing Errors	137	(12)
Avoiding Common Reasoning Errors	149	(10)
Writing a Research Report	159	(8)
References	167	(2)
Name Index	169	(2)
Subject Index	171	(4)
About the Author	175