Methods of Family Research

by Theodore N. Greenstein

• ISBN13: 9781412916776
• ISBN10: 1412916771
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-02-13
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc

Summary

Following up on his successful initial foray into helping students better understand the research results they encounter, author Theodore N. Greenstein has revised and updated his popular Methods of Family Research to benefit a new generation of students and researchers! The Second Edition of Methods of Family Research differs from other research methods texts in a significant way. While traditional texts focus on teaching students how to produce research, this text teaches how to consume research. Written in a clear, concise style, this book introduces the basic concepts of social science research methods without getting bogged down in technical details. The text covers traditional quantitative methods, qualitative methods, and the mixed-method approach, and uses real-life examples to address issues family researchers deal with every day.

Author Biography

Theodore N. Greenstein is Associate Professor of Sociology at North Carolina State University

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
The Goal of This Text	xiii
What's New in the Second Edition	xiv
To the Student	xiv
To the Instructor	xv
Organization of This Text	xv
Acknowledgments	xvii
1. Why Do Research on Families?	1	(14)
What Are the Stages of Social Research?	2	(4)
Exploration	2	(1)
Description	3	(1)
Explanation	4	(1)
Prediction	5	(1)
Interventions	5	(1)
Evaluation	6	(1)
How Is Research on Families Different?	6	(5)
Families Are Systems of Individuals	7	(1)
Defining Family	8	(1)
Multiple Statuses and Multiple Roles	8	(1)
Backstage Behavior	9	(1)
Preconceptions About the Family	9	(2)
The Benefits of Well-Conducted Research	11	(1)
Study Questions	12	(1)
For Further Reading	13	(2)
2. Causal Inference in Family Research	15	(14)
Variables	16	(5)
Dependent Variables	16	(1)
Independent Variables	16	(1)
A Simple Causal Model	16	(1)
Interviewing (Mediator or Mediating) Variables	17	(1)
Moderating (Control or Moderator) Variables	18	(3)
Units of Analysis	21	(1)
Thinking Causally	22	(3)
Temporal Precedence	24	(1)
Constant Conjunction	24	(1)
Nonspuriousness	24	(1)
Framing the Hypothesis	25	(1)
Directional Hypotheses	25	(1)
Nondirectional Hypotheses	26	(1)
Study Questions	26	(1)
For Further Reading	27	(2)
3. Searching and Reading the Literature	29	(14)
Reading a Journal Article	31	(5)
Title	31	(1)
Author and Institutional Affiliation	32	(1)
Abstract	32	(1)
Introduction	32	(1)
Literature Review	33	(1)
Methods	33	(1)
Sample	34	(1)
Measurement	34	(1)
Procedures	34	(1)
Findings or Results	34	(1)
Discussion	35	(1)
Conclusions	35	(1)
References	35	(1)
Tables	36	(1)
Figures	36	(1)
Where Do I Go From Here?	36	(1)
How Do Journal Articles Get Published?	37	(2)
Research Monographs	39	(1)
Other Types of Publications	39	(1)
Study Questions	40	(1)
For Further Reading	41	(2)
4. Using the Internet to Study Families	43	(8)
Web Sites of Interest to Family Researchers	44	(1)
Search Engines	45	(1)
What Are Mailing Lists?	46	(1)
What Are Newsgroups?	47	(1)
What Are Electronic Journals?	48	(1)
The Internet as a Source of Data	48	(1)
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Internet for Family Research	49	(1)
Study Questions	50	(1)
For Further Reading	50	(1)
5. How Do We Measure Concepts?	51	(12)
Characteristics of a Good Measurement Procedure	52	(1)
Levels of Measurement	53	(3)
Levels of Measurement: Nominal	53	(1)
Levels of Measurement: Ordinal	54	(1)
Levels of Measurement: Interval	55	(1)
Levels of Measurement: Ratio	55	(1)
Summary of Levels of Measurement	56	(1)
What Are Reliability and Validity?	56	(5)
Reliability	57	(1)
Stability	57	(1)
Consistency	58	(1)
Validity	58	(1)
Face Validity	59	(1)
Criterion Validity	60	(1)
Construct Validity	60	(1)
Content Validity	60	(1)
Some Thoughts on Reliability and Validity	61	(1)
Study Questions	62	(1)
For Further Reading	62	(1)
6. Studying Families: Quantitative Methods	63	(22)
Studying Families Through Experiments	64	(5)
Threats to Internal Validity	66	(1)
Threats to External Validity	67	(1)
Dealing With Threats to Validity	68	(1)
Studying Families Through Survey Methods	69	(5)
Mailed Questionnaires	70	(1)
Telephone Interviews	71	(1)
Personal Interviews	71	(1)
Surveys Over the Internet	72	(1)
Other Modes of Survey Research	73	(1)
Studying Families Through Observation	74	(2)
Five Criteria	74	(2)
Studying Families Through Nonreactive Techniques	76	(2)
Four Kinds of Errors Introduced by the Respondent	76	(1)
Three Kinds of Errors Introduced by the Researcher	77	(1)
Types of Nonreactive Research	78	(2)
Physical Traces	78	(1)
The Running Record	79	(1)
Advantages of the Running Record	79	(1)
The Episodic and Private Record	80	(1)
Secondary Anaylsis of Sample Surveys	80	(1)
Some Limitations of Quantitative Methods	81	(1)
Study Questions	81	(1)
For Further Reading	82	(3)
7. Studying Families: Qualitative Methods	85	(12)
Qualitative Research Compared to Quantitative Research	86	(1)
Types of Qualitative Strategies	87	(5)
Case Studies	88	(2)
Ethnographies	90	(1)
Time Diary Methods	91	(1)
Focus Groups	92	(1)
Evaluating Qualitative Research	92	(1)
Study Questions	93	(9)
For Further Reading	102
8. Studying Families: Mixed Methods	97	(6)
Mixed-Method Approaches to Family Research	98	(2)
Mixed-Model Studies in Family Research	100	(1)
Some Closing Thoughts on Choosing A Research Strategy	100	(2)
Study Questions	102	(1)
For Further Reading	102	(1)
9. Sampling Issues	103	(12)
Defining the Population	105	(1)
Sampling Designs	106	(5)
Probability Samples	107	(2)
Nonprobability Samples	109	(2)
How Large Does the Sample Need to Be?	111	(1)
How Do We Go About Choosing a Sampling Technique?	112	(1)
Study Questions	112	(1)
For Further Reading	113	(2)
10. Working With Scales and Indices	115	(12)
Types of Scales and Indices	117	(3)
Using Existing Scales and Indices	120	(1)
Where to Find Them	120	(1)
Permission, Copyrights, and So Forth	120	(1)
How Do We Evaluate Scales and Indices?	121	(1)
Dimensionality	121	(1)
Determining Internal Consistency of Scales and Indices	121	(1)
How Do We Deal With Missing Data in Scales and Indices?	122	(2)
Strategies for Dealing With Missing Data	123	(1)
Study Questions	124	(1)
For Further Reading	124	(3)
11. Analyzing Data on Families	127	(14)
Descriptive Statistics	128	(3)
Measures of Central Tendency	128	(1)
Measures of Variability	129	(1)
Measures of Association	130	(1)
Interpreting Cross-classification Tables	131	(2)
Inferential Statistics	133	(2)
Commonly Reported Tests of Statistical Significance	135	(3)
The Chi-Squared Test	135	(1)
Tests of Significance for Measures of Association	135	(1)
Tests for Means	135	(1)
Multiple-Regression Analysis	136	(2)
Some Thoughts About Statistical Analysis	138	(1)
Study Questions	139	(1)
For Further Reading	139	(2)
12. Using Other People's Data	141	(14)
Advantages and Disadvantages of Secondary Analysis	142	(1)
What Are Some Sources of Data About Families?	143	(8)
Data From the U.S. Census Bureau	143	(1)
General Social Survey	144	(1)
National Longitudinal Surveys	145	(2)
National Surveys of Families and Households	147	(1)
Panel Study of Income Dynamics	147	(1)
National Survey of Children	148	(1)
Marital Instability Over the Life Course	149	(1)
National Survey of America's Families	149	(1)
The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health	150	(1)
1975 and 1985 National Family Violence Surveys	150	(1)
Public Opinion Polls	150	(1)
Sources of Secondary Data Sets	151	(1)
Future Trends in Secondary Data Analysis	152	(1)
Study Questions	152	(1)
For Further Reading	153	(2)
13. Evaluating Family Programs	155	(10)
Needs and Social Impact Assessment: What Is the Problem?	158	(1)
Outcome Assessment: Does It Work?	158	(1)
Process Research: How Does It Work?	159	(1)
Some Thoughts About Randomization in Evaluation Research	160	(2)
The Relationship Between Applied and Basic Research	162	(1)
Study Questions	163	(1)
For Further Reading	163	(2)
14. The Ethics and Politics of Family Research	165	(10)
Ethnical Issues in Research on Families and Children	166	(1)
Informed Consent	166	(1)
Anonymity and Confidentiality	167	(1)
Right to Knowledge of the Findings	167	(1)
Right to Remedial Services	167	(1)
What Is the Role of the Institutional Review Board?	167	(1)
Political Concerns in Research on Families	168	(3)
Control of Employment Opportunities	169	(1)
Control of Publication Channels	169	(1)
Control of Research Funding	170	(1)
Some Closing Thoughts	171	(2)
Study Questions	173	(1)
For Further Reading	173	(2)
Reference	175	(8)
Glossary and Index	183	(14)
About the Author	197