Principles of Methodology : Research Design in Social Science

by Perri 6

• ISBN13: 9780857024749
• ISBN10: 0857024744
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-11-09
• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd

Summary

What is methodology? How should one design a research project? What is the relationship between theory and method in social research? What do students and new researchers need to know in order to plan and conduct high quality research for themselves? In this intelligent and accessible book, Perri 6 and Chris Bellamy explore the relationship between the philosophical principles of the social sciences and the methods at our disposal to study the social world. They examine how we can design achievable and valid research projects by looking closely at the choices that all researchers and students face when designing a research project. Much of the existing literature glosses over the often difficult inter-relationship between practical research design and the theoretical underpinnings of methodology. However, this text addresses such issues head on, and in the process helps the reader to better understand each stage of the research process. Coverage includes: " How do we ask valid research questions? " How do we develop a research design to best answer our questions? " What is the difference between 'methodology' and 'methods'? " How do we formulate research concepts? " How do we select and access a sample? " What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative approaches? " How do we handle our data? This book is essential reading for any student or new researcher on a research methods course and who is faced with the prospect of understanding the research process for themselves or designing their own research project.

Table of Contents

Foundations: What Methodology is and Does

Inference and Warrant in Designing Research

Methodology and Social Science Knowledge

Testing, Confirming and Falsifying

Perspectives on Findings from Social Research

Designs: The Main Types of Research Design

Types of Research Design

Variable-Oriented Research Designs

Case-Based Research Designs

Comparative and Case-Oriented Research Designs

Concept Formation

Achievements: What Research Makes Inferences TO Why Ideas about Explanation Matter for Methodology

Basic Forms of Explanation

Mechanisms, Contexts and Trajectories

Warranting Explanations

Between-Case and within-Case Strategies

Interpretation

Warranting Interpretations

Synthesis: Combinations and Trade-Offs

Combining Research Designs

Trade-offs in Research Design

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