Quantitative Research Methods for Communication A Hands-On Approach

by Wrench, Jason S.; Thomas-Maddox, Candice; Peck Richmond, Virginia; McCroskey, James C.

• ISBN13: 9780199931804
• ISBN10: 0199931801
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-11-13
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Quantitative Research Methods for Communication: A Hands-On Approach, Second Edition, is a comprehensive and engaging guide to quantitative research. Drawing on their extensive research and teaching experience in the field of communication, authors Jason S. Wrench, Candice Thomas-Maddox, Virginia Peck Richmond, and James C. McCroskey encourage students to take an active, hands-on role in the learning process. After giving students the tools they need to locate, conduct, collect, and present their research, the text provides them with the opportunity to immediately apply these skills in research scenarios. New to the Second Edition: * Information on research ethics and the Institutional Review Board process * A section on the different types of plagiarism * Re-conducted statistical analyses that reflect the newly doubled dataset * Integration of a combination of both proprietary (IBM's SPSS and Microsoft's Excel) and open source (PSPP and R) statistical software packages with screenshots throughout * New appendix discussing the basics of using both PSPP and R for novices * New journal, database, communication conference lists * A combined chapter on variables and communication variables * An updated section on the history of measurement that discusses how a single research measure can have multiple factors and the importance of a factor analysis in research * A new chart showing the variety of different types of anchors that can be utilized for Likert Scales * Updated content that reflects the Sixth Edition of the APA Style Manual * New segment on working with research librarians * Updated information to help students develop an understanding of the importance of p-values within statistical research * More information on presenting research at conferences and conventions * Updated references and bolded key terms throughout

Table of Contents

Preface
1. An Introduction to Communication Research
2. Empirical Research
3. Research Ethics
4. Searching for Previous Research and APA Style
5. Research Structure and Literature Reviews
6. Variables
7. Descriptive Statistics
8. Measurement
9. Reliability and Validity
10. Survey Research
11. Content Analysis
12. Experimental Design
13. Sampling Methods
14. Hypothesis Testing
15. Chi-Square Test of Independence
16. Independent Samples t-Tests
17. One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
18. Correlation
19. Regression
20. Advanced Statistical Procedures
21. Presenting Research
Appendix A. Qualitative Research
Appendix B. Textbook Questionnaire
Appendix C. Case Study: McCroskey, Richmond, and Johnson (2003)
Glossary
Index