Social Research Methods : Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches

by H. Russell Bernard

• ISBN13: 9780761914037
• ISBN10: 076191403X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-12-21
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc

Summary

" For an answer to almost every question in getting started on a particular topic in research methodology, 'Read Bernard!'--Charles Kadushin, Sociology, City University of New YorkAt last, a social research methods text for students and future researchers who need to use both words and numbers in their research The purpose of this book is to explain and demonstrate to students when to use and how to apply the quantitative and qualitative techniques that they'll need to do their own social research. Using actual examples from psychology, sociology, anthropology and education, this book provides readers with a conceptual understanding of each technique and shows them how to use it. Social Research Methods shows that a book on research methods can incorporate comprehensiveness, sophistication, and clear writing. It conveniently packages nearly everything one needs to know or think about before or while carrying out social and behavioral research. THREE REASONS BERNARD'S TEXT IS THE BOOK FOR YOU: 1. Thorough coverage of both qualitative and quantitative approaches to social research 2. Detailed descriptions and explanations of actual research studies that provide readers with a " snapshot" of the research process 3. Creative learning aids enhance reader's understanding and utilization of the material.- Opening Chapter Objectives and Introduction: Give readers a " context" for the chapter's material as well as providing a quick review of the chapter's major concepts. - Highlighted Research Stories: Great research stories, selected for their pedagogical value, are subtly highlighted to illustrate major concepts and principles. - NumberedSteps: Methods like experiments, questionnaires, and participant observation are broken down into a series of numbered, highlighted steps so as to make them easier to locate for review. - Research Exercises: Provide readers

Author Biography

H. Russell Bernard (Ph.D., University of Illinois, 1968) is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Florida. He has taught at Washington State University and West Virginia University, and he has also taught or done research at the University of Athens, the University of Cologne, the National Museum of Ethnology (Osaka), and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Bernard works with indigenous people to develop publishing outlets for works in previously nonwritten languages. He does research in social network analysis, particularly on the problem of estimating the size of uncountable populations. His publications include Native Ethnography: An Otomi Indian Describes His Culture (Sage, 1989, with Jesus Salinas Pedraza), Technology and Social Change (1983, 2d ed., edited with Pertti Pelto), and Research Methods in Anthropology (AltaMira, 1994, 2d ed.). Bernard was editor of Human Organization (1976-81) and the American Anthropologist (1981-85; 1986-89). He is currently editor of the journal Field Methods.

Table of Contents

Preface	xviii
PART I BACKGROUND TO RESEARCH
About Social Science	3	(26)
The Foundations of Social Research	29	(36)
Preparing for Research	65	(38)
PART II RESEARCH DESIGN
Research Design: Experiments and Experimental Thinking	103	(40)
Sampling	143	(46)
PART III DATA COLLECTION
Interviewing: Unstructured and Semistructured	189	(38)
Structured Interviewing	227	(58)
Scales and Scaling	285	(32)
Participant Observation	317	(58)
Direct and Indirect Observation	375	(42)
PART IV DATA ANALYSIS
Introduction to Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis	417	(20)
Qualitative Data Analysis I: Text Analysis	437	(36)
Qualitative Data Analysis II: Models and Matrices	473	(28)
Univariate Analysis	501	(44)
Bivariate Analysis: Testing Relations	545	(68)
Multivariate Analysis	613
Appendix A: Table of Random Numbers	A1
Appendix B: Tables of Areas under a Normal Curve	A4
Appendix C: Student's t Distribution	A7
Appendix D: Chi-Square Distribution Table	A8
Appendix E: F Table for the .05 Level of Significance	A10
F Table for the .01 Level of Significance	A12
Appendix F: Resources for Research	A14
References	R1
Index	I1
About the Author	D1