Emerging researchers are often surprised to learn that instrument selection is a complex and important step in the process of research design. This concise guide explains how to identify appropriate instruments, select the best ones for the job, and properly describe the instruments so that others will know how and why they were chosen. Each…

Clear, coherent and trusted, this book is the perfect guide to the main social research methods in use today. The much anticipated Third Edition of Clive Seale's bestselling title further expands its coverage to provide an authoritative introduction to all of the social research methods used to analyze qualitative and quantitative data. Written by…

States that one of the major challenges in teaching an introductory sociology course is to find activities that involve students in the research process, illustrate important sociological concepts, and maintain students' interest. Provides a three-part assignment on the birth rate which accomplishes these three goals. Includes copies of handouts…

This self-instructional package includes learning objectives, definitions, exercises, and feedback for learning some basic concepts and skills involved in using computers for analyzing data and understanding basic research terminology. Learning activities are divided into four sections: research and research hypotheses; variables, cases, and…

Methods of planning and administering mail surveys, developing questionnaires, and analyzing data are reviewed. Each review section is followed by an annotated list of selected readings. Topics discussed in planning a survey include decision making; survey designs; sampling plans; and ethical considerations. Developments of instruments and tupes…

It is argued that when a discipline, such as human geography, overemphasizes order and neglects skepticism and criticism, the products of research are likely to be erroneous, misleading, and self-fulfilling in nature. The first three chapters present the core of the argument. Chapter 1 establishes the case for an order-skepticism dialectic.…

Prepared as a guide to assist students with library research methods for women's studies course work, the document is divided into five chapters. Chapter one explains how to find books on a specific topic using the subject catalog at Stony Brook's Melville Library. Using a question and answer format the topics covered include subject catalog…

One of a series of Australian publications on social studies skill development, this booklet introduces secondary students to survey techniques and their applications for gathering data in the school and community. Following an introduction, material is divided into eight chapters. Topics covered are the nature and stages of a social survey,…

Intended for geography professors, students, and researchers, this publication explores some topics in the area of alcohol use and abuse that are potentially suited for geographical research. There are four chapters. Chapter 1 introduces some of the more familiar arguments for and against alcohol consumption. The second chapter deals with the…

Designed as an instructional guide to help students develop library skills for sociological research, this workbook which accompanies an introductory college level sociology course is divided into ten chapters. Chapter one covers the author-title catalog; the Library of Congress classification system; card catalog filing rules; the subject…

The Rice Index is the first measure of voting unity devised. It is noted that this measure was developed on an ad hoc basis for use in rather rough comparisons. This measure is carefully assessed, and is noted to have the virtue of simplicity, useful in certain situations, but associated with certain problems when it is used for a more detailed…

One in a series, this guide takes the college student through the steps involved in a thorough, systematic research of any topic in sociology. Beginning with the basics, the guide covers selecting a topic, locating an authoritative summary of the topic, taking clear notes, and narrowing the topic. Subsequent chapters cover the use of general…

This second edition of a workbook for a psychology course taught at the State University of New York at Stony Brook is designed to help students develop library skills for research in that field. Nine major topics are covered: (1) the author-title and subject catalogs; (2) major reference books; (3) journals in psychology; (4) periodical indexes…

This workbook for a course taught at the State University at Stony Brook, New York, is designed to help students develop library skills for psychological research. Nine major topics are covered: (1) author-title and subject catalogs; (2) some major reference books; (3) journals in psychology; (4) periodical indexes and the periodicals catalog; (5)…

An integrating framework to explain the research process was presented in the first edition of this book. This edition, which brings the material up to date, is designed to serve the Master s level student better while still meeting the needs of doctoral students of educational research. The nature of research, methods for qualitative and…