Introducing Social Research Methods Essentials for Getting the Edge

• Explains complex, multi-faceted concepts and methodologies in straightforward prose
• Designed for students who are new to or skeptical of social science research methods as useful tools for approaching real-world challenges
• Persuasively argues that social scientific proficiency unlocks an array of personal and professional opportunities beyond the realms of academia
• A supplementary website features a glossary, test bank, Power Point presentations, a comprehensive list of web resources, a guide to relevant TED lectures and much more

About the Website ii

1 How Do We Know What We Know? Science as a Superior Way of Knowing 1

2 The Language of Science and Research: Learning to Talk the Talk and Walk the Walk 21

3 Ethics: It’s the Right Thing To Do 45

4 Designing Ideas: What Do We Want to Know and How Can We Get There? 67

5 Measure by Measure: Developing Measures—Making the Abstract Concrete 93

6 All That Glitters Is Not Gold: Assessing the Validity and Reliability of Measures 117

7 One Thing Leads to Another … or Does it? Tackling Causal Analysis 139

8 The Questionnaire: Would You Mind Taking the Time to Answer a Few Questions? 163

9 Having the Talk: Person to Person Information Exchanges 189

10 Field Research: Welcome to My World 209

11 Sample This! How Can So Few Tell Us About So Many? 231

12 Show Me the Numbers: Descriptive Statistics and Inferential Statistics 255

13 Pulling it Together: A Final Synthesis 283

Glossary 289

Index 295

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