Research Basics: Design to Data Analysis in Six Steps

Research Basics: Design to Data Analysis in Six Steps offers a fresh and creative approach to the research process based on author James V. Spickard’s decades of teaching experience. Using an intuitive six-step model, readers learn how to craft a research question and then identify a logical process for answering it. Conversational writing and multi-disciplinary examples illuminate the model’s simplicity and power, effectively connecting the “hows” and “whys” behind social science research. Students using this book will learn how to turn their research questions into results.

Table of Contents

Part I The Six Steps
Chapter 1 Step 1: Develop a Good Research Question
Chapter 2 Step 2: Choose a Logical Structure for Your Research
Chapter 3 Step 3: Identify the Type of Data You Need
Chapter 4 Step 4: Pick a Data Collection Method
Chapter 5 Step 5: Choose Your Data Collection Site
Chapter 6 Step 6: Pick a Data Analysis Method

PART II Collecting and Analyzing Different Types of Data
Chapter 7 Comparing: Economic, Demographic, and Organizational Data
Chapter 8 Surveying: Shallow Opinions, Identities, and Reports of Acts
Chapter 9 Interviewing: Deep Talk to Gather Several Types of Data
Chapter 10 Scales: Looking for Underlying Traits
Chapter 11 Recording Behavior: Acts and Reports of Acts
Chapter 12 Finding Hidden Social Patterns: In Life, Texts, and Popular Culture
Chapter 13 Ethnography: Exploring Cultural and Social Scenes
Chapter 14 Extended Example: Counting the Homeless