Doing Real Research

Challenging the formality and idealized settings of conventional methods teaching and opting instead for a real world approach to social research, this book offers frank, practical advice designed to empower students and researchers alike. Theoretically robust and with an exhaustive coverage of key methodologies and methods the title establishes the cornerstones of social research. Examples reflect research conducted inside and outside formal university settings and range from the extremes of war torn countries to the complexities of school classrooms. Supported by a wealth of learning features and tools the textbook and website include: Video top tips Podcasts Full text journal articles Interviews with researchers conducting field research Links to external websites and blogs Student exercises Real world case studies

Available with free access to the interactive eBook* for 12 months when you buy the paperback version (ISBN 9781446295311 only), this is the companion for any student undertaking a research project. Click on the icons in the margins of the eBook to access a wealth of resources including: Video Content Chapter introductions and top tips from the author along with tried and tested open access videos on YouTube introduce you to key chapter contents Datasets Play around with real data in SPSS and put your statistics knowledge into practice Weblinks Direct you to real world examples to broaden your knowledge Checklists Guide you through a specific research process such as running a focus group or conducting an interview Further Reading Link you to a range of resources to deepen your understanding of a topic However you access the content the Third Edition guides you smoothly through the research process from start to finish setting out the skills needed to design and conduct effective research and introduces the reader to the reality of conducting research in the real world. It gives practical advice on how best to select appropriate projects, design strategies, sources and methods and provides the tools needed to collect, analyze and present data. Applicable to any discipline and firmly rooted in the practicalities of research there are new and exciting chapters on: - Using SPSS for quantitative data analysis - Sampling strategies in quantitative and qualitative research - Approaches to secondary analysis - Using focus groups - Ethnography and participant observation (*interactivity only available through Vitalsource eBook) Available with Perusall—an eBook that makes it easier to prepare for class Perusall is an award-winning eBook platform featuring social annotation tools that allow students and instructors to collaboratively mark up and discuss their SAGE textbook. Backed by research and supported by technological innovations developed at Harvard University, this process of learning through collaborative annotation keeps your students engaged and makes teaching easier and more effective. Learn more.

Remote studies allow you to recruit subjects quickly, cheaply, and immediately, and give you the opportunity to observe users as they behave naturally in their own environment. In Remote Research, Nate Bolt and Tony Tulathimutte teach you how to design and conduct remote research studies, top to bottom, with little more than a phone and a laptop.

This practical text combines social research methods with coverage of statistical analysis to help students develop the applied research skills needed for future careers in public and private organizations, while also delivering a solid foundation for those going on to graduate school. Throughout the book, the author offers a real-world example and then breaks it down into a decision tree, which helps lead students to a possible statistical decision (rather than starting with the statistic). This text gives students a toolbox of the most common and in-demand skills and demonstrates how those skills can be used to make the best research decisions. The book takes students through the entire real-world research process, from the formation of a research topic to measurement and sampling, to methods for gathering information and making sense of the data, and finally presenting to a non-academic audience in a way that "gets the job done." Resources for instructors and students are available on an accompanying website for the book.

Real Research: Research Methods Sociology Students Can Use by Liahna Gordon is an innovative text that takes a holistic approach to the subject by discussing each step in the research process within the context of a particular method. After an opening chapter that surveys different methods of data collection and the components of research, students proceed immediately to chapters on specific methods. Each of these chapters begins with a description of the method and the logic that underlies it, so that students can see how each step in the research process fits within the logic of that particular method. The chapters then go on to present all of the steps of research as they relate to that particular research method, from writing research questions through analysis. With this format, instructors can begin engaging students in hands-on exercises almost immediately, increasing interest in and comprehension of the material.

This book provides rare, insider accounts of the academic research process, revealing the human stories and lived experiences behind research projects; the joys and mistakes of a wide range of international researchers principally from the fields of accounting and finance, but also from related fields in management, economics and the social studies of science.

Doing Research in Applied Linguistics: Realities, dilemmas, and solutions provides insight and guidance for those undertaking research, and shows the reader how to deal with the challenges of this research involving real people in real settings. Featuring over twenty chapters by experienced and up-and-coming researchers from around the world, this book: outlines the steps involved in solving the problem and completing a successful, and publishable, project; provides case studies of obstacles faced at each stage of research, from preliminary planning to report writing; addresses issues of validity and reliability during data collection and analysis; discusses ethical issues in research dealing with vulnerable groups including children, refugees, and students; includes examples from longitudinal studies, and both qualitative and quantitative research. Doing Research in Applied Linguistics is essential reading for students studying research methods, or for those embarking on their first research project in applied linguistics or language education.

This is the perfect book for any student new to Research Methods. It is brilliantly written, witty, and always easy to understand. Taking as her starting point the need for students to conduct research for themselves in the ′real world′, Zina O′Leary guides those new to research through the whys and how-tos of the entire research process. Always student-focused, this book offers a hands on and practical guide to the research process from the initial process of coming up with a good question, via methods of gathering information, through to the writing process itself. Researching Real-World Problems: - Makes the entire research process a meaningful experience - Provides a jargon-busting hands-on guide to the entire research process - Is illustrated throughout with real-life examples - Speaks directly to the needs of the new researcher - Locates the researcher and research process at heart of a complex web of social structures O′Leary draws her examples from the full range of the Social Sciences, and this is the perfect text for any student in Health, Education or Applied Social Science.

Amidst rapid and fundamental shifts in the economic, geo-political, technological, and societal landscape, this cutting-edge book makes the timeless case that research can be informed by problems in the ‘real world’ and make important contributions to theory and practice.

"Comprising more than 500 entries, the Encyclopedia of Research Design explains how to make decisions about research design, undertake research projects in an ethical manner, interpret and draw valid inferences from data, and evaluate experiment design strategies and results. Two additional features carry this encyclopedia far above other works in the field: bibliographic entries devoted to significant articles in the history of research design and reviews of contemporary tools, such as software and statistical procedures, used to analyze results. It covers the spectrum of research design strategies, from material presented in introductory classes to topics necessary in graduate research; it addresses cross- and multidisciplinary research needs, with many examples drawn from the social and behavioral sciences, neurosciences, and biomedical and life sciences; it provides summaries of advantages and disadvantages of often-used strategies; and it uses hundreds of sample tables, figures, and equations based on real-life cases."--Publisher's description.