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Designing a study and writing up a research proposal takes time---often more time than actually conducting the study! This practical guide will save you time and frustration by walking you through every step of the process. For starters, it will help you hone in on a research topic---a huge (and hugely important) first step. Then it will guide you in developing the research question, designing the study, and choosing the best strategies for sampling and measurement. The figures, tables, and exhibits offer a wealth of examples and tools, including activities and worksheets to practice alone or in a study group.

While many research design books focus on either qualitative or quantitative studies, this book presents a balanced discussion of the relative strengths and limitations of each, as well as differences in how validity is handled for each. No research study can be perfect or provide all the answers. In fact, the best studies result in more questions than answers. This book will deepen your understanding of study limitations and ways to build upon them in future research.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Series Foreword(p. ix)
• 1 Introduction(p. 3)
• 2 Choosing Your Research Question and Hypotheses(p. 9)
• 3 Choosing Your Study's Purpose(p. 19)
• 4 Choosing Whether to Use a Qualitative, Quantitative, or Mixed-Methods Approach(p. 25)
• 5 Understanding Terms for Quantitative Studies: Concepts, Constructs, and Variables(p. 35)
• 6 Choosing Your Design(p. 43)
• 7 Choosing Your Sample(p. 61)
• 8 Planning Your Measurement Strategy for Collecting Data(p. 81)
• 9 Establishing Validity for Quantitative Studies(p. 111)
• 10 Establishing Validity for Qualitative Studies(p. 119)
• 11 Conclusion(p. 129)
• Index(p. 131)
• About the Authors(p. 137)
• About the Series Editor(p. 139)

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CHOICE Review

Students in research methods courses are often the victims of dry and somewhat lengthy textbooks. For instructors looking for a brief and more conversational approach, this work by Urban and van Eeden-Moorefield (both, Montclair State Univ.) will fit the bill. Not surprisingly, given its length, this text belongs to the American Psychological Association's "Concise Guides to Conducting Behavioral, Health, and Social Science Research Series." In 11 chapters and just over 130 pages, the authors create an inviting environment for students who are thinking about conducting their own research as part of a required methods course, for independent research, or for a senior thesis. The chapters are organized around the choices students need to make, rather than the types of research and issues specific to each type--an important distinguishing feature that sets this book apart from other research methods texts. The authors address questions for both quantitative and qualitative research, which is another unusual feature of the book. In the current environment of increasing interdisciplinarity, this text is very useful to students who find themselves coming to social science research from other disciplines, or to students in need of clear guidelines who do not have the time to complete another entire research methods course. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; researchers, and faculty. --Julia F. Heberle, Albright College

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Jennifer Brown Urban, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Family Science and Human Development at Montclair State University, where she also directs the Research on Evaluation and Developmental Systems Science lab. She is trained as a developmental scientist with specific expertise in youth development and program evaluation. Her scholarship is encapsulated under the umbrella of systems science, including both theoretical approaches and methodologies.
Bradley Matheus van Eeden-Moorefield, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Family Science and Human Development at Montclair State University and director of the PhD program. His research includes a strong soda, justice commitment to understanding and strengthening marginalized families, with his most recent work focused on stepfamilies headed by same-sex couples.