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For many practitioners, best practices are often developed through significant amounts of direct experience. However, they can also be developed through the examination and application of research findings. By critically assessing existing studies within library and information science, both aspiring and experienced professionals can acquire a deeper understanding of available methods, as well as design more effective studies. In what is surely the first of its kind for librarians, Barbara Wildemuth has created a book that mirrors the process of conducting a research study; at the same time, she exposes the reader to a wealth of competing and complementary techniques. Each chapter introduces a particular research method, points out its relative strengths and weaknesses, and provides a critique of two or more exemplary studies. An invaluable guide for librarians, educators and students alike.

Section One considers those research questions most often asked in the field of information and library science, and explains how they can arise from practice and direct observation or from existing theories. Section Two covers a variety of research designs, as well as the sampling issues associated with those designs: case studies, naturalistic research, longitudinal studies, Delphi studies, and quasi-experimental and experimental designs. Section Three moves on to methods for collecting data: surveys, various types of interviews, historical and documentary studies, transaction log analysis, diaries, and participant observation. It concludes with a chapter discussing the ways in which any of these methods might be combined for use in a particular study.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Acknowledgments(p. ix)
• Part I Introduction
• 1 Using Research Results to Improve Practice in the Information Professions(p. 3)
• Part II The Questions Asked
• 2 Developing a Research Question(p. 11)
• 3 Questions Originating in Library and Information Practice(p. 21)
• 4 Descriptions of Phenomena or Settings(p. 27)
• 5 Testing Hypotheses(p. 33)
• 6 Questions Related to Theory(p. 40)
• Part III Research Designs and Sampling
• 7 Case Studies(p. 51)
• 8 Naturalistic Research(p. 62)
• 9 Longitudinal Studies(p. 73)
• 10 Delphi Studies(p. 83)
• 11 Quasi-experimental Studies(p. 93)
• 12 Experimental Studies(p. 105)
• 13 Sampling for Extensive Studies(p. 116)
• 14 Sampling for Intensive Studies(p. 129)
• 15 Studying Special Populations(p. 138)
• Part IV Methods for Data Collection
• 16 Historical Research(p. 147)
• 17 Existing Documents and Artifacts as Data(p. 158)
• 18 Transaction Logs(p. 166)
• 19 Think-aloud Protocols(p. 178)
• 20 Direct Observation(p. 189)
• 21 Participant Observation(p. 199)
• 22 Research Diaries(p. 211)
• 23 Unstructured Interviews(p. 222)
• 24 Semistructured Interviews(p. 232)
• 25 Focus Groups(p. 242)
• 26 Survey Research(p. 256)
• 27 Measuring Cognitive and Affective Variables(p. 270)
• 28 Developing New Measures(p. 278)
• Part V Methods for Data Analysis
• 29 Content Analysis(p. 297)
• 30 Qualitative Analysis of Content(p. 308)
• 31 Discourse Analysis(p. 320)
• 32 Analytic Induction(p. 329)
• 33 Descriptive Statistics(p. 338)
• 34 Frequencies, Cross-tabulation, and the Chi-square Statistic(p. 348)
• 35 Analyzing Sequences of Events(p. 361)
• 36 Correlation(p. 375)
• 37 Comparing Means: t Tests and Analysis of Variance(p. 383)
• Part VI Conclusion
• 38 Putting It All Together(p. 395)
• Index of Authors of Examples Discussed(p. 405)
• Subject Index(p. 409)
• About the Contributors(p. 419)

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

BARBARA M. WILDEMUTH is a professor in the School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to her 15+ year career at UNC, she was the associate director of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Tests, Measurement, and Evaluation.