Research Methods in Social Relations

Methods in Educational Research Methods in Educational Research is designed to prepare students for the real world of educational research. It focuses on scientifically-based methods, school accountability, and the professional demands of the twenty-first century, empowering researchers to take an active role in conducting research in their classrooms, districts, and the greater educational community. Like the first edition, this edition helps students, educators, and researchers develop a broad and deep understanding of research methodologies. It includes substantial new content on the impact of No Child Left Behind legislation, school reform, quantitative and qualitative methodologies, logic modeling, action research, and other areas. Special features to assist the teaching and learning processes include vignettes illustrating research tied to practice, suggested readings at the end of each chapter, and discussion questions to reinforce chapter content. Praise for the Previous Edition «A new attempt to make this subject more relevant and appealing to students. Most striking is how useful this book is because it is really grounded in educational research. It is very well written and quite relevant for educational researchers or for the student hoping to become one.» -PsycCRITIQUES/American Psychological Association «I applaud the authors for their attempt to cover a wide range of material. The straightforward language of the book helps make the material understandable for readers.» -Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation

Social epidemiology is the study of how social interactions—social norms, laws, institutions, conventia, social conditions and behavior—affect the health of populations. This practical, comprehensive introduction to methods in social epidemiology is written by experts in the field. It is perfectly timed for the growth in interest among those in public health, community health, preventive medicine, sociology, political science, social work, and other areas of social research. Topics covered are: Introduction: Advancing Methods in Social Epidemiology The History of Methods of Social Epidemilogy to 1965 Indicators of Socioeconomic Position Measuring and Analyzing 'Race' Racism and Racial Discrimination Measuring Poverty Measuring Health Inequalities A Conceptual Framework for Measuring Segregation and its Association with Population Outcomes Measures of Residential Community Contexts Using Census Data to Approximate Neighborhood Effects Community-based Participatory Research: Rationale and Relevance for Social Epidemiology Network Methods in Social Epidemiology Identifying Social Interactions: A Review, Multilevel Studies Experimental Social Epidemiology: Controlled Community Trials Propensity Score Matching Methods for Social Epidemiology Natural Experiments and Instrumental Variable Analyses in Social Epidemiology and Using Causal Diagrams to Understand Common Problems in Social Epidemiology. «Publication of this highly informative textbook clearly reflects the coming of age of many social epidemiology methods, the importance of which rests on their potential contribution to significantly improving the effectiveness of the population-based approach to prevention. This book should be of great interest not only to more advanced epidemiology students but also to epidemiologists in general, particularly those concerned with health policy and the translation of epidemiologic findings into public health practice. The cause of achieving a ‘more complete’ epidemiology envisaged by the editors has been significantly advanced by this excellent textbook.» —Moyses Szklo, professor of epidemiology and editor-in-chief, American Journal of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University «Social epidemiology is a comparatively new field of inquiry that seeks to describe and explain the social and geographic distribution of health and of the determinants of health. This book considers the major methodological challenges facing this important field. Its chapters, written by experts in a variety of disciplines, are most often authoritative, typically provocative, and often debatable, but always worth reading.» —Stephen W. Raudenbush, Lewis-Sebring Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Chicago «The roadmap for a new generation of social epidemiologists. The publication of this treatise is a significant event in the history of the discipline.» —Ichiro Kawachi, professor of social epidemiology, Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard University «Methods in Social Epidemiology not only illuminates the difficult questions that future generations of social epidemiologists must ask, it also identifies the paths they must boldly travel in the pursuit of answers, if this exciting interdisciplinary science is to realize its full potential. This beautifully edited volume appears at just the right moment to exert a profound influence on the field.» —Sherman A. James, Susan B. King Professor of Public Policy Studies, professor of Community and Family Medicine, professor of African-American Studies, Duke University

A thorough, practical reference on the social patterns behind health outcomes Methods in Social Epidemiology provides students and professionals with a comprehensive reference for studying the social distribution and social determinants of health. Covering the theory, models, and methods used to measure and analyze these phenomena, this book serves as both an introduction to the field and a practical manual for data collection and analysis. This new second edition has been updated to reflect the field's tremendous growth in recent years, including advancements in statistical modeling and study designs. New chapters delve into genetic methods, structural cofounding, selection bias, network methods, and more, including new discussion on qualitative data collection with disadvantaged populations. Social epidemiology studies the way society's innumerable social interactions, both past and present, yields different exposures and health outcomes between individuals within populations. This book provides a thorough, detailed overview of the field, with expert guidance toward the real-world methods that fuel the latest advances. Identify, measure, and track health patterns in the population Discover how poverty, race, and socioeconomic factors become risk factors for disease Learn qualitative data collection techniques and methods of statistical analysis Examine up-to-date models, theory, and frameworks in the social epidemiology sphere As the field continues to evolve, researchers continue to identify new disease-specific risk factors and learn more about how the social system promotes and maintains well-known exposure disparities. New technology in data science and genomics allows for more rigorous investigation and analysis, while the general thinking in the field has become more targeted and attentive to causal inference and core assumptions behind effect identification. It's an exciting time to be a part of the field, and Methods in Social Epidemiology provides a solid reference for any student, researcher, or faculty in public health.

The only professional resource to focus exclusively on research methods in forensic psychology With specific advice on topics of particular importance to forensic specialists, Research Methods in Forensic Psychology presents state-of-the-discipline summaries of the issues that relate to psychology and law research. Edited by renowned experts in the field, this resource features contributions by leading scholars in forensic psychology and law, with discussion of relevant topics such as: Meta-analysis Jury decision making Internet-based data collection Legal research techniques for the social scientist Offender treatment Competence to stand trial Criminal profiling False confessions and interrogations Trial-related psycho-legal issues Accuracy of eyewitnesses and children Violence risk assessment This comprehensive guide is designed for a wide range of scholars and legal professionals, presenting a succinct overview of the field of psychology and law as viewed by some of the world's foremost experts.

Research Methods in Intercultural Communication introduces and contextualizes the most important methodological issues in the field for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students. Examples of these issues are which paradigms and how to research multilingually, interculturally and ethnically. Provides the first dedicated and most comprehensive volume on research methods in intercultural communication research in the last 30 years Explains new and emerging methods, as well as more established ones. These include: Matched Guise Technique, Discourse Completion Task, Critical Incident Technique, Critical Discourse Analysis, Ethnography, Virtual Ethnography, Corpus Analysis, Multimodality, Conversation Analysis, Narrative Analysis, Questionnaire and Interview. Assists readers in determining the most suitable method for various research questions, conceptualizing the research process, interpreting results, and drawing conclusions Supports students from start to finish with key terms, suggestions for further reading, research summaries, and sound guidance from experienced scholars and researchers

The bestselling textbook to understanding health research, updated and expanded Research Methods in Health Promotion provides students and practitioners with essential knowledge and skills regarding the design, implementation, analysis, and interpretation of research in the field of health promotion. Now in its second edition, this bestselling textbook has been updated with more recent research methodologies and additional information on sampling, participatory and survey research, and qualitative data analysis. The entire research process is covered, with specific points relating to both qualitative and quantitative research. By breaking the daunting process of research into simple and well-defined steps, this user-friendly text encourages students to think about research as a sequential process and provides explanations that facilitate better understanding of each step in the research process. A separate set of chapters cover the more quantitative methodological areas including designs, measurement, sampling, and data analysis in depth, giving readers the understanding they need to apply in practice. This book also provides applied chapters that illustrate the practical aspects of the research process, along with other critical information including grant writing and scientific writing. Evaluate the ethics, design, analysis, and interpretation of research Identify and understand the key components of research studies Analyze and interpret the results of experimental and survey research designs Understand the process of publishing a research report and constructing a grant proposal Research Methods in Health Promotion is ideal for both undergrad and graduate methods courses in health promotion and public health.

A comprehensive introduction to research methods and best practices for designing,conducting, interpreting, and reporting findings This text is designed to develop in students a passion for conducting research and an understanding of the practical value of systematic information- gathering and decision-making. It features step-by-step coverage of the research process including research design, statistical considerations, and guidance on writing up and presenting results. Recognized leaders in the field—authors Bart Weathington, Christopher Cunningham, and David Pittenger—present: Introductions to multiple research designs—including single-participant, multi-group, longitudinal, correlational, and experimental designs—accompanied by examples Bibliographic research and methods for appropriate sampling Identifying, developing, and evaluating reliable and valid approaches to measurement The issues and steps common to all single-factor and multifactor studies, as well as single-subject and nonexperimental methods How to summarize research in writing that conforms to the editorial guidelines of the American Psychological Association A comprehensive review of research methods and the statistical concepts that support them, Research Methods for the Behavioral and Social Sciences offers the best techniques for studying behavior and social phenomena.

Using a series of over 40 case studies, this valuable text illustrates the processes and pitfalls involved in evaluating psychological research. Invites students to consider whether the conclusion drawn at the end of each case is correct, or whether the results could have an alternative explanation. Cross-referencing between sections is made easy by page references that link the case studies and explanations. Cases reflect the range of research methods taught at undergraduate level and include qualitative research. Gives students an understanding of methodological problems. Equips students to critically evaluate published research. The author and publishers have made every effort to be fair to the authors of the research described in this book. Like all sciences, psychology is forged in the fire of criticism and refinement, and we hope that the original researchers will understand that any criticism is made with the utmost respect. If you are an author of one of the pieces of research mentioned in the book and would like to respond to the critique presented, please e-mail your comments to Andrew McAleer at Andrew.McAleer@oxon.blackwellpublishing.com.

The explanation and implementation of statistical methods for the medical researcher or statistician remains an integral part of modern medical research. This book explains the use of experimental and analytical biostatistics systems. Its accessible style allows it to be used by the non-mathematician as a fundamental component of successful research. Since the third edition, there have been many developments in statistical techniques. The fourth edition provides the medical statistician with an accessible guide to these techniques and to reflect the extent of their usage in medical research. The new edition takes a much more comprehensive approach to its subject. There has been a radical reorganization of the text to improve the continuity and cohesion of the presentation and to extend the scope by covering many new ideas now being introduced into the analysis of medical research data. The authors have tried to maintain the modest level of mathematical exposition that characterized the earlier editions, essentially confining the mathematics to the statement of algebraic formulae rather than pursuing mathematical proofs. Received the Highly Commended Certificate in the Public Health Category of the 2002 BMA Books Competition.

A simple and systematic guide to the planning and performance of investigations concerned with health and disease and with health care Offers researchers help in choosing a topic and to think about shaping objectives and ideas and to link these with the appropriate choice of method Fully updated with new sections on the use of the Web and computer programmes freely available in the planning, performance or analysis of studies