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Introducing Communication Research Paths of Inquiry

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ISBN-10: 1412944570

ISBN-13: 9781412944571

Edition: 2011

Authors: Donald Treadwell

List price: $70.00
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Description:

Introducing Communication Research is an undergraduate text of a size, level, and style that will motivate and enthuse the increasing number of undergraduate students entering communication research. The text will highlight examples of research in real world settings so that students can see the relevance of the basic communication research course to their careers and perhaps, as graduates, keep the text on an office bookshelf. Written in an accessible tone, Introducing Communication Research provides an overview of the research process from start to finish covering both quantitative and qualitative methods, statistics, ethics, measurement, and more.
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Book details

List price: $70.00
Copyright year: 2011
Publisher: SAGE Publications, Incorporated
Publication date: 3/11/2010
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 248
Size: 7.00" wide x 10.00" long x 0.70" tall
Weight: 1.144
Language: English

Donald Treadwell earned his masterrsquo;s degree in communication from Cornell University and his PhD in communication and rhetoric from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He taught at Westfield State University for 24 years. In addition to developing and teaching communication research for regular classroom settings, he developed and taught hybrid and online versions of the course, and also taught organizational communication, public relations, and public relations writing. His primary research interests are organizational communication and organizational image. Dr. Treadwell has published and presented research on organizational image and organizational image research, consumer response to…    

Preface
For Students
For Faculty
Acknowledgements
Prologue: Welcome to Communication Research: Finding your Path
Comments on a Conversation
Questions About Communication
Questions About Communication Research
Generalizations About Communication Research
Closing Thought
Getting Started: Possibilities and Decisions
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Some Research Possibilities: What Can We Do With an Ad
A Series of Unavoidable Decisions
Problem Posing, Problem Solving, Peer Persuasion
Ethics Panel: A Health Communication Dilemma
Chapter Summary
Research Example: Three Views of Pharmaceutical Advertising
Recommended Reading
Recommended Web Resources
References
First Decisions: What, Why, How?
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Starting With The "What" Question: Ideas and Observations
Starting With The "Why" Question: Goals and Values
Starting With The "How" Question: Methods And Epistemologies
Starting With A World View: Basic Beliefs
Starting With The Work Of Others
Firming Up Questions
Questioning the Questions
Starting With No Questions
Ethics Panel: Do Some Research Methods Require More Ethical Decisions Than Others?
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Web Resources
References
Ethics: Your Responsiblities as a Researcher
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Introduction: Some Ethical Decisions
Issues in Commmunication Research
Some Classic Ethical Positions
Contemporary Codes of Ethics
Regulations
Peer Review and Institutional Review Boards
What Should I Call You? The Ethics of Involvement
Ethics Panel: Tainted Data and Deception
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Viewing
Recommended Web Resources
References
Reading Research: To Boldly Go Where Others Have Gone Before
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Library Research: Why Bother?
Finding Relevance: Finding Quality
Databases Versus Search Engines
Scholarly, Popular and Trade Publications
How Will I Know a Scholarly Article When I See One?
Primary Versus Secondary Sources
The Champagne Model Of Bibliographic Research
How Can The Library Of Congress Help My Literature Search?
Other Resources
How To Be Skeptical About Information, Especially Web Information
Mr Boole and The Three Bears
Saving Your Search Results
Writing Your Search Results: The Literature Review
APA(American Psychological Association) Style
Ethics Panel: Politics And Publication
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Web Resources
References
Measurement: Research Using Numbers
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
What Do Your Head Size, Attitudes And Readability Have In Common?
An Introduction To Scales
Research Noir
To Noir Is Not Enough: Reliability And Validity
Reliability
Validity
Two Common Measurement Scales
Ethics Panel: The Ethics Of Measurement Scales
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
References
Statistics: Analyzing Your Numbers
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Introduction
Describing Data: Descriptive Statistics
Z-Score: The Apples And Oranges Statistic
Generalizing From Data: Inferential Statistics
Confidence Level and Sample Size
Univariate, Bivariate and Multivariate Statistics
Testing For Differences and Relationships
Ethics Panel: A Communicative Tension
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Web Resources
Sampling: Who, What and How Many?
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Introduction
Non-Probability Sampling
Probability Sampling
How Big A Sample Do I Need?
Method and Method Issues In Sampling
Ethics Panel: Checking The Ethics Of Survey Research
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Web Resources
References
Surveys: Putting Numbers on Opinions
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Surveys
Types Of Surveys
Writing Questions
Question Formats
Survey Wording
Advantages and Disadvantages of Specific Survey Methods
Improving Survey Response Rates
Capturing and Processing Survey Data
Using Other People?s Surveys
Ethics Panel: Clients and Methods As Ethical Decisions
Research In Practice: Using Telephone Surveys To Assess The Image Of A Hospital
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Web Resources
References
Experiments: Researching Cause and Effect
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages Of Experiments
Causality
Field Experiments and Ex Post Facto Designs
Basic Experimental Design
Designing For Control
Designing For Random Assignment
Time Series Analysis
Factorial Designs
Between Subjects and Within Subjects Design
Validity and Experimental Design
Ethics Panel: Two Famous and Controversial Experiments
Research In Practice: After-School Time Activities
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Web Resources
References
Observation: Watching and Listening for In-Depth Understanding
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Watching and Listening
Getting Started
Basic Researcher-Participant Relationships
Interviews
Focus Groups
Unobtrusive Watching
Other Methods
Making Sense Of Qualitative Data
Ethics Panel: In Which a Professor Becomes a Student
Research In Practice: Promoting Clean Energy
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Web Resources
References
Content Analysis: Understanding Text and Image
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Content Analysis
An Exercise In Content Analysis
Interaction Analysis
Conversation Analysis
Rhetorical and Dramatistic Analyses
Semiotics
Narrative, Discourse and Critical Analyses
Ethics Panel: Could Analyzing Media Content Result In Harm?
Research In Practice: Reaching Out To Hispanics Living With Paralysis
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Web Resources
References
Writing Research: Sharing Your Results
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Introduction
The Writing Process
Writing For Scholarly Publics: The Importance of Style
Presenting For Scholarly Publics: Papers and Panels
Writing For Other Publics: Interest Groups and News Media
Professor Tom Writes a Checklist
The Ethics Of Style And Accuracy
Ethics Panel: Balancing Between Scholarly and Popular Writing
Research in Practice: An Analysis of Online Press Rooms in Leading
Companies Around the World
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Web Resources
References
Glossary