Research Methodology A Step-By-Step Guide for Beginners

Name: Research Methodology A Step-By-Step Guide for Beginners
Price: 6.69 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781849203012

ISBN-10: 1849203016

ISBN-13: 9781849203012

Edition: 3rd 2011

Authors: Ranjit Kumar

List price: $96.00

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Description:

Written specifically for students with no previous experience of research and research methodology, the third edition of Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners breaks the process the process of designing and doing a research project into eight manageable steps and provides lots of examples throughout to link theory to the practice of doing research.The book contains straightforward, practical guidance on:- Formulating a research question- Ethical considerations- Carrying out a literature review- Choosing a research design- Selecting a sample- Collecting and analysing qualitative and quantitative data- Writing a research reportThe third edition has been revised and updated…

Book details

List price: $96.00
Edition: 3rd
Copyright year: 2011
Publisher: SAGE Publications, Limited
Publication date: 11/1/2010
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 440
Size: 7.32" wide x 9.13" long x 1.00" tall
Weight: 1.738
Language: English

Robyn Ryle is an associate professor of sociology at Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana, where she has been teaching sociology of gender and other courses for 7 years. She went to Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, for her undergraduate degrees in sociology and English with a concentration in women's studies. She received her PhD in sociology from Indiana University-Bloomington and is originally from northern Kentucky. She is a member of the American Sociological Association and has served on the editorial board of the journal Teaching Sociology. She enjoys digging in her garden, cooking what comes out of her garden, and generally enjoying small town life. She currently lives in a…



Research: a way of thinking


Research: an integral part of your practice


Research: a way to gather evidence for your practice


Applications of research


Research: what does it mean?


The Research Process: characteristics and requirements


Types of research


Paradigms of research


Summary


The research process: a quick glance


The research process: an eight-Step model


Phase I: deciding what to research


Phase II : planning a research study


Phase III: conducting a research study


Summary



Step I : Formulating a Research Problem


Reviewing the literature


The place of the literature review in research


How to review the literature


Writing about the literature reviewed


Summary


Formulating a research problem


The research problem


The importance of formulating a research problem


Sources of research problems


Considerations in selecting a research problem


Steps in formulating a research problem


The formulation of research objectives


The study population


Establishing operational definitions


Formulating a research problem in qualitative research


Summary


Identifying variables


What is a variable?


The difference between a concept and a variable


Converting concepts into variables


Types of variable


Types of measurement scale


Summary


Constructing hypotheses


The definition of a hypothesis


The functions of a hypothesis


The testing of a hypothesis


The characteristics of a hypothesis


Types of hypothesis


Errors in testing a hypothesis


Hypotheses in qualitative research


Summary



Step II: Conceptualising a Research Design


The research design


What is a research design?


The functions of a research design


The theory of causality and the research design


Summary


Selecting a study design


Differences between quantitative and qualitative study designs


Study designs in quantitative research


Study designs based on the number of contacts


Study designs based on the reference period


Study designs based on the nature of the investigation


Other designs commonly used in quantitative research


Study designs in qualitative research


Other commonly used philosophy-guided designs


Summary



Step III: Constructing an Instrument for Data Collection


Selecting a method of data collection


Differences in the methods of data collection in quantitative and qualitative research


Major approaches to information gathering


Collecting data using primary sources


Methods of data collection in qualitative research


Collecting data using secondary sources


Summary


Collecting data using attitudinal scales


Measurement of attitudes in quantitative and qualitative research


Attitudinal scales in quantitative research


Functions of attitudinal scales


Difficulties in developing an attitudinal scale


Types of attitudinal scale


Attitudinal scales and measurement scales


Attitudes and qualitative research


Summary


Establishing the validity and reliability of a research instrument


The concept of validity


Types of validity in quantitative research


The concept of reliability


Factors affecting the reliability of a research instrument


Methods of determining the reliability of an instrument in quantitative research


Validity and reliability in qualitative research


Summary



Step IV: Selecting a Sample


Selecting a sample


The differences between sampling in quantitative and qualitative research


Sampling in quantitative research


Sampling in qualitative research


Summary



Step V: Writing a Research Proposal


Writing a research proposal


The research proposal in quantitative and qualitative research


Contents of a research proposal


Work schedule


Summary



Step VI: Collecting Data


Considering ethical issues in data collection


Ethics: the concept


Stakeholders in research


Ethical issues to consider concerning research participants


Ethical issues to consider relating to the researcher


Ethical issues regarding the sponsoring organisation


Summary



Step VII: Processing and Displaying Data


Processing data



Data processing in quantitative studies



Data processing in qualitative studies


The role of statistics in research


Summary


Displaying data


Methods of communicating and displaying analysed data


Summary



Step VIII: Writing a Research Report


Writing a research report


Writing a research report


Developing an outline


Writing about a variable


Referencing


Writing a bibliography


Summary


Research methodology and practice evaluation


What is evaluation?


Why evaluation?


Intervention-development-evaluation process


Perspectives in the classification of evaluation studies


Types of evaluation from a focus perspective


Types of evaluation from a philosophical perspective


Undertaking an evaluation: the process


Involving stakeholders in evaluation


Ethics in evaluation


Summary


Appendix: Developing a research project: a set of exercises for beginners


Glossary


Bibliography


Index