Emergent Methods In Social Research

Introducing state-of-the-art social research methods that address the growing methods-theory gap within and across the disciplines, this text provides readers with a comprehensive view of new and cutting-edge research methods and methodologies.

Social researchers increasingly find themselves looking beyond conventional methods to address complex research questions. This is the first book to comprehensively examine emergent qualitative and quantitative theories and methods across the social and behavioral sciences. Providing scholars and students with a way to retool their research choices, the volume presents cutting-edge approaches to data collection, analysis, and representation. Leading researchers describe alternative uses of traditional quantitative and qualitative tools; innovative hybrid or mixed methods; and new techniques facilitated by technological advances. Consistently formatted chapters explore the strengths and limitations of each method for studying different types of research questions and offer practical, in-depth examples.

Emergent technologies are pushing the boundaries of how both qualitative and quantitative researchers practice their craft, and it has become clear these changes are dramatically altering research design, from the questions researchers ask and the ways they collect data, to what they even consider data. Gathering a broad range of new developments in one place, The Handbook of Emergent Technologies in Social Research offers comprehensive, up-to-date thinking on technological innovations. In addition to addressing how to effectively apply new technologies-such as the internet, mobile technologies, geospatial technologies (GPS), and the incorporation of computer-assisted software programs (CAQDAS) to qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches to research projects-many chapters provide in-depth examples of practices within both disciplinary and interdisciplinary environments and outside the academic world in multi-media laboratories and research institutes. Not only an authoritative view of cutting-edge technologies and their applications, the Handbook examines the costs and benefits of utilizing new technologies on the research process, the potential misuse of these techniques for methods practices, and the ethical and moral dimensions of emergent technologies, especially with regard to issues of surveillance and privacy. The Handbook of Emergent Technologies in Social Research is an essential resource for research methods courses in various fields, including the social sciences, education, communications, computer science, and health services, and an indispensable guide for social researchers looking to incorporate emerging technologies into their methods and practice.

The Practice of Qualitative Research provides students with a "hands-on" introduction to qualitative research methods through the use of in-depth examples and out-of-class exercises. Rather than separating theory from methods and presenting students with a laundry list of methods as so many texts do, authors Sharlene Nagy Hesse-Biber and Patricia Leavy provide readers with a holistic approach to research by tightly linking theory and methods throughout the book. The authors cover all the key mainstream qualitative methods, as well as a number of more unconventional ones such as oral history, visual and unobtrusive methods, and present an overview of mixed-methods approaches. As part of their discussion of the ethical issues underpinning all social research, the authors raise important issues concerning the problems and prospects novice researchers confront in researching human subjects. The Practice of Qualitative Research is designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying qualitative research in the social sciences-especially Sociology, Women's Studies, Psychology, Anthropology, and Communications. The book presents a feminist research perspective and follows the interpretivist approach to qualitative methods, making it is an invaluable text for any course in which these are core components. The candid wisdom and tips from leading researchers will help students with the day-to-day process of completing a successful research project. Book jacket.

This book provides undergraduate and beginning graduate students with a "hands on" introduction to qualitative research methods through the use of in-depth examples and out-of-class exercises. Rather than de-linking theory from methods and presenting students with a laundry-list of methods like so many texts do, The Practice of Qualitative Research provides readers with the link between theory and methods throughout the book. Starting with how to develop a good research question, the authors carefully show the nuts and bolts of data collection (including issues of sampling, validity, reliability and ethics), the multiplicity of considerations (and, how to sort through them) during research design, the how-to′s of each major qualitative approach, and conclude with data analysis, interpretation, and reporting. The Practice of Qualitative Research is designed for upper-level undergraduate and graduate level courses that introduce the student to Qualitative Research. The book provides coverage on the foundations of qualitative research, the methods used in doing the research and how you analyze the data and present it.

Emergent technologies are pushing the boundaries of how both qualitative and quantitative researchers practice their craft, and it has become clear these changes are dramatically altering research design, from the questions researchers ask and the ways they collect data, to what they even consider data. Gathering a broad range of new developments in one place, The Handbook of Emergent Technologies in Social Research offers comprehensive, up-to-date thinking on technological innovations. In addition to addressing how to effectively apply new technologies-such as the internet, mobile technologies, geospatial technologies (GPS), and the incorporation of computer-assisted software programs (CAQDAS) to qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches to research projects-many chapters provide in-depth examples of practices within both disciplinary and interdisciplinary environments and outside the academic world in multi-media laboratories and research institutes. Not only an authoritative view of cutting-edge technologies and their applications, the Handbook examines the costs and benefits of utilizing new technologies on the research process, the potential misuse of these techniques for methods practices, and the ethical and moral dimensions of emergent technologies, especially with regard to issues of surveillance and privacy. The Handbook of Emergent Technologies in Social Research is an essential resource for research methods courses in various fields, including the social sciences, education, communications, computer science, and health services, and an indispensable guide for social researchers looking to incorporate emerging technologies into their methods and practice.

An encyclopedia about various methods of qualitative research.

Original, fresh and relevant this is a theoretically-informed practical guide to researching social relations. The text provides a mixed methods approach that challenges historical divisions between quantitative and qualitative research. It adopts a multidisciplinary approach to social science research, drawing from areas such as sociology, social psychology and social anthropology. Explicitly addressing the concerns of emergent researchers it provides both a ′how to′ account of social research and an understanding of the main factors that contextualize research by discussing ′why do′ social scientists work this way. Throughout the twelve comprehensive chapters procedural (how to) accounts and contextual (why do) issues are usefully applied to major themes and substantive questions. These key themes include: (1) Research design (2) The practices of research and emergent researchers: Beyond ontology, epistemology and methodology (3) The impact of technology on research (4) Putting the research approach in context. A superb teaching text this book will be relished by lecturers seeking an authoritative introduction to social research and by students who want an accessible, enriching text to guide and inspire them.