Media Research Methods

Assessing the relative strengths and weaknesses of qualitative and quantitative methods, this book examines the methodological perspectives adopted by media researchers in their attempts to understand the nature of media in society.

With coverage of the entire research process in social media, data collection and analysis on specific platforms, and innovative developments in the field, this handbook is the ultimate resource for those looking to tackle the challenges that come with doing research in this sphere.

Media Research Methods: Understanding Metric and Interpretive Approaches brings the insights of a senior theorist, methodologist, and critic to the classroom. Departing from the methods recipe approach, the text explains the reasons behind the methods and makes the connections to theory and knowledge production. Written in a conversational style, the book engages students and appeals to them as media consumers and users of research. The book takes the reader through each step of the research process, outlining the procedures, differences, strengths and limitations of metric, interpretive and the newer hybrid approaches. The text lays down a strong foundation in empirical research and problem solving, addressing metric topics of hypotheses, sampling, statistics, survey and experimental protocols and interpretive topics of textual analysis, coding, critical engagement and ethnography. A special chapter at the end of the book is a helpful guide for those readers who aspire to a research and analysis career.

Many very intelligent people don't like dealing with numbers. Similarly, many gifted scientists are not especially interested in studying people and their cultural behaviour. In this book, we argue that being interested in people and their cultures, and helping students and others to use numbers to pursue these interests, are not mutually exclusive. Research methods are becoming an increasingly important requirement for students of all kinds. But many students, particularly those in the humanities, struggle with concepts drawn from the social sciences and find quantitative and statistical information inaccessible and daunting. Nonetheless, such concepts are found in nearly all areas of society, from market research and opinion polls to psychological studies of human behaviour. This book aims to provide a simple guide to the process of conducting research in the humanities, with special reference to media and culture, from the planning stage, through the data gathering, to the analysis and interpretation of results: 'planning it', 'doing it' and 'understanding it'. The book aims to show how students' own choice of research topic can be refined into a manageable research question and how the most appropriate methodologies can be applied. Each section draws on actual examples from research that the authors and their students have conducted. Topics covered include: choosing a research question and method; instrument design and pilot data; practical procedures; research with children; looking at statistics; and interpretation of results.Features:*Based on the authors' practical experience as researchers and teachers and is thus accessible, practical and 'how to'.*Includes students' own work as examples.*Bridges the 'divide' between social science and humanities research methods and will therefore appeal to a broad range of students and teachers.

This indispensable textbook provides student researchers with extensive guidance and methods from across the social sciences and humanities, showing them how to make informed choices and consider the many alternatives available throughout the research process. Unique in approach, the text focus on how to do media research across three key strands – audiences, institutions and texts –and critically assesses a wide range of methods, addressing why they are appropriate or useful in certain scenarios. Written by two experts with a wealth of experience between them in teaching research methods and skills, this excellent resource explains complex methods in a clear and accessible way, offering practical guidance on how to use different methodologies, while situating the methods in the context of critical evaluations of previously published research. Providing a complete overview of media research methods while encouraging students to develop their own intellectual frameworks, this book is invaluable for undergraduates, postgraduates, novice and more experienced researchers of media, communication and journalism.

This book introduces the essential qualitative methods used in media research, with an emphasis on integrating theory with practice. Each method is introduced through step-by-step instruction on conducting research and interpreting research findings, alongside in-depth discussions of the historical, cultural, and theoretical context of the particular method and case studies drawn from published scholarship. This text is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to qualitative methods, ideal for media and mass communication research courses.

This essential textbook provides a clear and authoritative introduction to qualitative and quantitative methods for studying media and communication. Written by two highly experienced researchers, the book draws on a wide range of media and communication research to introduce students to the relative strengths of the different research approaches. Beginning with an overview of the changing contexts and trends in media and communication research approaches, the book demystifies 'research' and the 'research process' by offering practical and accessible guidance on how to design, plan and carry out successful research projects in media and communication. This is an indispensable text for all students of media and communication studies, particularly those undertaking their own research projects or taking modules in research methods.

The "new media" -- interactive videodiscs, telecommunications, computers, VCRs, teletext systems, and more -- present researchers with new challenges when it comes to studying practical applications or theoretical effects. This valuable volume aids researchers in first recognizing the special qualities of interactivity, demassification, and asynchroneity that the new media have created and to instruct professional researchers and students in alternative research methods, multiple methods, and the triangulation of results. For the first time, a variety of methods are examined as they apply to new media research, including mathematical modeling, controlled experiments, quasiexperiments, surveys, longitudinal studies, field studies, archival and secondary research, futures research and forecasting, content analysis, case studies, and focus groups. Whether the problem to be researched is as focused as considering the cost-benefit for a school wishing to adopt computers in the classroom or as wide-ranging as determining the effects of video games on child socialization, this up-to-date and thorough guide alerts researchers to the pitfalls of traditional methodology and offers a firm foundation upon which they can build reliable, accurate projects able to produce sound results.