The book neatly compartmentalizes the topics, making it easily divisible into smaller reading sections that can be assigned at different points within the course. When necessary, it is cited appropriately. The research process could include steps involved in academic research with information on the publishing and peer review process. This format also enables instructors to easily supplement with other materials. The textbook makes other distinctions in a way that helps students comprehend concepts (e.g. I will have to supplement with more of the area-specific writing that my students need, but this is easily added in the adapted version of this text that I plan to produce. The content of the book is up-to-date. Both are important for gaining different kinds of knowledge. Most of the text flows in a logical, clear fashion. Online Data Capture and Data Collection 4. By reorganizing these two modules into qualitative research methods and data analysis and quantitative research methods and data analysis, not only would improve the flow of the book, but also better serve researchers who are interested in a particular type of research. This book is based on my lecture materials developed over a decade of teaching the doctoral-level class on Research Methods at the University of South Florida. I increasingly see studies conducted either using social media content or recruiting through social media; neither of these are addressed in this book. This type of ambiguity does not occur very often in the textbook and it does not necessarily represent an error. 20. The text manages to broach sensitive issues in a level and balanced format; in particular the ethics section manages to discuss some well-known failings in past research without becoming overly critical of the researcher or the participants. It offers easy-to-read information and introduces the readers to the research process, such as research questions, research paradigms, research process, research designs, research methods, data collection, data analysis, and There is one recommendation that goes against the prevailing wisdom on survey design. This is more challenging when planning for its use in an undergraduate research methods class; however, I think that the strengths of this book outweigh the weaknesses. Some areas for improvement would be to include historical scientific figures who are not all male, and link critical methodology in a clearer manner with specific critical and cultural examples of this form of research. The content covered is pretty standard and basic and so not likely to be out-dated soon. The casual writing style makes it very accessible, but one consequence is the very occasional grammar problem. Other than a brief mention that these are relatively rare, there was nothing. For instance, what type of problem is unresearchable? The discussion on research ethics is certainly a nice addition to the book where many other research methods texts lack. It would be difficult to reduce chapter readings (say, using only 5 pages of the chapter) because of the conciseness of the information and the shortness of the chapters. Many experts have written that these types of questions, when asked at the beginning of a questionnaire or survey, can affect the respondents' answers to subsequent questions and should be saved for the end. read more. Reviewed by Dana Whippo, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Economics, Dickinson State University on 1/7/16, For its purpose, as introduced by the author, this is appropriately comprehensive. The book is written in a careful, consistent manner. The text is written clearly and accessibly, providing adequate context for most of the jargon and technical terminology that is covered. WebSociologists generally choose from widely used methods of social investigation: primary source data collection such as survey, participant observation, ethnography, case study, It should be noted that there is more of a focus on quantitative research. The text is readable at a collegiate level without becoming over-academic, or for that matter, casual. Most of these data collection methods allow you to gather primary data. Introductory topics relating to research methods are provided early and are built upon in subsequent chapters. Main ideas are clearly articulated in headings. Content is for the most part up to date (see above comments for specific areas: reliability, validity, mixed methods); some examples may become outdated very soon (example of political movements in middle eastern countries for example). This seems entirely appropriate given Dr. Bhattacherjees research area. While not meant for advanced graduate and doctoral students, this text is an excellent introductory resource for learning about paradigms in research methods and data analysis and prepares the learner to begin writing a successful research project proposal. Charts and images appear appropriately sized and undistorted and the text is free from navigation problems. For example, Chapter 2 - 'thinking like a researcher' is wonderfully written. The text provides a complete summary of the research process. The order of topics makes sense and is aligned with the process of conducting research. It follows the research process from critical thinking, conceptualization, to operationalization/measurements, research design, data collection, and data analysis. Step 2: Choose your data collection method. The text does not contain conspicuous grammatical errors. WebData-collection techniques differ from participant observation, content analysis, interviewing, and documentary analysis. org/10.4135/9781473914230 Keywords: attitudes, debates, knowledge, law, population, software, surveying Show all More information Summary Contents Subject index Download PDF Text size Survey research Discover method in the Methods Map The textbook provided the content in a clear and concise manner. The text is written in a logical and concise fashion. Data collection 
The book is meticulously researched and I did not note any egregious statements or inaccuracies. In my experience, the biggest factor that can make a research text outdated is the use of up-to-date examples and case studies. The text covers the basic concepts in theory, research design and analysis that one would expect of a text geared toward the social sciences in general. WebExperienced social science researcher and project manager with a demonstrated history of working in the healthcare services research industry. For example: "a researcher looking at the world through a rational lens will look for rational explanations of the problem such as inadequate technology or poor fit between technology and the task context where it is being utilized, while another research[er] looking at the same problem through a social lens may seek out social deficiencies". the formula for Cronbach's alpha). The text offers an introductory overview to scientific research for PhD and graduate students in social sciences. Occasionally, there were concepts that I anticipated would require additional clarification (beyond the reading) for my graduate students. The layout of materials and the concise writing style contribute to an easy-to-visualize text. Further, chapters within major sections are sequential, such as chapters on Science and Scientific Research, followed by Thinking Like a Researchers, followed by The Research Process. The book is very consistent. This text provides an overview of many important issues for my graduate research methods course in education. WebData collection and analysis. At the same time, the textbook does not over-emphasize research methods or design, which might mislead students to think inflexibly about the topic. Having said this, I feel the chapter on Ethics should be moved up further in the chapter line-up (possibly to chapter 2 or 3). Chapters are concise, allowing the combination of multiple chapters for a weeks reading if needed. The early chapters can by used for more theoretical research courses, especially for new researchers and fundamentals of research courses. For example, students in need of supplemental instruction on descriptive statistics, such as content about the normal distribution, can be assigned the subsection on Statistics of Sampling in chapter 8, followed by the subsection on Central tendency in chapter 14. I really appreciate the broad focus and examples from social science fields. The only issue Ive noticed, as indicated in other parts of the review, is depth. Skilled in Project Management, Jargon and acronyms were appropriately defined with an explanation of how the terms originated and came to be utilized in research. While the text covers a broad array of topics, it is a bit superficial and lacks depth in some areas. Data Collection is concerned with the techniques and practices of doing empirical research. 4-1 Milestone One Scs285. It's certainly doable, but ultimately means a greater investment of my time, and I have to weigh investing my time in creating hands-on learning opportunities and providing students with thorough feedback on their work with the time I'd have to invest in using a text that is complete, but needs to be much more heavily supplemented with additional materials. -selecting a research topic There is not a discussion of how different research types are affected by different types and threats of research validity. Bhattacherjee holds Ph.D. and MBA degrees from the University of Houston, and M.S. Topics are not covered in as comprehensive way as in many texts. The text included relevant descriptions of current software commonly used in research. There are a few minor grammatical errors in the 2nd edition, 2012. Like documentary research, content analysis is the study of recorded information, or information which has been recorded in texts, media, or physical items. There is no indication that any of the content will suffer from claims that it is obsolete or irrelevant. It is used to test or confirm theories and It would be easy to use this book in a course on research methods, in fact, there is a syllabus included at the end of the book that could be used by a faculty member when course creating. 34). Social science research isn't likely to change greatly so this text should remain relevant for some time and can easily be updated to accommodate new techniques as they arise. The text may be best used as an overview of the research process in social sciences rather than a reference. read more, I use almost the entire text in an undergraduate Health Science research methods course. The contents of the text are not dated and the author does a fantastic job of offering a variety of relevant examples so that readers of all backgrounds can relate to the content. It presents the information in a clear and concise way. The section on theory, for example, is refreshingly clear for learners. I think a good proofread would help. Any instructor should be able to provide current, real-world examples to compare and contrast to those in the text. -how to read scholarly articles I felt the content of this text is accurate, unbiased, and free of any glaring errors.. The relevance and longevity are strong. There is also cursory coverage of descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (a chapter on each) as well as chapter on research ethics. The writing is very easy to follow with helpful examples. There was one strange sentence when the author was trying to contrast a liberal to a conservatives viewpoint on page 18 that made this reader feel a bit uncomfortable in how one ideological viewpoint was portrayed, but Im not sure it was necessarily bias; perhaps just the writing was a bit heavy handed. The text is accurate and up-to-date with research methods in the social sciences. The chapters are short and very readable. The text contains up-to-date approaches to research methods and presents classic theoretical debates. Each chapter is a self contained unit that can be used as its own reading. The author even mentions excluding certain chapters that are actually full courses where he teaches. Chapters could be taught out of order and can be subdivided accordingly. So long as the author keeps on these develops, this will serve as a useful introductory text for the foreseable future. I am pleased with the coverage in the text; it includes the history and foundations of research, as well as chapters on ethics and a sample syllabus. The table of contents is straight forward, and the chapters are arranged in a fluid, logical order. The content does not read in a way that seems (either now or in the future) likely to read as dated or obsolete. A sample syllabus for a graduate course on Offering some of the nuts and bolts of research methods earlier in the text and tying them into the more theoretical concepts might help with clarity of flow for the typical graduate student. The book makes sure of updated case examples, discusses how students utilize the internet for research, etc. It is confusing as to why research validity is in Chapter 5 - Research Design. The book overall shies away from delving into approaches and methods in non-empirical research in the social sciences. The topics generally flow well as presented; the only exception is having the section on research ethics at the end. On the downside, there are no bells and whistles that many some students have come to expect from online textbooks. (Note: The scale is confusing. One preference of this reviewer would be to assign the ethics in research chapter earlier in the course calendar, and thus earlier in the textbook, so it is part of the foundational aspects of understanding social science inquiry. I did see that the copyright for this text was 2012 so not sure if revisions or updates to the original have happened or not. Perhaps the print copy is clearer. The book is constructed in a well-organized fashion, without any issues of chapter structure. Overall, the chapters are well-organized and easy to follow with a working knowledge of basic stats. Furthermore, Facebook has also seen its share of users rise at a meteoric rate. Methods of Data Collection Sampling Considerations Assessing Performance in Organizations Data Analysis Reporting Research Findings Back Matter Concluding words Glossary Discover method in the Methods Map Sign in Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life However, many of the images were blurry (e.g., Figure 8.2, Table 14.1) and some fonts were smaller than others (i.e., pg. WebAbout the Methods and Statistics in Social Sciences Specialization Identify interesting questions, analyze data sets, and correctly interpret results to make solid, evidence-based decisions. Indeed, this is one of the strengths of the book: that it can be used broadly within the social sciences. The upside is that this is a flexible text that can be used in many disciplines; the down side is that the text is short on examples, which reduces readability. The word "scale" is associated with scale of measurement. In addition, the author highlights important concepts in bold, making it even easier to follow along. -how to search the literature Reviewed by Wendy Bolyard, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Denver on 4/30/20, This text presents all the topics, and more, that I cover in my master's-level research and analytic methods course. The content of the book is up-to-date. Dr. Bhattacherjees book, Social Science Research, is a good introductory textbook for upper-level undergraduate students and graduate students to learn about the research process. The textbook covers the majority of what would be expected for a research methods course. Reviewed by Eddie T. C. Lam, Associate Professor/Editor-in-Chief, Cleveland State University on 9/12/18, The book provides ample information for a research course, but it may not meet the needs of every instructor. Because of its breadth, however, parts of the book can sometimes seem thin and underdeveloped. 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