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Introducing Social Research Methods: Essentials for Getting the Edge is a concise and student-friendly introduction to research methods that uses examples from around the world to illustrate the centrality of social science research in our everyday lives. * Explains complex, multi-faceted concepts and methodologies in straightforward prose * Designed for students who are new to or skeptical of social science research methods as useful tools for approaching real-world challenges * Persuasively argues that social scientific proficiency unlocks an array of personal and professional opportunities beyond the realms of academia * A supplementary website features a glossary, test bank, Power Point presentations, a comprehensive list of web resources, a guide to relevant TED lectures and much more

Introducing Social Research Methods - Essentials for Getting the Edge

About the Website ii 1 How Do We Know What We Know? Science as a Superior Way of Knowing 1 2 The Language of Science and Research: Learning to Talk the Talk and Walk the Walk 21 3 Ethics: It s the Right Thing To Do 45 4 Designing Ideas: What Do We Want to Know and How Can We Get There? 67 5 Measure by Measure: Developing Measures Making the Abstract Concrete 93 6 All That Glitters Is Not Gold: Assessing the Validity and Reliability of Measures 117 7 One Thing Leads to Another or Does it? Tackling Causal Analysis 139 8 The Questionnaire: Would You Mind Taking the Time to Answer a Few Questions? 163 9 Having the Talk: Person to Person Information Exchanges 189 10 Field Research: Welcome to My World 209 11 Sample This! How Can So Few Tell Us About So Many? 231 12 Show Me the Numbers: Descriptive Statistics and Inferential Statistics 255 13 Pulling it Together: A Final Synthesis 283 Glossary 289 Index 295