Social research : issues, methods and process / Tim May.

By: May, Tim, 1957-.

Material type: materialTypeLabel

BookPublisher: Buckingham : Open University Press, 1997Edition: 2nd ed.Description: xii, 227 p. : ill. ; 2 5cm. + pbk.ISBN: 0335200060 (v) (hc.); 0335200052 (m) (pbk.).Subject(s): Social sciences -- Research

| Social sciences -- Research -- Methodology

| Sociology -- Research

| Sociology -- Methodology

DDC classification: 300.72

Contents:

Introduction -- Part I: Issues in social research -- Perspectives on social science research -- Social theory and social research -- Values and ethics in the research process -- Part II: Methods of social research -- Official statistics: topic and resource -- Social survey: design to analysis -- Interviewing: methods and process -- Participant observation: perspectives and practice -- Documentary research: excavations and evidence -- Comparative research: potential and problems.

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Call number	Copy number	Status	Date due	Barcode	Item holds
General Lending	MTU Bishopstown Library Lending	300.72 (Browse shelf(Opens below))	1	Available		00075836

Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This revised and expanded edition of a best-selling text incorporates the latest developments in social research. The aim of the book remains the same: to bridge the gap between theory and methods in social research, each of which is essential to understanding the dynamics of social relations. Additions to each chapter do further justice to ideas on the research process in general and aspects of its practice in particular. Chapter summaries, questions for reflection and signposts to further reading are incorporated into a textbook format.

Previous ed.: 1993.

Bibliography: (pages 195-218) and indexes.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

Acknowledgements (p. x)
Preface to the second edition (p. xi)
Preface to the third edition (p. xiii)
Introduction (p. 1)
The aim of the book (p. 2)
An overview of Part I (p. 2)
An overview of Part II (p. 3)
Part I Issues in Social Research (p. 5)
1 Perspectives on social scientific research (p. 7)
Schools of thought in social research (p. 8)
Objectivity (p. 9)
Positivism (p. 9)
Empiricism (p. 11)
Realism (p. 11)
Subjectivity (p. 13)
Idealism (p. 14)
Building bridges (p. 15)
Postmodernism (p. 16)
Feminisms and research (p. 17)
Challenging the scientistic cloak (p. 18)
Reason and emotion (p. 20)
The critique of 'disengagement' (p. 21)
Biography (p. 21)
Feminist epistemologies (p. 22)
Women, race and research (p. 25)
Summary (p. 26)
Suggested further reading (p. 27)
2 Social theory and social research (p. 28)
The relationship between social theory and social research (p. 29)
Linking theory and research (p. 32)
Situating social theory and research (p. 37)
Summary (p. 43)
Suggested further reading (p. 45)
3 Values and ethics in the research process (p. 46)
Values and social research (p. 47)
What are value judgements? (p. 47)
Values in the research process (p. 50)
The connection between values and research (p. 54)
Ethics and its relation to social research (p. 59)
What is ethics? (p. 59)
Relations between ethics and social research (p. 62)
Summary (p. 67)
Suggested further reading (p. 68)
Part II Methods of Social Research (p. 69)
4 Official statistics: topic and resource (p. 71)
Sources of official statistics (p. 72)
The social construction of crime statistics (p. 74)
Official statistics: the debates (p. 80)
Summary (p. 85)
Suggested further reading (p. 87)
5 Social surveys: design to analysis (p. 88)
The logic of survey method (p. 90)
Sampling (p. 92)
Probability samples (p. 93)
Non-probability samples (p. 95)
Stages in constructing a survey (p. 96)
Preliminary work (p. 96)
Types of questionnaires (p. 97)
Designing and testing questions (p. 100)
Types of questions (p. 101)
Coding (p. 103)
Attitude scales (p. 104)
Question wording (p. 106)
The analysis of questionnaires (p. 109)
Levels of measurement (p. 109)
Relationships between variables (p. 110)
Surveys in critical perspective (p. 111)
Technology and the future of the survey (p. 116)
Summary (p. 117)
Suggested further reading (p. 119)
6 Interviewing: methods and process (p. 120)
Interviews in social research (p. 120)
Structured interview (p. 121)
Semi-structured interview (p. 123)
Unstructured or focused interview (p. 124)
Group and focus interviews (p. 125)
Conducting interviews in social research (p. 126)
Common prescriptions for interviewing practice (p. 127)
The practice of focused interviews (p. 130)
Feminist approaches to the process of interviewing (p. 134)
The analysis of interviews (p. 137)
Issues in interviewing (p. 142)
Summary (p. 144)
Suggested further reading (p. 145)
7 Participant observation: perspectives and practice (p. 146)
Participant observation and social research (p. 147)
The Chicago School and participant observation (p. 147)
Muddying the waters (p. 151)
The practice of participant observation (p. 153)
The researcher's role (p. 154)
Access (p. 157)
Utilizing flexibility (p. 159)
Field notes (p. 160)
Subjective adequacy (p. 161)
The analysis of observations (p. 163)
Writing ethnography (p. 168)
Issues in participant observation (p. 170)
Case study research (p. 172)
Summary (p. 173)
Suggested further reading (p. 174)
8 Documentary research: excavations and evidence (p. 175)
The place of documents in social research (p. 176)
Sources of documentary research (p. 178)
The process of documentary research (p. 181)
Conceptualizing documents (p. 181)
Using documents (p. 185)
Approaching a document (p. 188)
The analysis of documents (p. 190)
Quantitative and qualitative approaches (p. 191)
A note on presentation of findings (p. 195)
Issues in documentary research (p. 197)
Summary (p. 198)
Suggested further reading (p. 198)
9 Comparative research: potential and problems (p. 200)
Globalization and comparative social research (p. 201)
The place of comparison in social research (p. 204)
The process of cross-national research (p. 206)
The potential of comparative research (p. 208)
Problems in comparative research (p. 212)
Potential and problems: an overview (p. 217)
Summary (p. 218)
Suggested further reading (p. 219)
Bibliography (p. 220)
Author index (p. 250)
Subject index (p. 255)

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Tim May is Professor of Sociology at the University of Salford