Research Design in Aging and Social Gerontology
Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods
Joyce Weil
- 302 pagine
- English
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Research Design in Aging and Social Gerontology
Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods
Joyce Weil
Informazioni sul libro
Research Design in Aging and Social Gerontology provides a review of methodological approaches and data-collection methods commonly used with older adults in real-life settings. It addresses the role of normative age-related sensory, cognitive, and functional changes, as well as the influence of generational cohort (age-period-cohort) upon each design. It discusses the role of older adults as true co-researchers; issues uniquely related to studies of persons residing in community-based, assisted, skilled, and memory-care settings; and ethical concerns related to cognitive status changes. The text concludes with detailed guidelines for improving existing data collection methods for older persons and selecting the best fitting methodologies for use in planning research on aging.
Features of Research Design in Aging and Social Gerontology include:
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- Descriptions and evaluations of a wide range of methodological approaches, and methods used to collect data about older persons (quantitative, qualitative, mixed, and emergent methods: photovoice, virtual environments, etc.)
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- Ways to match research questions to selection of method without a preconceived methodological preference or dominance
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- Real-world and applied examples along with cases from the gerontological literature
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- "How to" sections about reading output/software reports and qualitative-analysis screenshots (from ATLAS.ti) and quantitative (SPSS) output and interpretation
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- Pedagogical tools in every chapter such as text boxes, case studies, definitions of key terms, discussion questions, and references for further reading on chapter topics
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- Glossary of key terms, complete sample research report, and an overview of past methodological research design work in gerontology
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- Companion website at www.routledge.com/cw/Weil where instructors will find PowerPoint presentations, additional discussion questions, and a sample syllabus; and students will find flashcards based on glossary terms, a downloadable copy of the sample research report in the text, and links to data sets, related websites, further reading, and select gerontological journals
This text is intended for upper-level undergraduates and masters students in aging and gerontology as well as students in human development, applied anthropology, psychology, public health, sociology, and social-work settings. Health care professionals, social workers, and care managers who work with older adults will also find this text a valuable resource.
Domande frequenti
Informazioni
Part I
Getting Started
1
Introduction
What Is Aging Research?
Overview of the Research Process: Developing a Gerontological Researcher’s Approach
Basic Principles
- Evaluate how something is done. How did the autobiographical writing group with centenarians work out? Impact the writers?
- Describe an experience or event. What is it like being a male caregiver to an older parent?
- Explore practice options. What is the impact of trademarked exercise groups or services on older adults?
- Generate new ways of thinking. How would older persons use visual images and photos to depict their worlds?
- Explore something that is bothersome in the researcher’s experience, training, or practice. Why are older people objectified? Painted with one brushstroke as “old”? Why the use of elderspeak in care settings?
Ask yourself | Relates to | Issues and decisions to make | Examples of specific designs |
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What is your view of reality? | the use of an underlying philosophy (or epistemological perspective) also called worldviews | Objectivism: objective, external reality exists and can be measured and tested. | Quasi-experiments |
Positivist: Bring a traditional “scientific approach” to study people. Studies are objectively generalizable and include causality. Mostly quantitative. | |||
Objectivism Constructivism Subjectivism | Post-positivist: use the scientific method (applied to human beings) with variables, hypotheses, and theory to quantify and explain reality. | ||
Constructionist: seeks to capture the way individuals construct or create reality. Research is centered upon participants’ views/ways of constructing meaning/ seeing their worlds. Origins in hermeneutics. | Participant observation, open-ended interviews, phenomenology, case study, focus groups, life review, narrative analysis | ||
Interpretive: acknowledges there are multiple views of reality (including those of the researcher and those “studied”), so the “participants” are the best at describing experience, events, etc., in their own lives. | |||
Symbolic interactionism: understanding how people attach meaning to their experiences in the world based on their interaction with society. | |||
Subjectivism: our views of reality are filtered/seen throughout subjective viewpoints or vantage points. | Participatory action research, critical discourse analysis | ||
Critical/transformative: includes power and political dynamics of oppressed/marginalized groups and societal influences upon these groups. | |||
Feminism: an inclusive approach to include women’s voices and intersectionality statuses—reflecting society’s role in creating gender-based social problems. | |||
Pragmatism: avoids reality/construction debates and lets the researcher apply methods in the real world. Not so much interested in getting at a universal truth or being linked to only one philosophy—the real goal is problem-solving. How the data and outcomes can help solve real-world problems. | Evidence-based, outcomes research processes | ||
Are you beginning with theory to guide data? Or are you using data to generate theory? | the use of theory (to inform the process, or as something | Deductive approach: begins with theory or a framework and applies those to the data (once called “top down”). | Secondary analysis of data, hypothesis testing |
to be formed as a result of the research process) | Inductive: begins with data to generate a theory or framework (once called “bottom up”). | Grounded theory, qualitative methods | |
What is the purpose of your study in terms of data? | a decision about the approach (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods) | Quantitative approach: numerical data | See Chapter 2 for a decision-making process. |
Qualitative approach: textual data | |||
Mixed methods: a mixture of data types | |||
Who is your sample? | research units (ranging from documents to people) | Consider the types of people, institutions, agencies, or societies you wish to study. What are your eligibility requirements for your sample? (Don’t think about the number needed in your sample here; address that once you have selected a method and specific type of design.) | See Chapters 4–8 for individual sampling by method.... |