Making Sense of Numbers
eBook - ePub

Making Sense of Numbers

Quantitative Reasoning for Social Research

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Making Sense of Numbers

Quantitative Reasoning for Social Research

About this book

Making Sense of Numbers teaches students the skills they need to be both consumers and producers of quantitative research: able to read about, collect, calculate, and communicate numeric information for both everyday tasks and school or work assignments. The text teaches how to avoid making common errors of reasoning, calculation, or interpretation by introducing a systematic approach to working with numbers, showing students how to figure out what a particular number means. The text also demonstrates why it is important to apply a healthy dose of skepticism to the numbers we all encounter, so that we can understand how those numbers can (and cannot) be interpreted in their real-world context. Jane E. Miller uses annotated examples on a wide variety of topics to illustrate how to use new terms, concepts, and approaches to working with numbers. End-of-chapter engagement activities designed based on Miller's three decades of teaching experience can be used in class or as homework assignments, with some for students to do individually and others intended for group discussion. The book is ideally suited for a range of courses, including quantitative reasoning, research methods, basic statistics, data analysis, and communicating quantitative information.

An instructor website for the book includes a test bank, editable PowerPoint slides, and tables and figures from the book.

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Yes, you can access Making Sense of Numbers by Jane E. Miller in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Social Science Research & Methodology. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Endorsements
  3. Half Title
  4. Acknowledgements
  5. Title Page
  6. Copyright Page
  7. Brief Contents
  8. Detailed Contents
  9. Illustration List
  10. Table List
  11. Preface
  12. Acknowledgments
  13. About the Author
  14. Part I Introduction
  15. Chapter 1 Introduction to Making Sense of Numbers
  16. Chapter 2 Foundational Concepts for Quantitative Research
  17. Part II How Topic, Measurement, and Context Help Make Sense of Numbers
  18. Chapter 3 Topic and Conceptualization
  19. Chapter 4 Measurement
  20. Chapter 5 Context
  21. Part III Exhibits for Communicating Numeric Information
  22. Chapter 6 Working With Tables
  23. Chapter 7 Working With Charts and Visualizations
  24. Part IV Making Sense of Numbers From Mathematical and Statistical Methods
  25. Chapter 8 Comparison Values, Contrast Sizes, and Standards
  26. Chapter 9 Numbers, Comparisons, and Calculations
  27. Chapter 10 Distributions and Associations
  28. Part V Assessing the Quality of Numeric Estimates
  29. Chapter 11 Bias
  30. Chapter 12 Causality
  31. Chapter 13 Uncertainty of Numeric Estimates
  32. Part VI Pulling It All Together
  33. Chapter 14 Communicating Quantitative Research
  34. Chapter 15 The Role of Research Methods in Making Sense of Numbers
  35. Appendixes
  36. Appendix A Why and How to Create New Variables
  37. Appendix B Sampling Weights
  38. Appendix C Brief Technical Background on Inferential Statistics
  39. References
  40. Index