Social Science Research Methods and Statistics

Keith de Swardt

• Publisher: Boston City Campus
• eBook ISBN:
  9710000000032
• Year: 2020

This comprehensive guide serves as an essential roadmap for mastering the complexities of social research, beginning with the philosophical foundations of distinguishing reality and the ethical standards that govern scientific inquiry. Readers will progress from understanding theoretical concepts and constructs to the practical application of diverse methodologies, including qualitative and quantitative analysis, probability sampling, and the design of sophisticated measurement scales. By bridging the gap between field research – such as interviewing and coding – and advanced analytical techniques like social network analysis and elaboration models, this book equips you with the tools to conduct rigorous experiments, evaluate existing data, and communicate impactful findings to stakeholders. Whether exploring the link between research and politics or conducting unobtrusive online studies, you will develop the expertise required to write, evaluate, and present high-quality social research in an evolving digital landscape.

Table of contents

• UNIT 1 HUMAN INQUIRY AND SCIENCE
• UNIT 2 POLITICS AND ETHICS OF SOCIAL RESEARCH
• UNIT 3 CONCEPTUALISATION, OPERATIONALISATION AND MEASUREMENT
• UNIT 4 TYPOLOGIES, SCALES, INDEXES AND SAMPLING
• UNIT 5 EXPERIMENTS AND SURVEY RESEARCH
• UNIT 6 QUALITATIVE FIELD RESEARCH, UNOBTRUSIVE RESEARCH AND EVALUATION RESEARCH
• UNIT 7 QUALITATIVE & QUANTITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS
• UNIT 8 LOGIC OF MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS
• UNIT 9 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
• UNIT 10 SOCIAL RESEARCH READING AND WRITING
• Self-Assessment Question Answers