Research : a commonsense approach - McMurray, Adela J. (Southbank, Vic. : Thomson/Social Science Press, 2004)
The research context -- 2. Peparing your 'self' for research -- 3. The research journey -- 4. Bases of quantitative research -- 5. Quantitive data collection by survey, questionnaire and experiment -- 6. Processing numerical data and difference testing -- 7. Measures of similarity -- 8. Qualitative data collection -- 9. Conducting qualitative research -- 10. Analysing the content of qualitative data -- 11. Multi-method research -- next step -- 12. Action research: an integrative model -- 13. Research and the future -- 1. The research context -- Commonsense -- Science -- Creative problem solving -- Thinking -- WIGO -- Reasons for inaccuracies -- Worldviews -- Organisational paradigms -- Objective view -- Subjective viewShifts in belief underlying paradigms -- Other factors that affect research -- Ethics -- Summary -- Discussion questions -- Project/exercises -- 2. Peparing your 'self' for research -- Preparing for research -- Resilience -- Emotions -- Sprituality -- Mental and physical energy -- The frustration factors -- Dangers of serving your master -- The research journey -- Dangers of anticlimax -- Summary -- Discussion questions -- Projects/exercises -- 3. The research journey -- Commencing the research journey -- Selecting a research approach and model -- Researching a changing environment -- Communication: an underlying process -- Searching the literature -- Organising the bibliography and annotations -- Reviewing the literature -- Literature review assessment -- Writing the research proposal -- Referencing -- Manuals of style -- Writing the report -- Project checklist -- Publication -- Summary -- Discussion questions -- Projects/exercises -- 4. Bases of quantitative research -- The nature of quantitative research -- Research openning processess -- Realism and the scientific approach -- The scientific method -- Choosing a methodological framework -- Data mining -- Researcher capability requirements -- Quantitative research validity -- Quantitative research reliability -- Reasoning with numbers -- The quantitative research process -- Reasoning with statistics -- The role of replication -- Collecting numerical data -- Types of data -- Scales -- Constructs -- Summary -- Discussion questions -- Projects/exercises -- 5. Quantitive data collection by survey, questionnaire and experiment -- The role of surveys in research -- Coding survey data -- Research question development -- Questionnaires -- Systems of data collection -- Survey error -- Reliability -- Experiments -- True experimental designs -- Summary -- Discussion questions -- Projects/exercises -- 6. Processing numerical data and difference testing -- The what and why of statistics -- Populations and statistical analysis -- Software-assisted methods of statistical analysis -- Missing values and their treatment -- Preparation of data -- Parametric statistics -- The central limit theorem -- The standardising of normal distributions, other distributions and their use -- Confidence intervals and the sampling distribution of the mean -- Prerequisites for statistical analysis -- Determination of sample size -- Proportions -- Bivariate and multivariate analyses of difference -- Parametric tests of differences -- Multiple comparisons -- Multivariate tests of difference -- Bivariate and multivariate non-parametric tests of difference -- Summary -- Discussion questions -- Projects/exercises -- 7. Measures of similarity -- Bivariate measures of association -- Multivariate measures of association -- Discriminant function analysis -- Canonical correlation -- Multivariate exploratory statistical techniques -- Cluster analysis -- Structural equations modelling (SEM) -- Constructs and construct testing -- Bivariate and multivariate non-parametric examination of associations -- Summary -- Discussion questions -- Projects/exercises -- 8. Qualitative data collection -- Qualitative data collection -- Observation -- Interviewing -- Unstructured interviews -- In-depth interviews -- Focus groups -- Document analysis -- Textual deconstruction -- Summary -- Discussion questions -- Projects/exercises -- 9. Conducting qualitative research -- Introduction -- Communication skills during data collection -- Types of qualitative studies -- Grounded theory -- Ethnographic studies -- Feminist studies -- Sampling procedures in qualitative research -- Types of sampling -- Ethics in qualitative research -- Summary -- Discussion questions -- Projects/exercises -- 10. Analysing the content of qualitative data -- Introduction -- Functions of words in sense-making -- Analysing content -- Psychological themes -- Commuunication rules -- Paraphrasing -- Summary -- Discussion questions -- Projects/exercises -- 11. Multi-method research -- next step -- Multi-method research -- Three types of multi-method designs -- riangulation in research -- Multi-method data collection -- Reliability and validity -- Multi-method data analysis -- Four ways to verify research decisions -- Heterogeneous cultural contexts -- Techniques of multi-method research data analysis -- Summay -- Discussion questions -- Projects/exercises -- 12. Action research: an integrative model -- Action research: an integrative model -- The concept of action research -- Overview of action research -- Action research models -- Action research and interventions -- Purposes of action research -- Assumptions of action research -- Involvement of paricipants -- Integration of research and development -- Philosophy and processes of action research -- The McMurray-Ryan AR cycle -- Using the McMurray-Ryan model -- The McMurray-Ryan model in use -- Innovative approach to change: action research and wealth creation -- Immediate and potential $$$ benefits -- Action research and cultural contnuity -- Strategies for inducing resistance to change -- Innoculation and counter-attitudinal advocacy -- Summary -- Discussion questions -- Projects/exercises -- 13. Research and the future -- Brief history of research philosophies -- The movement toward mlti-method research -- The individual in future research -- The effect of heterogeneous cultures on research -- Research in transformational societies -- Support for research -- Summary -- Discussion questions -- Project/exercises.
Keywords: Social sciences -- Methodology; Social sciences -- Research -- Methodology