Real world research : a resource for users of social research methods in applied settings

Preface. Acknowledgements. Ways of using the book. The main steps when carrying out a project. PART I SETTING THE SCENE. Keeping a research journal. Chapter 1 Introduction. What is real world research? Design matters. Evaluation and change. The audience for this book. Returning to the real world. Beginning the journey. Chapter 2 Approaches to Social Research. Introduction. Postmodernism and extreme relativist approaches. The two traditions: quantitative and qualitative social research. The quantitative paradigm. The qualitative paradigm. Paradigms and research questions. A pragmatic approach. Multi-strategy research designs. Realism and real world research. The purposes of research. Practical value of the…