Research Methods: A Practical Guide for the Social Sciences

Introduction PART A: Thinking About Research A1: What is Research? A2: Knowledge, Theories, Paradigms and Perspectives A3: The Nature of Data A4: Research Questions, Hypotheses and Operational Definitions A5: Research as an Ethical and Cultural Issue PART B: Preparing for Research B1: Planning a Research Project B2: Reviewing the Literature B3: Research Design B4: Choosing Methods B5: Sampling B6: Research Proposals PART C: Data Collection C1: Collecting Data C2: Data Collection Skills C3: Questionnaires C4: Semi-structured Interviews C5: Focus Groups C6: Observation C7: Narrative Data C8: Documents C9: Secondary Sources of Data C10: Collecting Data Using Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) PART D: Data…