Preface
PART ONE: THE PROBLEM
Approaches to Research
Research Ethics
Research Proposal and Literature Review
Research Methodology
PART TWO: DATA COLLECTION
Sampling
Case Study Method
Survey Method / Experimental Method
Available Data
Observation
Interviews
Questionnaires
Tests
PART THREE: DATA ANALYSIS
Measurement Principles
Qualitative Data
Quantitative Data
PART FOUR: ACTION
Social Science English
The Report
Using the Results
Glossary
References
Index

This book offers a comprehensive and well-rounded view of research as a tool for problem-solving in the wide range of the social sciences. It is built on the foundation of philosophical pragmatism, postulating that the value of knowledge and research methodologies lie in their usefulness in engaging with the real world.

The book synthesizes both positivist and non-positivist methodologies. It is meant for students who are undertaking their first research course or project. The techniques, while basic in nature, are used in many masters and doctoral research studies. The book uses engaging language, real-life examples from various subject areas and follows an inductive approach. With the help of this book, from an experiential base, students should be able to build a more advanced conceptual and theoretical understanding of research through further reading and practice.

This book discusses a policy-applied-pure-action model of research covering both quantitative and qualitative methods for case study, survey and experimental designs. It pays considerable attention to measurement principles and to data analysis techniques that make practical use of Microsoft Excel for analysis of both words and numbers. It includes a building block approach to writing, as well as the author’s thoughts on application of research in the real world.