Social Research Methods

Author Alan Bryman, Edward Bell, Jennifer Reck, and Jessica Fields

Encourages students to imagine themselves as researchers; foregrounding questions that motivate them to consider choices researchers make, how they make them, and what they mean
Each chapter includes a writing prompt called Portfolio Exercise that guides students through the steps of devising an individual research project. Each prompt directs them to think and write about their chosen research topic in relation to the chapter's concepts.
Pays equal attention to both qualitative and quantitative research methods
Mixed Methods in Action boxes throughout introduce examples of mixed methods research, emphasizing the ways qualitative and quantitative methods complement one another
Features examples from studies that employ an intersectional analysis, and engages meaningfully with discussions of race, class, gender, sexuality, and disability
The Oxford Learning Link (OLL) for Social Research Methods contains a variety of materials to aid in teaching: Instructor's Resource Manual, Test Banks, and Lecture Slides

Social Research Methods

Author Alan Bryman, Edward Bell, Jennifer Reck, and Jessica Fields

Description

This is a comprehensive text for the research methods course taught out of sociology or other social science disciplines. It covers a wide range of methods and approaches to study design, data collection, and analysis. It is clear, comprehensive, and pays equal attention to both qualitative and quantitative methods, while offering practical, step-by-step advice to students through all stages of the research process. This includes formulating questions, choosing methods, recruiting participants, analyzing the data, and writing up the results. The text also features examples from studies that employ an intersectional analysis, and engages meaningfully with discussions of race, class, gender, sexuality, and disability.

Social Research Methods

Author Alan Bryman, Edward Bell, Jennifer Reck, and Jessica Fields

Contents
Part One
Principles of Research
1 What Is Social Research?
A Particular Way of Knowing?
Overview
Introduction: Why Study Research Methods?
Knowledge Creation
Theory Building and Testing
Perceptions, Values, and Practicalities
Key Points
Questions for Review
Portfolio Exercise
Interactive Activities
Online Resources
2 What Principles and Standards Guide Research?
Research Ethics ?
Overview
Introduction: Why Are Research Ethics Important?
The History of Research Ethics
Institutional Oversight and Research Ethics
Key Ethical Principles in Research
Ethics as a Question of Power and Social Justice
Considering Ethics in Research
Key Points
Questions for Review
Portfolio Exercise
Interactive Activities
Online Resources
Part Two
Concepts and Cases
3 How Do Researchers Identify and Evaluate Social Concepts?
Measurement
Overview
Introduction: What Is Measurement?
Identifying and Measuring Concepts
Conceptualization and Operationalization
Measurement in Quantitative Research
Reliability and Validity
Key Points
Questions for Review
Portfolio Exercise
Interactive Activities
Online Resources
4 How Do Researchers Select the People, Places, and Things to Study?
Sampling?
Overview
Introduction: Why do Researchers Do Sampling?
Sampling in the Research Process
Generalizability and Representativeness
Probability Sampling
Types of Probability Sampling
Non-Probability Sampling
Types of Non-Probability Sampling
Sampling Error
Considerations during the Sampling Process
Key Points
Questions for Review
Portfolio Exercise
Interactive Activities
Online Resources
Part Three
Modes and Practices of Inquiry
5 How Can Researchers Understand Meaning, Process, and Experience in the Social World?
Qualitative Research?
Overview
Introduction: How Qualitative Research Favors Depth over Breadth
The Emergence of Qualitative Approaches
Defining Qualitative Research
The Main Goals of Qualitative Researchers
The Main Steps in Qualitative Research
The Distinct Perspective of Qualitative Research
Considering Qualitative Approaches
Key Points
Questions for Review
Portfolio Exercise
Interactive Activities
Online Resources
6 How Can Researchers Enumerate and Examine Broad Patterns to Social Life?
Quantitative Research
Overview
Introduction: How Quantitative Research Examines Broad Trends and Patterns
The Emergence of Quantitative Approaches
The Main Goals of Quantitative Researchers
The Main Steps in Quantitative Research
The Distinct Perspective of Quantitative Research
Some Contrasts between Qualitative and Quantitative Research
Key Points
Questions for Review
Portfolio Exercise
Interactive Activities
Online Resources
7 Where Do Principles and Practice Meet in Research?
Study Design?
Overview
Introduction: Choosing a Study Design for Your Research
Experimental Design
Collecting Data at Different Points in Time: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Design
Case Study Design
Modes of Inquiry and Study Design
Key Points
Questions for Review
Portfolio Exercise
Interactive Activities
Online Resources
Part Four
Gathering Information
8 How Do Researchers Study Patterns that Span Populations and Categories of Experience?
Questionnaires and Structured Interviews?
Overview
Introduction: Why Surveys Are Efficient
Different Kinds of Surveys
Writing Survey Questions
Questionnaire Design
Conducting Structured Interviews
Pilot Studies and Pre-Testing Questions
Key Points
Questions for Review
Portfolio Exercise
Interactive Activities
Online Resources
9 How Do Researchers Learn about People's Perspectives and Lives?
Qualitative Interviewing
Overview
Introduction: Why the Interview Is the Most Widely Used Qualitative Research Method
Types of Qualitative Interviews: Unstructured and Semi-structured
Preparing for a Qualitative Interview
Conducting Qualitative Interviews
Focus Groups
Online Interviews and Focus Groups
Key Points
Questions for Review
Portfolio Exercise
Interactive Activities
Online Resources
10 How Can Researchers Study the Patterns of People's Lives?
Participant Observation and Ethnography
Overview
Introduction: Why Participant Observation and Ethnography Are Not the Same
Why Participant Observation?
Selecting and Navigating a Setting
Balancing Participation and Observation
Field Notes
Innovations in Ethnographic Research
Exiting the Field Well
Comparing Ethnography and Qualitative Interviewing
Key Points
Questions for Review
Portfolio Exercise
Interactive Activities
Online Resources
11 How Do Researchers Study the Ways Meanings Are Communicated in Everyday Life?
Content Analysis
Overview
Introduction: Why Content Analysis Is an Unobtrusive Method of Research
Documents for Study
Choosing Documents to Examine: Sampling
Analyzing Communication Trends and Meanings using Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches
Key Considerations in Content Analysis
Key Points
Questions for Review
Portfolio Exercise
Interactive Activities
Online Resources
12 What Can Researchers Learn from Information Others Collected?
Existing Data
Overview
Introduction: Research Using Shared Data
Large Surveys as Existing Data
Analysis of Official Statistics
Analysis of Government Documents
Analysis of Oral History Collections
Analysis of Big Data
Considerations When Conducting Secondary Analysis
Key Points
Questions for Review
Portfolio Exercise
Interactive Activities
Online Resources
Part Five
Interpreting and Sharing What We've Learned
13 How Do Researchers Develop Inductive Findings?
Qualitative Data Analysis
Overview
Introduction: Why Managing Qualitative Information Can Be Challenging
Managing and Organizing Qualitative Data
Approaches to Qualitative Analysis
Other Methods of Qualitative Analysis
The Technology of Analysis
Key Points
Questions for Review
Portfolio Exercise
Interactive Activities
Online Resources
14 How Do Researchers Develop Deductive Findings?
Quantitative Data Analysis
Overview
Introduction: Why Data Analysis Is the Starting Point for Quantitative Research
Types of Variables
Descriptive and Inferential Statistics
Quantitative Analysis as a Tool for Understanding
Univariate Analysis
Bivariate Analysis
Multivariate Analysis
Key Points
Questions for Review
Portfolio Exercise
Interactive Activities
Online Resources
15 How Do Researchers Record and Share Their Work?
Writing and Dissemination
Overview
Introduction: How to Get Started
Effective Writing
Disseminating Your Work
Presentations
Issues to Consider when Disseminating Research
And Finally
Key Points
Questions for Review
Portfolio Exercise
Interactive Activities
Online Resources
Glossary
References
Photo Credits
Index

Social Research Methods

Author Alan Bryman, Edward Bell, Jennifer Reck, and Jessica Fields

Author Information

Alan Bryman (deceased) was professor emeritus of organizational and social research at the University of Leicester in the UK.

Edward Bell is professor in the sociology department and chair of the School of Behavioural and Social Sciences at Brescia University College at Western University`

Jennifer Reck is Assistant Professor of Sociology at San Francisco State University.

Jessica Fields is Professor of Sociology at University of Toronto Scarborough.