Full Description
This clever scheme builds on Gorard's previous book, Quantitative Methods in Educational Research (June 2001). He has revised the original book in the light of experience and feedback, and then reworks it so that it includes more social science examples. Four chapters are entirely new. 'I am very impressed with the first book. I liked the accessible style, the fresh writing, the no-nonsense approach to research methods, which stressed the craft aspect of the job. The best part of the book is the clear examples which often draw from the author's experience in research. The new book is entirely feasible as it is possible to extend many of the insights of the first to a more general social science context.' Peter John, Politics & Sociology, Birkbeck College, University of London
Contents
1. Introduction - the role of numbers in research 2. Finding secondary data: the 'idle' researcher 3. Simple analysis: the index wars and other battles 4. Sampling: the basis of all research 5. Surveying the field: questionnaire design 6. Simple non-parametric statistics: minding your table manners 7. Research claims: modelling the social world 8. Experimental approaches: a return to the gold standard? 9. Elementary parametric statistics: what do they signify? 10. Progress via regression: introducing correlations 11. Combining approaches: a 'compleat' researcher Glossary of selected terms Useful addresses
