Summary
Contents
Subject index
‘This is an impressively detailed, clearly written book.. It is a book that I would like students to read’ - Clive Seale, Goldsmiths College, London. Social Research: Theory, Methods and Techniques presents an understanding of social research practice through appreciation of its foundations and methods. Stretching from the philosophy of science to detailed descriptions of both qualitative and quantitative techniques, it illustrates not only ‘how’ to do social research, but also ‘why’ particular techniques are used today. The book is divided into three parts: Part One: Illustrates the two basic paradigms - quantitative and qualitative - of social research, describing their origins in philosophical thought and outlining their current interpretations. Part Two: Devoted to quantitative research, and discusses the relationship between theory and research practice. It also presents a discussion of key quantitative research techniques. Part Three: Examines qualitative research. Topics range from classical qualitative techniques such as participant observation, to more recent developments such as ethnomethodological studies. Overall, the author offers an engaging contribution to the field of social research and this book is a reminder of the solid foundations upon which most social research is conducted today. As a consequence it will be required reading for students throughout the social sciences, and at various levels.
Scaling
Scaling
- Operationalizing complex concepts 164
- Questions with ordered answers: the semantic autonomy of response categories 166
- The Likert scale 170
- Guttman's scalogram 176
- The semantic differential 180
- Sociometry 185
- A final note: unidimensional and multidimensional scaling 188
This chapter addresses one of the most difficult issues in social research: measurement. How can one translate complex social science concepts – such as emotional states, psychological traits, social interactions, and political attitudes – into empirical operations? After a preliminary theoretical overview and a brief history of measurement in social research, the chapter introduces some of the most simple and well-known scaling techniques; the final part describes a technique for assessing interpersonal relations among individuals in groups.
Operationalizing Complex Concepts
Scaling is the name given to a set of procedures drawn up by social research to ‘measure’ ...
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