Summary
Contents
Subject index
Research should be interesting, not intimidating! Have you ever wondered how to determine the quality of the research reported in journal articles? This brief, introductory guide walks you, step by step, through the basics of reading and understanding a research article. The author demonstrates the many strengths of social research, including its advantages over ordinary ways of knowing things, and, at the same time, points out that research is inevitably flawed. Rather than naively assuming that good research simply produces “The Truth” or cynically asserting that research is hopelessly biased and futile, this book helps you develop a critical perspective-one that appreciates the strengths and weaknesses of any piece of scholarship.
Sampling
Sampling
In everyday life, people are free to draw inferences from a small number of incidents or observations. We don’t have the time or expertise to collect large amounts of representative data, so we tend to make do with what’s readily available.
Imagine a friend told you, “Nearby University is not very good. I know three people who went there, and they didn’t have good experiences.” In this case, your friend would be generalizing based on conversations with three students who attended a university with enrollments in the thousands. Might some students attending Nearby University have a positive view of their school? Almost certainly. Your friend’s claim would be based on a sample that was not only ...
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