Abbott M.L., McKinney J. Understanding and Applying Research Design

Wiley, 2013. – 448 p. – ISBN: 1118096487, 9781118096482A fresh approach to bridging research design with statistical analysis
While good social science requires both research design and statistical analysis, most books treat these two areas separately. Understanding and Applying Research Design introduces an accessible approach to integrating design and statistics, focusing on the processes of posing, testing, and interpreting research questions in the social sciences.
The authors analyze real-world data using SPSS software, guiding readers on the overall process of science, focusing on premises, procedures, and designs of social scientific research. Three clearly organized sections move seamlessly from theoretical topics to statistical techniques at the heart of research procedures, and finally, to practical application of research design:
Premises of Research introduces the research process and the capabilities of SPSS, with coverage of ethics, Empirical Generalization, and Chi Square and Contingency Table Analysis
Procedures of Research explores key quantitative methods in research design including measurement, correlation, regression, and causation
Designs of Research outlines various design frameworks, with discussion of survey research, aggregate research, and experiments
Throughout the book, SPSS software is used to showcase the discussed techniques, and detailed appendices provide guidance on key statistical procedures and tips for data management. Numerous exercises allow readers to test their comprehension of the presented material, and a related website features additional data sets and SPSS code.
Understanding and Applying Research Design is an excellent book for social sciences and education courses on research methods at the upper-undergraduate level. The book is also an insightful reference for professionals who would like to learn how to pose, test, and interpret research questions with confidence.Wheel of Science: Premises of Research
"Duh" Science Versus "Huh" Science
Theories and Hypotheses
Observation and Empirical Generalization
Ethics
Wheel of Science: Procedures of Research
Measurement
Using SPSS in Research
Chi-Square and Contingency Table Analysis
Learning from Populations: Censuses and Samples
Correlation
Regression
Causation
Wheel of Science: Designs of Research
Survey Research
Aggregate Research
Experiments
Statistical Methods of Difference: t – Test
Analysis of Variance
Field Research
Content Analysis
Statistics and Data Management
Statistical Procedures Unit A: Writing the Statistical Research Summary
Statistical Procedures Unit B: The Nature of Inferential Statistics
Data Management Unit A: USe and Functions of SPSS
Data Management Unit B: Using SPSS to Recode For t – Test
Data Management Unit C: Descriptive Statistics
StatisticaL Procedures Unit C: Z Scores