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The SAGE Handbook of Quantitative Methodology for the Social Sciences
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The SAGE Handbook of Quantitative Methodology for the Social Sciences

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August 2004 | 528 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
`This Handbook discusses important methodological tools and topics in quantitative methodology in easy to understand language. It is an exhaustive review of past and recent advances in each topic combined with a detailed discussion of examples and graphical illustrations. It will be an essential reference for social science researchers as an introduction to methods and quantitative concepts of great use' - Irini Moustaki, London School of Economics

`The 24 chapters in this Handbook span a wide range of topics, presenting the latest quantitative developments in scaling theory, measurement, categorical data analysis, multilevel models, latent variable models, and foundational issues. Each chapter reviews the historical context for the topic and then describes current work, including illustrative examples where appropriate. The level of presentation throughout the book is detailed enough to convey genuine understanding without overwhelming the reader with technical material. Ample references are given for readers who wish to pursue topics in more detail. The book will appeal to both researchers who wish to update their knowledge of specific quantitative methods, and students who wish to have an integrated survey of state-of- the-art quantitative methods' - Roger E Millsap, Arizona State University

The SAGE Handbook of Quantitative Methodology for the Social Sciences is the definitive reference for teachers, students, and researchers of quantitative methods in the social sciences, as it provides a comprehensive overview of the major techniques used in the field. The contributors, top methodologists and researchers, have written about their areas of expertise in ways that convey the utility of their respective techniques, but, where appropriate, they also offer a fair critique of these techniques. Relevance to real-world problems in the social sciences is an essential ingredient of each chapter and makes this an invaluable resource.

The Handbook is divided into six sections:

• Scaling

• Testing and Measurement

• Models for Categorical Data

• Models for Multilevel Data

• Models for Latent Variables

• Foundational Issues

These sections, comprising twenty-four chapters, address topics in scaling and measurement, advances in statistical modeling methodologies, and broad philosophical themes and foundational issues that transcend many of the quantitative methodologies covered in the book.

The Handbook is indispensable to the teaching, study, and research of quantitative methods and will enable readers to develop a level of understanding of statistical techniques commensurate with the most recent, state-of-the-art, theoretical developments in the field. It provides the foundations for quantitative research, with cutting-edge insights on the effectiveness of each method, depending on the data and distinct research situation.

 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
Section I: Scaling
Shizuhiko Nishisato
Chapter 1: Dual Scaling
Willem J. Heiser and Frank M.T.A. Busing
Chapter 2: Multidimensional Scaling and Unfolding of Symmetric and Asymmetric Proximity Relations
Jacqueline J. Muelman, Anita J. Van der Kooij, and Willem J. Heiser
Chapter 3: Principal Components Analysis With Nonlinear Optimal Scaling Transformations for Ordinal and Nominal Data
 
Section II: Testing and Measurement
Bruno D. Zumbo and Andre A. Rupp
Chapter 4: Responsible Modeling of Measurement Data for Appropriate Inferences: Important Advances in Reliability and Validity Theory
Ratna Nandakumar and Terry Ackerman
Chapter 5: Test Modeling
Louis A. Roussos and William Stout
Chapter 6: Differential Item Functioning Analysis: Detecting DIF Items and Testing DIF Hypotheses
Hua-Hua Chang
Chapter 7: Understanding Computerized Adaptive Testing: from Robbins-Monro to Lord and Beyond
 
Section III: Models for Categorical Data
David Rindskopf
Chapter 8: Trends in Categorical Data Analysis: New, Semi-New, and Recycled Ideas
Valen E. Johnson and James H. Albert
Chapter 9: Ordinal Regression Models
Jay Magidson and Jeroen K. Vermunt
Chapter 10: Latent Class Models
John B. Willett and Judith D. Singer
Chapter 11: Discrete-Time Survival Analysis
 
Section IV: Models for Multilevel Data
Donald Hedecker
Chapter 12: An Introduction to Growth Modeling
Russell W. Rumberger and Gregory J. Palardy
Chapter 13: Multilevel Models for School Effectiveness Research
Michael Seltzer
Chapter 14: The Use of Hierarchical Models in Analyzing Data from Experiments and Quasi-Experiments Conducted in Field Settings
Spyros Konstantopoulos and Larry V. Hedges
Chapter 15: Meta-Analysis
 
Section V: Models for Latent Variables
Rick H. Hoyle and Jamieson L. Duvall
Chapter 16: Determining the Number of Factors in Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis
Gregory R. Hancock
Chapter 17: Experimental, Quasi-Experimental, and Nonexperimental Design and Analysis with Latent Variables
John R. Nesselroade and Peter C. M. Molenaar
Chapter 18: Applying Dynamic Factor Analysis in Behavioral and Social Science Research
Bengt Muthen
Chapter 19: Latent Variable Analysis: Growth Mixture Modeling and Related Techniques for Longitudinal Data
 
Section VI: Foundational Issues
Richard E. Neapolitan and Scott Morris
Chapter 20: Probabalistic Modeling with Bayesian Networks
Gerd Gigerenzer, Stefan Krauss, and Oliver Vitouch
Chapter 21: The Null Ritual: What You Always Wanted to Know About Significance Testing but Were Afraid to Ask
David Kaplan
Chapter 22: On Exogeneity
Stanley A. Mulaik
Chapter 23: Objectivity in Science and Structural Equation Modeling
Peter Spirtes, Richard Scheines, Clark Glymour, Thomas Richardson, and Christopher Meek
Chapter 24: Causal Inference
 
Index

“The 24 chapters in this Handbook span a wide range of topics, presenting the latest quantitative developments in scaling theory, measurement, categorical data analysis, multilevel models, latent variable models, and foundational issues. Each chapter reviews the historical context for the topic and then describes current work, including illustrative examples where appropriate. The level of presentation throughout the book is detailed enough to convey genuine understanding without overwhelming the reader with technical material. Ample references are given for readers who wish to pursue topics in more detail. The book will appeal to both researchers who wish to update their knowledge of specific quantitative methods, and students who wish to have an integrated survey of state-of- the-art quantitative methods.”

Roger E. Millsap
Arizona State University

“This handbook discusses important methodological tools and topics in quantitative methodology in easy to understand language. It is an exhaustive review of past and recent advances in each topic combined with a detailed discussion of examples and graphical illustrations. It will be an essential reference for social science researchers as an introduction to methods and quantitative concepts of great use.”

Irini Moustaki
London School of Economics, U.K.

“David Kaplan and SAGE Publications are to be congratulated on the development of a new handbook on quantitative methods for the social sciences. The Handbook is more than a set of methodologies, it is a journey. This methodological journey allows the reader to experience scaling, tests and measurement, and statistical methodologies applied to categorical, multilevel, and latent variables. The journey concludes with a number of philosophical issues of interest to researchers in the social sciences. The new Handbook is a must purchase.”

Neil H. Timm
University of Pittsburgh

"David Kaplan has convened a panel of top-notch methodologians, who take on the challenge in the writing of The SAGE Handbook of Quantitative Methodology for the Social Sciences (SHQM). The result is an engrossing collection of chapters that are sure to add screwdrivers, wrenches, and the occasional buzzsaw to your toolbox. A notable strength of the SHQM is the generally structure of each chapter. The chapters of the SHQM are a worthy accomplishment. The SHQM is both well conceived and well executed, providing the reader with numerous insights and a broader sense for the available tools of the quantitative methodological trade. It is most likely that few readers will have the opportunity to read this book from cover to cover, but should they feel so inspired, they will find the effort both rewarding and thought provoking."

Derek Briggs
University of Colorado
September 2006

"The Handbook provides an excellent introduction to broad range of state-of-the-art quantitative methods applicable to the social sciences. It shows the breadth and depth of advanced quantitative methods used by social scientists from numerous interrelated disciplines, it is rich with examples of real-world applications of these methods, and it provides suggestions for further readings and study in these areas. It is well worth reading cover-to-cover, and it is a very useful addition to the reference libraries of all quantitative social scientists, applied statisticians, and graduate students."

John G. Orme
University of Tennessee

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ISBN: 9780761923596
£155.00

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