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Social Research Methods
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Social Research Methods
Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches

Second Edition
Additional resources:


October 2023 | 656 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
Framing research as the process of asking and answering questions, this book demonstrates how to identify good research questions and how to structure and explore them successfully. 

Whether you are just beginning your research journey or are a seasoned traveller, it helps you: 

• Decide what you want to achieve with your research
• Know what options you have to explore your goals
• Navigate the nuances of different research approaches
• Understand the decisions of other researchers
• Choose what path best suits your project. 

Through real-life examples demonstrating different types of research, the book introduces qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches so you can compare different methods at every stage of the research process, from initial idea and design to data collection and analysis. 

This new edition includes new chapters on collecting and analysing mixed methods data, and additional content on qualitative data analysis. New examples reflect the cultural and global diversity of social research, and extra visual aids and summaries support understanding of key research concepts and stages. 

The book is accompanied by an online teaching guide, including videos, additional case studies, annotated articles, and critical thinking exercises.
 
Part I Researching Society
 
Chapter 1 How and why we study society
 
Chapter 2 Methods and methodologies in social science
 
Chapter 3 The ethics and politics of research
 
Part II Designing Social Research
 
Chapter 4 Creating research questions
 
Chapter 5 Doing a literature review
 
Chapter 6 Choosing a research design
 
Chapter 7 Finding sources and data
 
Chapter 8 Sampling
 
Part III Data Collection and Data Quality
 
Chapter 9 Ethnography and participant observation
 
Chapter 10 Structured observation
 
Chapter 11 Unstructured interviews and focus groups
 
Chapter 12 Questionnaires and surveys
 
Chapter 13 Documentary sources and qualitative content analysis
 
Chapter 14 Quantitative content analysis
 
Chapter 15 Collecting qualitative and quantitative data: Comparisons and combinations
 
Chapter 16 Data quality, reliability and validity
 
Part IV Data Analysis
 
Chapter 17 Qualitative data analysis: Coding, categorization and concept development
 
Chapter 18 Qualitative data analysis: Typologies, hypotheses and holistic understanding
 
Chapter 19 Quantitative data analysis: Indexes and distributions
 
Chapter 20 Quantitative data analysis: Relationships between variables
 
Chapter 21 Generalizing empirical findings
 
Chapter 22 Analyzing qualitative and quantitative data: Comparisons and combinations
 
Part V Asking and Answering Questions in Social Science
 
Chapter 23 Description, explanation and understanding
 
Chapter 24 Time, space and level
 
Chapter 25 Relations, networks and structures
 
Chapter 26 Big data and computational social science
 
Part VI Writing and Presenting Research
 
Chapter 27 Working with data visualization
 
Chapter 28 Writing about research

"This is a must-have. Sigmund Grønmo's book provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to contemporary social research approaches, designs and methods. This second edition includes timely and valuable new materials; particularly those on comparisons and combinations when collecting and analysing data. Like the first edition, this one will go straight to my reference bookshelf ... and onto all my major course reading lists."

Conor Galvin
University College Dublin - Education

"Research methods manuals are often too technical and devoid of any real-life examples. This book however provides a rather apt account of society and contextualises the use of research methods in a rather effective manner. "

Olga Ververi
Liverpool Hope University

Studying children and youth has never been more important than today and Sigmund Gronmos' Social Research Methods (2nd edition) is the text I use to introduce my students on the chronological and methodological hows and whys of doing research.  Not only are ethical considerations included, but also Gronmos has two engaging and well-written chapters on asking and answering questions in new areas of child research as well tips for teaching my students how to present research once their assignments are completed.  Social Research Methods lays the foundation for my students to continue working on their research topics in fourth-year independent and post-graduate studies.

Christine Lei
Wilfrid Laurier University

This second edition remains an important resource for students. Everything is covered! From asking the right questions to learning about using digital tools or developing different ways of writing and presenting research. Extra resources in each chapter, including contemporary case studies, will equip students with everything they need to know about doing social research.

Ruth McAreavey
Newcastle University

I adopted this book to provide students with essential tools for conducting well-rounded and rigorous research. It is an accessible yet thorough resource for students learning research techniques.

Dr Maggie F Laidlaw
Glasgow School for Business & Society, Glasgow Caledonian University
October 21, 2024

This is a wonderful book, especially for undergraduate teaching and reading. I enjoyed it very much. A must-have indeed!

Dr Alice Lungu
Urban Studies, Copperbelt University
January 28, 2024

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