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Methods of Research on Human Development and Families
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Methods of Research on Human Development and Families

July 2019 | 248 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
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Methods of Research on Human Development and Families is an introduction to quantitative and qualitative research methods that teaches students how to be intelligent and critical consumers of research on families. This new book has been adapted from the author team’s previous SAGE text, Methods of Family Research, and includes applications and examples from both family science and human development research. With a focus on interpreting and understanding research techniques rather than doing research, this text illustrates how research on families is conducted and helps students gain the competence and confidence to effectively read, interpret, and critique published research reports.
 
Preface
The Goal of This Text

 
To the Student

 
To the Instructor

 
Organization of This Text

 
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Authors
 
Chapter 1 Why Do Research on Families and Children?
What Are the Stages of Social Research?

 
How Is Research on Families and Children Different?

 
The Benefits of Well-Conducted Research

 
Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 2 The Ethics of Research on Families and Children
The Rights of Participants in Research on Families and Children

 
What Is the Role of the Institutional Review Board?

 
Fraud in Research on Families and Children

 
The Value of Ethically Sound Research

 
Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 3 Causal Inference in Research on Families and Children
Variables

 
Units of Analysis

 
Thinking Causally

 
Framing the Hypothesis

 
Causal Inference in Qualitative Research

 
Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 4 Searching and Reading the Literature
Reading a Journal Article

 
Where Do I Go From Here?

 
How Do Journal Articles Get Published?

 
Research Monographs

 
Edited Volumes

 
Other Types of Publications

 
Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 5 Sampling Issues
Defining the Population

 
Sampling Designs

 
How Large Does the Sample Need to Be?

 
How Do We Go About Choosing a Sampling Technique?

 
Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 6 How Do We Measure Concepts?
Characteristics of a Good Measurement Procedure

 
Levels of Measurement

 
What Are Reliability and Validity?

 
Some Thoughts on Reliability and Validity

 
Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 7 Working With Scales and Indices
Types of Scales and Indices

 
Using Existing Scales and Indices

 
How Do We Evaluate Scales and Indices?

 
How Do We Deal With Missing Data in Scales and Indices?

 
Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 8 Studying Families: Methods for Quantitative Data
Studying Families Through Experiments

 
Studying Families Through Survey Methods

 
Studying Families and Children Through Nonreactive Techniques

 
Types of Nonreactive Research

 
“Big Data” in the Study of Families and Children

 
Secondary Analysis of Sample Surveys

 
Ethics and Quantitative Methods

 
Some Limitations of Quantitative Methods

 
Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 9 Studying Families: Methods for Qualitative Data
Qualitative Research Compared to Quantitative Research

 
Types of Qualitative Strategies

 
Studying Families Through Observation

 
Ethics and Qualitative Research

 
Evaluating Qualitative Research

 
Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 10 Studying Families: Mixed Methods
Mixed-Method Approaches to Family Research

 
Mixed-Model Studies in Family Research

 
Some Closing Thoughts on Choosing a Research Strategy

 
Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 11 Using Other People’s Data
Advantages and Disadvantages of Secondary Analysis

 
Data on Children

 
Data on Adolescents

 
Data on Older Adults

 
Data on Families and Households

 
Sources of Secondary Data Sets

 
Future Trends in Secondary Data Analysis

 
Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 12 Analyzing Data on Families and Children
Descriptive Statistics

 
Interpreting Cross-Classification Tables

 
Inferential Statistics

 
Commonly Reported Tests of Statistical Significance

 
Some Thoughts About Statistical Analysis

 
Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 13 Advanced Topics in Family Data Analysis
The Idea of Nested Entities

 
Analyzing Nested Data

 
Individual Change Over Time

 
Final Thoughts on Nested Entities

 
Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 14 Evaluating Programs in Human Development and Family Science
Needs and Social Impact Assessment: What Is the Problem?

 
Outcome Assessment: Does It Work?

 
Process Research: How Does It Work?

 
Some Thoughts About Randomization in Evaluation Research

 
The Relationship Between Applied and Basic Research

 
Study Questions

 
 
Chapter 15 Politics of Research on Families and Children
Political Concerns in Research on Families and Children

 
Some Closing Thoughts

 
 
Glossary
 
References
 
Index

Supplements

Instructor Site

study.sagepub.com/greenstein

Password-protected Instructor Resources include the following:

  • Test banks that provide a diverse range of ready-to-use options that save you time. You can also easily edit any question and/or insert your own personalized questions.
  • Editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides that offer complete flexibility for creating a multimedia presentation for your course.
Key features

KEY FEATURES:

  • Adapted from the author team’s previous SAGE text, Methods of Family Research, this new book includes applications and examples from both family science and human development.
  • The text is written with a student-friendly, conversational narrative that allows students to grasp and understand the often daunting concepts of the research process.
  • Three fundamental aspects of pedagogy introduce students to the world of research and include:
    • a helpful glossary that also serves as an index;
    • supportive suggested readings that build on discussed content; and
    • carefully curated exercises designed to enhance students’ skills.
  • The authors guide readers through six steps of the research process: exploration, description, explanation, prediction, interventions, and evaluation.