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Methods of Family Research
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Methods of Family Research

Third Edition
July 2012 | 224 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
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Proud sponsor of the 2019 SAGE Keith Roberts Teaching Innovations Award—enabling graduate students and early career faculty to attend the annual ASA pre-conference teaching and learning workshop.

In the 3rd edition of Methods of Family Research, authors Theodore N. Greenstein and Shannon N. Davis continue to help students better understand the research results they encounter in doing family research. Using real-life examples to illustrate important concepts that family researchers encounter regularly, the text covers traditional quantitative methods, qualitative methods, and the mixed-method approach. Written in a clear, concise style, this book differs from other research methods texts, which focus on teaching students how to produce research, by teaching them how to consume research in a sophisticated, effective manner. The book introduces the basic concepts of social science research methods without excessive technical details.
 
Preface
The Goal of This Text

 
What’s New in the Third Edition

 
To the Student

 
To the Instructor

 
Organization of This Text

 
 
Acknowledgments
 
1. Why Do Research on Families?
What Are the Stages of Social Research?

 
How Is Research on Families Different?

 
The Benefits of Well-Conducted Research

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
2. Causal Inference in Family Research
Variables

 
Units of Analysis

 
Thinking Causally

 
Framing the Hypothesis

 
Causal Inference in Qualitative Research

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
3. 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

 
For Further Reading

 
 
4. 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

 
For Further Reading

 
 
5. 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

 
For Further Reading

 
 
6. 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

 
For Further Reading

 
 
7. Studying Families: Quantitative Methods
Studying Families Through Experiments

 
Studying Families Through Survey Methods

 
Studying Families Through Nonreactive Techniques

 
Types of Nonreactive Research

 
Secondary Analysis of Sample Surveys

 
Some Limitations of Quantitative Methods

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
8. Studying Families: Qualitative Methods
Qualitative Research Compared to Quantitative Research

 
Types of Qualitative Strategies

 
Studying Families through Observation

 
Evaluating Qualitative Research

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
9. 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

 
For Further Reading

 
 
10. Using Other People’s Data
Advantages and Disadvantages of Secondary Analysis

 
What Are Some Sources of Data About Families?

 
Sources of Secondary Data Sets

 
Future Trends in Secondary Data Analysis

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
11. Analyzing Data on Families
Descriptive Statistics

 
Interpreting Cross-classification Tables

 
Inferential Statistics

 
Commonly Reported Tests of Statistical Significance

 
Some Thoughts About Statistical Analysis

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
12. Advanced Topics in Family Analysis
The Idea of Nested Entities

 
Analyzing Nested Data

 
Individual Change over Time

 
Final Thoughts on Nested Entities

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
13. Evaluating Family Programs
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

 
For Further Reading

 
 
14. The Ethics and Politics of Family Research
Ethical Issues in Research on Families and Children

 
What Is the Role of the Institutional Review Board?

 
Political Concerns in Research on Families

 
Some Closing Thoughts

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
References
 
Glossary and Index
 
About the Authors

Very logical approach to family research. It's practical and theoretical which is refreshing and ensures the book is not only of relevance to lecturers but becomes essential for students' research development and understanding.

Miss Maeve Dempsey
Institute of Technology Carlow, Institute of Technology Carlow
September 29, 2015
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simply and easy to understand and yet quite informative for students just beginning to understand critical research methods.

Ms Tapo Chimbganda
Children, Young People and Families, Leeds Trinity University
January 21, 2015
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Perfect voice, coverage and length to use as a supplement in my intro to family studies course. Excellent option!

Professor Carol Bruess
Communications Dept, University Of St Thomas
March 3, 2014
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Will be reconsidered when LMFT PhD program starts in August, 2014. Text's focus more appropriated there than for a general counseling program.

Professor Jon Crook
School Of Education, Texas Wesleyan University
October 19, 2013
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Great text for teaching senior family and consumer science students methods of family research.

Dr Cydne Perry
Bus Admin Family Cons Sci Dept, Shepherd University
August 27, 2013
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Key features
NEW TO THIS EDITION:
  • A new chapter (12) on Advanced Topics in Family Research has been added providing the most cutting edge information on the topic
  • The text has been significantly updated throughout with a particular focus on updating empirical examples to those published in 2008 and later
  • New and increased discussions of such timely topics as identifying mechanisms and specifying context, cross-sectional vs. longitudinal designs, the use of online search systems and studying families through observation ensure that readers are exposed to the most current trends and information in the field
  • The ordering of the chapters has been changed to more accurately reflect the typical flow of the research process

FEATURES & BENEFITS:

  • "Study Questions" at the end of each chapter help students test their command of the material.
  • In-text callouts of new terms increase student comprehension by defining concepts in context.
  • A combined glossary/index helps students review and navigate the terminology of social science research methodology and guides them to where the term was introduced in the text.

Sample Materials & Chapters

toc

ch 1

ch 3

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