Essentials of Social Research Methods

1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-5443-9809-9
Verlag: SAGE Publications Inc

Buch, Englisch, 480 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 343 g

Essentials of Social Research Methods gives undergraduates a clear, applied roadmap for every step of the research process—grounded in ethics, enriched with real-world examples, and designed to make research engaging and relevant.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Bernard, H. Russell

Wutich, Amber

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface
About the Author
Chapter 1: What is Social Science Research?
Introduction
What is Social Science Research?
Ethics and Social Science
The Language and Logic of Social Research
Variables: The Joy of Measurement
Concepts and Variables
Conceptual and Operational Definitions
Levels of Measurement
Validity, Reliability, Accuracy, and Precision
Is My Measure Any Good? Determining Validity
The Problem with Validity
The Bottom Line
Key Concepts in This Chapter
Summary
Exercises
Further Reading
Chapter 2: Preparing For Research
Setting Things Up
Ethics of Social Research
Theory—Explanation and Prediction
There is no list of Research Questions
The Literature Search
Meta-analysis
Key Concepts in this Chapter
Summary
Exercises
Further Reading
Chapter 3: Research Design
Introduction: What is Research Design?
About Numbers and Words: The Qualitative/Quantitative Split
Cause and Effect
Units of Analysis
Three Decisions in Research Design
The Eight Types of Research Design
Mixed-methods Research Designs
Participatory & Action Research
The Components of a Research Design
The Art of Proposal Writing
Key Concepts in This Chapter
Summary
Exercises
Further Reading
Chapter 4: Experiments
The Logic of the Experimental Method
Internal and External Validity
Controlling for Threats to Validity
Factorial Designs: Main Effects and Interaction Effects
True Experiments in the Lab
Field Experiments
Comparative Field Experiments
Are Field Experiments Ethical?
Thought Experiments
Natural Experiments
Key Concepts in This Chapter
Summary
Exercises
Further Reading
Chapter 5: Probability Sampling
What Are Samples and Why Do We Need Them?
Sampling Frames
Response Rates: What They Are & How to Calculate Them
Simple Random Sampling
Systematic Random Sampling
Stratified Random Sampling
Disproportionate Stratified Random Sampling
Cluster Sampling
Probability Proportionate to Size
How Big Should a Sample Be?
Power Analysis
Key Concepts in This Chapter
Summary
Exercises
Further Reading
Chapter 6: Nonprobability Sampling
Introduction
Six Reasons to Use a Non-Probability Sample
Four Common and Two Uncommon Types of Non-Probability Samples
Minimum Sample Sizes for 10 Qualitative Analysis Methods
And Finally.
Key Concepts in This Chapter
Summary
Exercises
Further Reading
Chapter 7: Interviewing And Focus Groups
The Big Picture
Interview Control
Unstructured Interviewing
Probing
Learning to Interview
Positionality & Presentation of Self
Using a Voice Recorder
Using Visual Cues, like Photos, in Interviews
Focus Groups
Response Effects
Respondent/Informant Accuracy
Key Concepts in This Chapter
Summary
Exercises
Further Reading
Chapter 8: Survey Research
Introduction
Closed- Versus Open-Ended Questions
Fourteen Rules for Question Wording and Format
Pretesting and Cognitive Interviewing
On-the-Fly Translation and Back Translation
Methods for Collecting Questionnaire Data
Improving Response Rates: Dillman’s Total Design Method
Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Studies
Some Specialized Survey Methods
Survey Methods for Threatening Questions
Key Concepts in This Chapter

Summary

Exercises

Further Reading

Chapter 9: Collecting Social Network Data
Social Network Analysis
Two Kinds of Social Networks
Collecting Whole (Sociocentric) Network Data
Collecting Personal (Egocentric) Network Data
Key Concepts in This Chapter

Summary
Exercises
Further Reading
Chapter 10: Fieldwork: Direct And Participant Observation
Introduction
Direct Observation in the Wild
Reactive Observation: Continuous Monitoring and Spot Sampling
Spot Sampling
Unobtrusive Observation
Disguised Field Observation
Indirect Observation
Participant Observation
Different Roles in Participant Observation
Doing Participant Observation
The Skills of a Participant Observer
Objectivity
Insider Research: Studying Your Own Culture
Gender, Parenting, and Other Personal Characteristics
Surviving Fieldwork
Key Concepts in This Chapter

Summary
Exercises
Further Reading
Chapter 11: Analyzing Qualitative Data
Part 1. Discourse Analysis
Conversation Analysis
Narrative Analysis
Phenomenological Analysis of Narratives
Language in Use
Critical Discourse Analysis: Language and Power
Part 2. Grounded Theory
Part 3. Content Analysis
Intercoder Reliability
Automated Content Analysis: Content Dictionaries
AI and Text Analysis
Key Concepts in This Chapter
Summary
Exercises
Further Reading
Chapter 12: Analyzing Quantitative Data
Part 1: Univariate & Bivariate Analysis
Univariate Analysis: Raw Data
Frequency Distributions
Measures of Central Tendency
Outliers and Skewness
Visualizing Data
Measuring Dispersion: Standard Deviation
The Logic of Hypothesis Testing
Testing Univariate Hypotheses: Chi-Square Tests
Testing Relations: Bivariate Analysis
Comparing Two Means: The t Test
Comparing Multiple Variables: ANOVA—Analysis of Variance
Correlations between Variables: Regression
Advantages and disadvantages of r and r^2
Part 2: Multivariate Analysis
Car Wrecks and Teenage Births
Multiple Regression
Factor Analysis
How to Decide What to Test
Part 3: Social Network Analysis
The Data Matrix: A Foundation of Social Network Analysis
The One-Mode or Relational Matrix
The Two-Mode or Profile Matrix
Analyzing Social Network Data
Visualizing Networks
Five Kinds of Questions You Can Answer with Network Analysis
Analyzing Whole (Sociocentric) Network Data
Analyzing Personal (Egocentric) Network Data
Key Concepts in This Chapter
Summary
Exercises
Further Reading
Chapter 13: On Writing Up
Introduction
Getting Your Article Published
Rule 1: There is no substitute for good ideas and good research
TIPS & TRICKS: Write every article with an audience in mind
Rule 2: Do a publication feasibility assessment
Amber’s Corner: Learning to Write Well
TIPS & TRICKS: Don’t be afraid to write in teams
TIPS & TRICKS: Run your work through a plagiarism scanner
TIPS & TRICKS: Research habits matter, citation software doesn’t
Amber’s Corner: Overcoming rejection
TIPS & TRICKS: Right-size your rejection rate
References
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Wutich, Amber
Amber Wutich is a Regents & President’s Professor of Anthropology at Arizona State University, a MacArthur Fellow, and Director of ASU’s Center for Global Health. An ethnographer and methodologist, Wutich has authored 200+ papers, co-edits the journal Field Methods, and directs the NSF Cultural Anthropology Methods Program. Her two decades of community-based fieldwork explores how people respond, individually and collectively, to extremely water-scarce conditions. An expert on water insecurity, Wutich directs the Global Ethnohydrology Study, a cross-cultural study of water knowledge and management in 20+ countries. She leads Arizona Water for All, a participatory study that develops collaborative water solutions with water-insecure U.S. communities. Wutich’s books include The Human Story: An Introduction to Anthropology (with Alexandra Brewis, Kelly Knudson, Christopher Stojanowski, and Cindi SturtzSreetharan), Lazy, Crazy, Disgusting: Stigma and the Undoing of Global Health (with Alexandra Brewis), Research Methods in Anthropology and Social Research Methods (both with H. Russell Bernard); and Analyzing Qualitative Data (with H. Russell Bernard and Gery Ryan).

Bernard, H. Russell
H. Russell Bernard is director of the Institute for Social Science Research at Arizona State University and Professor Emeritus of Anthropology of the University of Florida. He is a cultural anthropologist specializing in technology and social change, language revitalization, and social network analysis. Bernard has done research or taught at universities in the United States, Mexico, Greece, Japan, and Germany. He is a former editor of Human Organization and the American Anthropologist and is the founder and editor of the journal Field Methods. Bernard’s books include Research Methods in Anthropology and Social Research Methods (both with Amber Wutich); Analyzing Qualitative Data (with Gery Ryan and Amber Wutich); and Native Ethnography (with Jesús Salinas Pedraza). Bernard was the 2003 recipient of the Franz Boas Award and the 2024 recipient of the Conrad Arensberg Award from the American Anthropological Association and is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.