The Survey Methods Workbook

Book Details:

• Author: Alan Buckingham & Peter Saunders

• Binding: Hardcover

• Release Date: 01-12-2014

• ISBN: 9788131606476

• Package Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches

• Language: English

• Publisher: Rawat Publications
• Pages: 328

About the Book:

This textbook serves as a concise yet comprehensive guide to quantitative research methods, designed for undergraduate and postgraduate students in all social science disciplines, as well as established researchers. The book provides an accessible and engaging introduction to social survey methodology, offering practical insights from planning research, developing hypotheses, to fieldwork and data analysis.

Written in a highly interactive and accessible style, the book encourages hands-on learning by guiding readers through each stage of conducting a real survey. With resources available for download from a dedicated website, readers can work through each stage of survey research and gain experience with the tools needed.

Key features of the book include:

• Introduction to core research issues, such as questionnaire design, sampling, interviewing, coding, and using SPSS.

• Detailed coverage of statistical procedures, including:

  • Measurement of the strength of association between variables

  • Inferential statistics

  • Causal modelling using least squares regression

• Downloadable additional statistical chapters from the accompanying website.

• Extended discussion of epistemological arguments, helping readers understand when surveys are appropriate for research and when they are not.

• Aimed at readers with no prior knowledge of research methods or statistics, the book strives to reduce apprehension and encourages readers to engage with the subject in a hands-on, practical manner.

This book is ideal for those who are new to quantitative methods or are intimidated by numbers. By addressing common pitfalls and challenges, it aims to foster a genuine enthusiasm for empirical research among students.

Contents:

PART I: RESEARCH DESIGN

1. Discovering Facts, Testing Theories

2. When is a Survey Appropriate?

PART II: DATA COLLECTION

3. Preparing a Questionnaire

4. Drawing a Sample

5. Interviewing, Coding, and Scaling

6. Preparing a Data File

PART III: DATA ANALYSIS

7. Describing and Exploring Data

8. Analysing the Strength of Association between Variables

9. Inferring Population Parameters from Sample Statistics

10. Modelling Associations between Variables

About the Author(s):

• Alan Buckingham is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Bath Spa University College.

• Peter Saunders is the former Director of Social Policy Research at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney.