The use of the cognitive interviewing method for survey question testing has proliferated and evolved over the past 30 years. In more recent years the method has been applied to the evaluation of information letters and leaflets and to research consent forms. This book provides a practical handbook for implementing cognitive interviewing methods in the context of applied social policy research, based on the approach used by the authors at the NatCen Social Research (NatCen) where cognitive...

A new and updated definitive resource for survey questionnaire testing and evaluationBuilding on the success of the first Questionnaire Development, Evaluation, and Testing (QDET) conference in 2002, this book brings together leading papers from the Second International Conference on Questionnaire Design, Development, Evaluation, and Testing (QDET2) held in 2016. The volume assesses the current state of the art and science of QDET; examines the importance of method...

A Companion to Survey Research provides a critical overview and guide to survey methods. Rather than a set of formulas, survey design is understood as a craft where the translation of research questions into a questionnaire, sample design and data collection strategy is based on understanding how respondents answer questions and their willingness to complete a survey.Following an account of the invention of survey research in the 1930s, a synthesis of research on question design is...

`Wengraf provides a comprehensive theoretical and practical guide to the planning, conduct, and interpretative analysis of data by semi-structured interviewing methods. Forthright and frank in his comments about the limitations and practical implications of varying choices which investigators have to make in designing their research projects. Reading this text is like having a tough but expert and caring mentor who wants you to do the best research possible, but will not hesitate to tell y...

Engaging and informative, this book provides students and researchers with a pragmatic, new perspective on the process of collecting survey data. By proposing a post-positivist, interviewee-centred approach, it improves the quality and impact of survey data by emphasising the interaction between interviewer and interviewee. Extending the conventional methodology with contributions from linguistics, anthropology, cognitive studies and ethnomethodology, Gobo and Mauceri analyse the answering...

Have you been told you need to do multilevel modeling, but you can′t get past the forest of equations? Do you need the techniques explained with words and practical examples so they make sense?Help is here! This book unpacks these statistical techniques in easy-to-understand language with fully annotated examples using the statistical software Stata. The techniques are explained without reliance on equations and algebra so that new users will understand when to use these approaches...

This brief, introductory book provides readers with a step-by-step guide to reading and understanding a social science research article. The author demonstrates the many strengths of social research, including its advantages over ordinary ways of knowing things, and, at the same time, points out that research is inevitably flawed. Rather than naively assuming that good research simply produces "The Truth" or cynically asserting that research is hopelessly biased and futile, this book insti...

Understanding and Using Advanced Statistics is a comprehensive, practical guide for postgraduate students advising how and when to use more advanced statistical methods. Perfect for students without a mathematical background, the authors refresh important basics such as descriptive statistics and research design as well as introducing essential upper-level techniques to cater for the advanced student.Key Features:- Comprehensive guide informing how to use a...

Richard Krueger offers a rich and valuable discussion of focus group analysis that is sure to become a major guide in future focus group efforts. Because analyzing focus group data is different from analyzing data collected through other qualitative methodologies, it presents new challenges to researchers. Analyzing and Reporting Focus Group Results offers an overview of important principles guiding focus group research and suggests a systematic and verifiable analysis strategy. Krueger is...

*"This work′s quality, diversity, and breadth of coverage make it a valuable resource for collections concerned with qualitative research in a broad range of disciplines. Highly recommended." —*G.R. Walden, CHOICEThe Handbook of the Arts in Qualitative Inquiry: Perspectives, Methodologies, Examples, and Issues represents an unfolding and expanding orientation to qualitative social science research that draws inspiration, concepts, processes, and representational fo...

Doing Practitioner Research focuses on helping practitioners conduct research in their own organisations, and attention is given to the best methods for doing this effectively and sensitively. The authors also attend to the theoretical, political and organisational context of doing research, as well as addressing the ethical and practical issues of undertaking research. The authors cover in detail the range of skills and techniques necessary to make a successful start to t...

Monte Carlo Simulation is a method of evaluating substantive hypotheses and statistical estimators by developing a computer algorithm to simulate a population, drawing multiple samples from this pseudo-population, and evaluating estimates obtained from these samples. Christopher Z. Mooney explains the logic behind Monte Carlo Simulation and demonstrates its uses for social and behavioral research in conducting inference using statistics with only weak mathematical theory, ...