Surveys in Social Research, 5th Edition (Social Research Today Series)

Provides Clear Advice On How To Plan, Conduct And Analyse Social Surveys. It Emphasises The Links Between Theory And Research, The Logic And Interpretation Of Statistics And The Practices Of Social Research. Author Is From La Trobe University, Melbourne. Pt. 1. The Scope Of Survey Research. -- 1. The Nature Of Surveys -- 2. Theory And Social Research -- 3. Formulating And Clarifying Research Questions -- Pt. 2. Collecting Survey Data. -- 4. Developing Indicators For Concepts -- 5. Ethics And Data Collection -- 6. Finding A Sample -- 7. Constructing Questionnaires -- 8. Administering Questionnaires -- Pt. 3. Setting Up Data For Analysis. --9. Coding -- 10. Preparing Variables For Analysis -- 11. Building Scales -- Pt. 4. Ana;ysing Durvey Data. -- 12. Overview Of Analysis -- 13. Univariate Analysis -- 14. Bivariate Analysis: Nominal And Ordinal Variables -- 15. Bivariate Analysis: Interval Variables -- 16. Elaborating Bivariate Relationships -- 17. Multivariate Analysis -- 18. Putting It All Together: A Research Example. D.a. De Vaus. Originally Published: 1985. Social Research Methods--p. [4] Of Cover. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [367]-373) And Index. Cover......Page 1 Title page ......Page 4 ISBN 1865086118......Page 5 Brief Contents ......Page 6 Detailed contents ......Page 7 Boxes, figures, web pointers and tables ......Page 12 Preface ......Page 18 Part I: THE SCOPE OF SURVEY RESEARCH ......Page 20 Form of data......Page 22 Methods of analysis......Page 23 QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH......Page 24 PRACTICE VS IDEAL TYPES......Page 26 THE INTERACTION OF THEORY AND RESEARCH......Page 28 THE PROCESS OF THEORY CONSTRUCTION......Page 29 Establishing the meaning of observations......Page 30 Plausibility and the need for theory testing......Page 31 Six stages in theory testing......Page 32 THE NEED FOR THEORY AND OBSERVATION......Page 34 Sociological perspectives......Page 36 THE ROLE OF DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH......Page 37 THE CENTRALITY OF THEORY......Page 39 TYPES OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS......Page 41 Explanation: searching for causes or consequences......Page 42 Explanation: exploring a simple idea......Page 43 USING THE INTERNET TO REVIEW EXISTING INFORMATION AND RESEARCH......Page 44 RESEARCH DESIGN......Page 49 Explanatory research......Page 50 The classic experimental design......Page 51 Panel design......Page 52 Retrospective panel design......Page 53 Retrospective experimental design......Page 54 One group post-test only design......Page 55 REFINING RESEARCH QUESTIONS: A CHECKLIST......Page 56 Part II: COLLECTING SURVEY DATA ......Page 60 CLARIFYING THE CONCEPTS......Page 62 How to clarify concepts......Page 63 DEVELOPING INDICATORS......Page 66 How to develop indicators......Page 69 Reliability......Page 71 Validity......Page 72 The problem of meaning......Page 73 DEVELOPING INDICATORS: A CHECKLIST......Page 74 5 Ethics and data collection ......Page 77 Voluntary participation......Page 78 Informed consent......Page 79 No harm......Page 80 Anonymity and confidentiality......Page 81 Sponsors......Page 83 The public......Page 84 DATA COLLECTION ETHICS CHECKLIST......Page 85 SOME SAMPLING CONCEPTS......Page 88 Simple random sampling (SRS)......Page 90 Systematic sampling......Page 91 Stratified sampling......Page 93 Multistage cluster sampling......Page 94 Types of internet surveys......Page 96 The use of internet samples......Page 98 SAMPLE SIZE......Page 99 NON-RESPONSE......Page 102 WEIGHTING SAMPLES......Page 103 How to weight a sample on two or more characteristics......Page 104 SECONDARY ANALYSIS......Page 105 NON-PROBABILITY SAMPLING......Page 107 SAMPLING CHECKLIST......Page 109 SELECTING AREAS......Page 113 QUESTION CONTENT......Page 114 Discrimination......Page 115 WORDING QUESTIONS......Page 116 Open and closed formats......Page 118 Exhaustiveness (or inclusiveness)......Page 119 DEVELOPING RESPONSE ALTERNATIVES FOR CLOSED-CHOICE QUESTIONS......Page 120 Scores......Page 121 Ranking......Page 122 Binary choice formats......Page 123 No opinion and don’t know responses......Page 124 NUMBER OF RESPONSE CATEGORIES......Page 125 Acquiescent response sets......Page 126 Contingency questions......Page 127 Instructions......Page 128 Order of questions......Page 129 Setting up for coding......Page 130 Questionnaire length......Page 131 Layout......Page 132 Three stages of pilot testing questions......Page 133 Pilot testing questionnaires......Page 135 How to pilot test......Page 136 QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN CHECKLIST......Page 137 Telephone interviews......Page 141 Internet surveys......Page 142 COMPUTER-ASSISTED QUESTIONNAIRE ADMINISTRATION......Page 144 FOUR METHODS COMPARED: STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES......Page 145 Response rates......Page 146 Obtaining representative samples......Page 147 Survey method effects on questionnaire design......Page 148 Implementing the survey......Page 149 MULTI-MODE METHODS OF ADMINISTRATION......Page 150 MAXIMISING RESPONSE RATES IN PERSONAL INTERVIEWS......Page 151 Techniques for personal interviewing......Page 152 MAXIMISING RESPONSE RATES IN POSTAL SURVEYS......Page 153 The cover letter......Page 154 Follow-ups......Page 155 Identification numbers......Page 156 Gaining cooperation......Page 157 SMOOTH IMPLEMENTATION OF TELEPHONE SURVEYS......Page 158 ENSURING QUALITY IN INTERNET SURVEYS......Page 159 QUESTIONNAIRE ADMINISTRATION CHECKLIST......Page 160 Part III: SETTING UP THE DATA FOR ANALYSIS ......Page 164 CLASSIFYING RESPONSES......Page 166 Multilevel classification schemes......Page 167 Multiple answers......Page 170 Coding multiple responses to closed questions......Page 172 Multiple responses to open questions......Page 173 Coding missing data......Page 174 ALLOCATING COLUMN NUMBERS TO EACH VARIABLE......Page 175 CHECKING FOR CODING ERRORS......Page 177 ENTERING DATA......Page 178 CODING CHECKLIST......Page 179 CHANGING CATEGORIES......Page 182 Approaches to collapsing categories......Page 183 Rearranging categories......Page 185 Reverse coding......Page 186 Conditional transformations......Page 188 Creating new variables with arithmetic transformations......Page 189 Standardising using z-scores......Page 190 Adjustments with ordinal level variables......Page 192 Checking for missing data bias......Page 194 Minimising the effect of missing values......Page 195 DATA PREPARATION CHECKLIST......Page 196 WHY BOTHER BUILDING SCALES?......Page 199 SUMMATED SCALING: THE LOGIC......Page 200 Construct a rough scale......Page 201 Selecting the best items......Page 203 FACTOR ANALYSIS......Page 205 Selecting variables for analysis......Page 206 Extracting an initial set of factors......Page 207 Extracting the final factors—rotation......Page 209 Factor scores and scales......Page 210 Equivalence of items......Page 211 Forcing scales to have meaningful upper and lower limits......Page 212 The problem of missing data......Page 213 SCALING CHECKLIST......Page 214 LEVELS OF MEASUREMENT......Page 222 Part IV: ANALYSING SURVEY DATA ......Page 220 Ordinal level......Page 223 Which level of measurement to aim for......Page 224 DESCRIPTIVE AND INFERENTIAL STATISTICS......Page 225 Descriptive statistics......Page 226 ETHICS AND ANALYSIS......Page 227 OVERVIEW OF ANALYSIS: A CHECKLIST......Page 229 Tabular analysis......Page 231 Graphical analysis......Page 234 Distortions with graphs......Page 238 Nominal variables......Page 240 Ordinal variables......Page 242 Interval variables......Page 243 Significance tests for nominal and ordinal variables......Page 247 Interval estimates for nominal and ordinal variables......Page 250 Interval estimates for interval variables......Page 252 SELECTING THE APPROPRIATE STATISTIC......Page 253 UNIVARIATE ANALYSIS CHECKLIST......Page 256 14 Bivariate analysis: nominal and ordinal variables ......Page 260 The structure of cross-tabulations......Page 261 Percentaging a cross-tabulation......Page 263 The character of relationships......Page 264 GRAPHS......Page 266 Stacked bar chart......Page 269 Line graph......Page 271 Boxplots......Page 272 Chi-square based correlations......Page 273 PRE-based correlations......Page 275 Interpreting correlation coefficients: direction......Page 276 Statistics when both variables are ordinal......Page 277 Statistics for mixed levels of measurement......Page 278 Correlation coefficients for non-linear relationships......Page 279 INFERENTIAL STATISTICS......Page 281 Significance tests......Page 282 BIVARIATE ANALYSIS FOR NOMINAL AND ORDINAL VARIABLES CHECKLIST......Page 285 INTERVAL-LEVEL DEPENDENT VARIABLES WITH CATEGORICAL INDEPENDENT VARIABLES......Page 290 Tabular analysis......Page 291 Graphical......Page 292 Summary statistics: descriptive analysis......Page 294 Dichotomous independent variable......Page 295 Independent variables with three or more categories......Page 296 Significance of eta......Page 297 Graphs......Page 298 Regression analysis......Page 299 Regression coefficients......Page 301 Regression with non-interval variables: dichotomous variables......Page 304 When can regression be used?......Page 305 Summary statistics: inference......Page 306 RANK–ORDER CORRELATION......Page 308 CORRELATION MATRICES......Page 309 CHECKLIST FOR BIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF INTERVAL VARIABLES......Page 310 Experimental controls......Page 316 Cross-sectional designs and statistical controls......Page 317 THE PURPOSE OF ELABORATION......Page 318 TYPES OF RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THREE VARIABLES......Page 319 Interpreting partial correlation statistics......Page 321 Spurious relationships......Page 323 Specification......Page 327 GRAPHICAL METHODS OF ELABORATION ANALYSIS......Page 329 Line graphs using different scales on the Y-axis......Page 330 Tree diagrams......Page 332 ELABORATION CHECKLIST......Page 333 17 Multivariate analysis ......Page 337 Partial correlation......Page 338 Partial regression coefficients......Page 339 Regression for subgroups......Page 342 Multiple regression......Page 343 Cautions......Page 346 MULTIPLE REGRESSION WITH NON-INTERVAL INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: DUMMY REGRESSION......Page 347 PATH ANALYSIS......Page 349 OTHER MULTIVARIATE METHODS......Page 352 MULTIVARIATE CHECKLIST......Page 353 Religion......Page 359 PREPARING THE VARIABLES FOR ANALYSIS......Page 360 Producing the scales......Page 361 INITIAL ANALYSIS......Page 362 Workforce participation: cross-tabulation analysis......Page 364 Workforce participation: multiple regression analysis......Page 365 Stage in the family life cycle: multiple regression analysis......Page 368 Decomposing the gender gap......Page 369 explanations for further examination......Page 371 SUMMARY......Page 372 THE RESEARCH QUESTION......Page 358 Glossary ......Page 374 Bibliography ......Page 386 Index ......Page 393 This fifth edition of a bestselling textbook has been completely rewritten to include new examples and data focusing on technology, the use of qualitative and quantitative methods together, and the importance of data analysis within sociology.