Research and evaluation for busy students and practitioners : a time-saving guide / Helen Kara.

By:

Kara, Helen [author.]

Material type: Text

TextPublication details: Bristol : Policy Press, 2017.Edition: Second editionDescription: xii, 260 pages ; 24 cmISBN:

9781447338413 (pbk.) :

Subject(s):

DDC classification:

300.72 KAR

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Call number	Copy number	Status	Date due	Barcode
Standard Loan	Moylish Library Main Collection	300.72 KAR (Browse shelf(Opens below))	1	Available		39002100627679

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Research doesn't exist in a bubble but co-exists with a multitude of other tasks and commitments, yet there is more need for people to save time than ever before. Brilliantly attuned to the demands placed on researchers, this book considers how students, academics and professionals alike can save time and stress without compromising the quality of their research or its outcomes. This third edition: - is fully revised with new chapters on research and evaluation ethics, creative methods of collecting data and how research can make a positive difference; - includes illustrative case studies throughout the book, and each chapter concludes with exercises, discussion questions and a debate topic; - is accompanied by a fully updated companion website. This supportive book is designed for any student or practitioner who wants to know how to do research on top of their main job, and still have a life.

Previous edition: 2012.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

List of figures, tables and boxes (p. ix)
About the author (p. x)
Acknowledgements (p. xi)
Foreword (p. xii)
1 Introduction (p. 1)
Introduction (p. 1)
Being a researcher or evaluator (p. 3)
Why do practitioners do research? (p. 5)
Insider and outsider research (p. 8)
Doing research or evaluation (p. 9)
Managing and commissioning research or evaluation (p. 12)
Terminology (p. 13)
Structure of this book (p. 15)
Exercise (p. 16)
Note (p. 16)
Further reading (p. 16)
2 Overview of research (p. 19)
Introduction (p. 19)
Quantitative or qualitative? (p. 19)
Solo or collaborative? (p. 21)
Involving service users in research and evaluation (p. 22)
Highly time-consuming methods (p. 25)
Research and evaluation ethics (p. 29)
Looking after yourself (p. 35)
Exercises (p. 38)
Note (p. 38)
Further reading (p. 38)
3 Methodologies, approaches, and theories (p. 41)
Introduction (p. 41)
Methodologies, methods, and approaches (p. 41)
Positivist methodology (p. 43)
Realist methodologies (p. 44)
Constructionist methodologies (p. 45)
Interpretivist methodologies (p. 46)
Transformative methodologies (p. 46)
Ontology and epistemology (p. 47)
Action research (p. 49)
Evaluation research (p. 50)
Mixed methods research (p. 51)
Arts-based research (p. 52)
Digitally mediated research (p. 54)
The role of theory in research and evaluation (p. 55)
Theory, research, practice (p. 58)
Exercise (p. 59)
Further reading (p. 59)
4 Topics and proposals (p. 61)
Introduction (p. 61)
Choosing a research or evaluation topic (p. 61)
Refining your topic (p. 63)
From question to data (p. 64)
How much data? (p. 66)
Qualitative or quantitative methods? (p. 67)
Sampling techniques (p. 68)
Probability samples (p. 69)
Non-probability sampling (p. 70)
What is evidence? (p. 71)
Bidding and tendering for research or evaluation (p. 72)
Research funders (p. 74)
Exercises (p. 75)
Notes (p. 75)
Further reading (p. 76)
5 Managing your research or evaluation project (p. 77)
Introduction (p. 77)
Planning (p. 78)
Organisation (p. 80)
Time management (p. 81)
Support from employers (p. 84)
Creative time management (p. 88)
Reward yourself (p. 92)
Look after yourself (p. 92)
What works, and what doesn't work (p. 96)
Exercises (p. 97)
Notes (p. 98)
Further reading (p. 98)
6 Background research (p. 99)
Introduction (p. 99)
Document review or literature review? (p. 100)
Record-keeping (p. 103)
Critical and strategic reading (p. 105)
Finding academic journal articles (p. 109)
How to conduct a document review (p. 112)
How to conduct a literature review (p. 113)
Using libraries (p. 114)
Making notes (p. 116)
Knowing when to stop (p. 117)
Exercises (p. 118)
Notes (p. 118)
Further reading (p. 119)
7 Secondary data (p. 121)
Introduction (p. 121)
Online secondary data sources (p. 124)
Secondary qualitative data (p. 125)
Archival data (p. 126)
Open data (p. 127)
Application programming interfaces (p. 128)
Large-scale surveys (p. 129)
International surveys (p. 131)
Working with secondary data (p. 131)
Exercises (p. 132)
Notes (p. 132)
Further reading (p. 132)
8 Primary data (p. 133)
Introduction (p. 133)
Collecting quantitative data (p. 134)
Questionnaire tips (p. 139)
Collecting qualitative data (p. 140)
Interview tips (p. 143)
Focus groups: pros and cons (p. 144)
Focus group tips (p. 145)
Documents as data (p. 146)
Observation (p. 147)
Visual data (p. 150)
Case studies (p. 152)
Creative methods (p. 153)
Collecting data online (p. 154)
Exercise (p. 156)
Note (p. 156)
Further reading (p. 156)
9 Data analysis (p. 159)
Introduction (p. 159)
Data preparation (p. 160)
Quantitative data coding (p. 164)
Qualitative data coding (p. 165)
Quantitative data analysis (p. 170)
Qualitative data analysis (p. 178)
A real-life example of qualitative data analysis (p. 180)
Geographic information systems (p. 181)
Data synthesis (p. 183)
Exercises (p. 184)
Note (p. 184)
Further reading (p. 184)
10 Writing for research and evaluation (p. 187)
Introduction (p. 187)
Myths about writing (p. 187)
The writing process (p. 190)
Structure (p. 196)
Plagiarism (p. 197)
Citation (p. 200)
Findings versus recommendations (p. 201)
Editing (p. 202)
Polishing your writing (p. 203)
Exercises (p. 204)
Note (p. 204)
Further reading (p. 204)
11 Disseminating research and evaluation (p. 205)
Introduction (p. 205)
Summarising research or evaluation (p. 206)
Barriers to disseminating research and evaluation (p. 206)
Presenting findings in person (p. 208)
Data visualisation (p. 212)
Dissemination methods (p. 213)
Disseminating workplace research (p. 215)
Disseminating academic research (p. 216)
Dissemination ethics (p. 217)
Closing the dissemination loop (p. 218)
Research and evaluation into practice (p. 219)
Exercise (p. 220)
Further reading (p. 220)
12 Conclusion (p. 221)
Appendix 1 Job titles of interviewees (p. 225)
Appendix 2 Sample record-keeping grid (p. 226)
Appendix 3 Exchanging information electronically (p. 227)
Appendix 4 Ethical codes from different disciplines and countries (p. 233)
Glossary (p. 235)
Bibliography (p. 247)
Index (p. 253)

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Helen Kara has been an independent social researcher and author since 1999. While working full time, she obtained both her MSc in Social Research Methods and her PhD. Helen is a Visiting Fellow at the UK's National Centre for Research Methods, and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. She is the author of Creative research methods in the social sciences: A practical guide (Policy Press, 2015).