| This text is designed for use in introductory research courses in the professional fields and social sciences. The major goal of the book is to acquaint students and beginning researchers with a broad view of research methodologies, as well as an understanding of the assumptions that inform each of these approaches. Because the book presents such diverse approaches to research, more experienced researchers will also find the book useful in acquainting them with research methodologies and theoretical frameworks that are new to them. In designing this book, the editors invited research methodologists from diverse theoretical and methodological locations to write essays that would invite novice researchers to examine both the perspective underlying differing research tradicions, as well as the specific methods utilized in particular research approaches.
One of the strengths of this volume is its focus on research ethics. The volume begins with a chapter detailing multiple ways of approaching ethical principles and the roles of researchers and participants within research projects. Subsequently, these ethical considerations are addressed explicitly or implicitly in each of the following chapters within specific research methodologies. Readers leave the volume with an understanding of the controversies and complexities of creating ethical research to address social problems across a variety of sociopolitical contexts.
Another strength of the book is the consistent focus throughout on the intertwined relationship of theory and research design. Epistemological stances and theoretical frameworks inform the research process no matter what design and methods are selected for use in a particular study. The authors emphasize the necessity for researchers to clearly articulate their assumptions, beliefs, and values about the nature of reality, knowledge, and research. Each of the capters engages readers in the sociohistorical context of a specific research methodology, presents key concepts and issues within that design, and concludes the chapter with a discussion of the methods of data collection, interpretation, and representation. |