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·What is it really like to do social science research? ·In what ways can research go wrong and what can you do to put it right again? ·How do research methods and research ethics relate in practice? This is a ‘how it went’ rather than a ‘how to do’ research methods book. It is based upon the reflections and experiences of a wide range of established social researchers, the majority of whom undertake research in the field of health care. By drawing upon anecdotal accounts of setting up research projects, negotiating access, gathering data and disseminating findings, the book highlights the practical and ethical complexities involved in the conduct of empirically based research. By focussing upon the real-life experiences of social science researchers Reflections on Research provides insight into the day-to-day realities of conducting research – the pleasures and the pitfalls. As such, it is essential reading for all students and researchers in the social sciences as well as academics and professionals interested in research and research ethics. Contributors Priscilla Alderson, Professor of Childhood Studies at the Institute of Education; Kathryn Backett-Milburn, Senior Research Fellow at the Research Unit in Health, Behaviour and Change and Co-Director of the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships, University of Edinburgh; Rosaline Barbour, Professor of Health and Social Care at the University of Dundee; Hannah Bradby, Lecturer in Medical Sociology at Warwick University; Elizabeth Chapman, Research Associate at the Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge; Susan Cox, Assistant Professor and Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar at The W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics, University of British Columbia; Sarah Cunningham-Burley, Reader in Public Health Sciences and Co-Director of the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships at the University of Edinburgh; Gill Dunne, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Plymouth; Susan Eley, Lecturer at the Department of Applied Social Science, University of Stirling; Elizabeth Ettorre, Professor of Sociology, University of Plymouth; Catherine Exley, Lecturer in Medical Sociology in the Centre for Health Services Research, University of Newcastle upon Tyne; Calliope (Bobbie) Farsides, Senior Lecturer in Medical Ethics at the Centre of Medical Law and Ethics, King's College London; Claire Foster, Chartered Health Psychologist and Senior Research Fellow at The Institute of Cancer Research ; Jonathan Gabe, Reader in Sociology in the Department of Social and Political Science at Royal Holloway, University of London; Wendy Gnich, Research Fellow at the Research Unit in Health, Behaviour and Change, University of Edinburgh; Trudy Goodenough, Research Assistant working at the Centre for Ethics in Medicine, University of Bristol; Susan Gregory, Research Fellow at the Research Unit in Health, Behaviour and Change, the University of Edinburgh; Rachel Grellier, Assistant Health & Social Development Specialist at Options Consultancy Service; Nina Hallowell, teaches Social Science and Ethics in the department of Public Health Sciences, the Medical School, University of Edinburgh; Khim Horton, Lecturer (clinical) at the European Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey; Julie Kent, Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of West of England; Julia Lawton, Research Fellow at the Research Unit in Health, Behaviour and Change, the University of Edinburgh; Abby Lippman, Professor in the Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics at McGill University; Liz Lobb, Researcher in familial cancer and palliative care at Edith Cowan University in Perth.Lesley Lockyer, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Health and Social Care, University of the West of England; Alice Lovell, teaches Psychology at Birkbeck College, Faculty of Continuing Education; Marion McAllister, Macmillan Genetic Counsellor and Honorary Lecturer at the North West Genetics Knowledge Park (Nowgen) and Regional Genetics Service/Academic Unit of Medical Genetics, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester; Richard Mitchell, Research Fellow in the Research Unit in Health, Behaviour and Change (RUHBC), University of Edinburgh; Virginia Morrow, Research Lecturer at the Child-Focused Research Centre, Department of Health & Social Care, Brunel University, London; Melissa Nash, University College London; Odette Parry, Professor of Social Welfare & Community Justice and head of the Social Inclusion Research Unit (SIRU) at NEWI, The University of Wales; Stephen Platt, Director of the Research Unit in Health, Behaviour and Change, University of Edinburgh; Laura Potts, Senior Lecturer in the School of Management, Community and Communication at York St John College, York; Shirley Prendergast, Reader in Research at Anglia Polytechnic University, Cambridge; Martin Richards, Director of the Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge; Deborah RitchieSenior Lecturer in Health Promotion at Queen Margaret University College; Ann Robertson, Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Toronto; Susan Robinson, Research Associate in the Department of General Practice at King's College, London; Tom Shakespeare, Director of Outreach at PEALS, a University of Newcastle-based research centre ; Hilary Thomas, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology, University of Surrey; Stefan Timmermans, Associate Professor at Brandeis University; Kay Tisdall, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy at the University of Edinburgh; Jonathan Tritter, Research Director of the Institute of Governance and Public Management, University of Warwick; Julia Twigg, Professor of Social Policy and Sociology at the University of Kent; Clare Williams, Research Fellow in the Department of Midwifery and Women's Health, King's College London; Emma Williamson, Wellcome Trust Research Fellow for the EPEG Project, Centre for Ethics in Medicine, University of Bristol .
"This book is shouting out to every person who is involved with young people's cancer. I hope they listen." Macmillan Cancer Support "This is an absolute 'must' read for all those who care for young people with cancer, including the patients themselves, parents, doctors, nurses, psychologists and all of the caring professions." Professor Tim Eden, Christie NHS Trust, Manchester, UK "I particularly liked the layout of the book and the initial chapter is called 'setting the scene'. It does just that and informs the reader of services available and leads the reader into the remaining chapters about diagnosis through to sexuality and finally implication for policy and practice.I would recommend this book for everyone involved with cancer care. As a nurse I found it excellent. As a mum of two young people I found it very emotional." Jan Stevens, Nurse Coordinator, Hospice at Home "This book should be compulsory reading for all healthcare professionals who work with young people with cancer and especially for all professionals who may, at some stage, meet a solitary young person with cancer." Sue Morgan, St James's University Hospital, Leeds, UK What issues are of most concern to young adults living with cancer? How can a supportive care setting be established? How can we offer the optimum age appropriate care? This book uses original data gathered from in-depth research to present an account of what it is like to be an adolescent or young adult living with cancer. These first hand accounts contribute to the insight necessary to the provision of age appropriate quality care. The implications of these research findings for policy and practice are also related to NICE Guidance (2005). Though primarily based on a thematic analysis of interview data, the book also provides contextual and statistical information on the current incidence of cancer in young adults. Young People Living with Cancer is essential reading for health professionals engaged in the care of young adults with cancer, support workers in the health services, young adults with cancer, their families, academics and students. The text offers a contribution to policy and practice that may enhance compliance and consequently improve outcomes.
This book is designed to introduce doctoral and graduate students to the process of conducting scientific research in the social sciences, business, education, public health, and related disciplines. It is a one-stop, comprehensive, and compact source for foundational concepts in behavioral research, and can serve as a stand-alone text or as a supplement to research readings in any doctoral seminar or research methods class. This book is currently used as a research text at universities on six continents and will shortly be available in nine different languages.
Doing Performative Social Science: Creativity in Doing Research and Reaching Communities focuses, as the title suggests, on the actual act of doing research and creating research outputs through a number of creative and arts-led approaches. Performative Social Science (PSS) embraces the use of tools from the arts (e.g., photography, dance, drama, filmmaking, poetry, fiction, etc.) by expanding—even replacing—more traditional methods of research and diffusion of academic efforts. Ideally, it can include forming collaborations with artists themselves and creating a professional research, learning and/or dissemination experience. These efforts then include the wider community that has a meaningful investment in their projects and their outputs and outcomes. In this insightful volume, Kip Jones brings together a wide range of examples of how contributing authors from diverse disciplines have used the arts-led principles of PSS and its philosophy based in relational aesthetics in real-world projects. The chapters outline the methods and theory bases underlying creative approaches; show the aesthetic and relational constructs of research through these approaches; and show the real and meaningful community engagement that can result from projects such as these. This book will be of interest to all scholars of qualitative and arts-led research in the social sciences, communication and performance studies, as well as artist-scholars and those engaging in community-based research.
Qualitative Research Methods - collection, organization, and analysis strategies This text shows novice researchers how to design, collect, and analyze qualitative data and then present their results to the scientific community. The book stresses the importance of ethics in research and taking the time to properly design and think through any research endeavor.
Much applied research takes place as if complex social problems--and evaluations of interventions to address them--can be dealt with in a purely technical way. In contrast, this groundbreaking book offers an alternative approach that incorporates sustained, systematic reflection about researchers' values, what values research promotes, how decisions about what to value are made and by whom, and how judging the value of social interventions takes place. The authors offer practical and conceptual guidance to help researchers engage meaningfully with value conflicts and refine their capacity to engage in deliberative argumentation. Pedagogical features include a detailed evaluation case, "Bridge to Practice" exercises and annotated resources in most chapters, and an end-of-book glossary.
This book guides student researchers through the different stages of small-scale or practitioner research, a common component of study for students training to work in the lifelong learning sector. The authors look at the entire research journey, from planning a research topic and framing research questions, through the process of data collection and analysis, to writing up and presentation. Using a step-by-step approach the book tackles common thorny issues such as: Understanding the different genres of research Discussion of qualitative and quantitative approaches to research The importance of forming research questions and of locating them within current research literature How to do a literature review Dealing with permissions, access and ethics The nuts and bolts of research methods Interpreting data and writing up research findings Together with case studies and examples of real-life research projects that have been completed by the authors’ own students, this book tackles research in a student-friendly and accessible style, carefully unpacking and defining the different terms, concepts and theories that students need to know when beginning research for the first time. This book is essential reading for students who are training to work in the lifelong learning sector or practitioners who are undertaking CPD to maintain their license to practice. “Many teachers training in the lifelong learning sector, as well as those going on to do foundation, honours and masters degrees in education, find the prospect of carrying out educational research for the first time daunting. Thus far, they have been reliant on generic educational research textbooks. Jonathan Tummons’ and Vicky Duckworth’s excellent work now guides them clearly and supportively through the research journey in a way which is underpinned by the authors’ deep understanding of both the sector and nature of the challenge of the research task to the student, using an informal and accessible written style.” Andy Armitage, Head of the Department of Post-Compulsory Education at Canterbury Christ Church University, UK “This book combines sound practical advice with an exploration of the philosophical and methodological concepts underpinning educational research. Often drawing on the authors’ own experiences, it makes a convincing case for the practitioner as researcher and draws clear and appropriate attention to the purposes, uses and dissemination of small scale research.” Susan Wallace, Professor of Continuing Education, Nottingham Trent University, UK
It is not hard to be a research active academic, or to build a research group, or to create a research culture. Here are sensible strategies available to everyone, and that empower everyone in higher education. Seizing the opportunities, refusing to be a victim, and – most importantly – learning how the system works, are among the strategies available to anyone motivated to succeed. This book takes a radical, unstuffy look at higher education. It is of interest and relevance to anyone working in the higher education sector. Based on the authors’ research on research groups, and on their experience as Head of Department, Dean and Pro Vice-Chancellor, the book provides advice for younger academics making their way in the system, and for more senior people who need to mentor research staff, build research groups and shape research-led careers. The book provides practical advice on key aspects of research activity: getting research grants, publishing in peer-reviewed journals, and writing books. The current climate of research activity is discussed in the context of Research Assessment, and the context of ‘glittering prizes’.
Introducing Qualitative Research in Psychology is a vital resource for students new to qualitative psychology. It explains when each qualitative research method should be used, the procedures and techniques involved, and any limitations associated with such research. Throughout the new edition, material has been re-organized and updated to reflect developments in the field, while Carla Willig's style of writing, popular with students and lecturers alike, remains unchanged. Key features of the new edition include: •Two new chapters, one on metasynthesis and one on pluralism in qualitative research •A broadening the Visual Methodologies chapter to include other non-linguistic methods of data collection that engage with the physical environment, such as the walking interview and object elicitation •Information and analysis on innovative dissemination methods such as performances and exhibitions •Expanded coverage of the core question, “What makes qualitative research ‘research’?”, including clear explanations of the key tenets of the scientific method •'But it's not as simple as all that' boxes at the end of each chapter, where more complex issues, theoretical critiques and conceptual challenges are raised. This title is supported by an Online Learning Centre, which includes an array of extra resources for both students and instructors. “This book is a vital resource and a valuable reference, both for those new to research and for those looking to further develop their skills and knowledge of qualitative research in psychology.” Nollaig Frost, Adjunct Professor, School of Applied Psychology, University College Cork, Ireland “This exceptionally well-written text deserves a place in every psychology researcher’s toolkit, regardless of their career stage.” Benjamin Gardner, Reader in Social Psychology, King’s College London, UK “Readers of this text will find it to be accessible and comprehensive. It will enable many people to become confident in conducting their own qualitative research.” Alex Bridger, Senior Lecturer in Critical Social Psychology, University of Huddersfield, UK Carla Willig is Professor of Psychology at City, University of London, UK. She is the author of numerous bestselling books for Psychology students and is widely admired for her friendly, practical approach to writing and to teaching.
This innovative book combines what most books separate: research as practical activity and research as intellectual engagement. It clarifies and makes explicit the methodological issues that underlie the journey from initial research idea to the finished report and beyond. The text moves the researcher logically through the research process and provides insights into methodology through an in-depth discussion of methods. It presents the research process as an engagement with text. This theme moves through the construction of text in the form of data and the deconstruction of text in analysis. Finally the focus moves to the reconstruction of text through the re-presentation of the research in the report. Following through each of these stages in turn, the chapters consider either a practical issue or a group of methods and interrogate the associated methodological concerns. In addition, the book also addresses the rarely explored issues of the researcher as writer and researcher identity as core elements of the research process. The book provides a range of insights and original perspectives. These successfully combine practical guidance with the invitation to consider the problematic nature of research as social practice. It is an ideal reference for those embarking on research for the first time and provides a new methodological agenda for established researchers.