Combining methods in educational and social research /
General Material Designation
[Book]
First Statement of Responsibility
Stephen Gorard with Chris Taylor.
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Place of Publication, Distribution, etc.
Maidenhead :
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
Open University Press,
Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.
2004.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Specific Material Designation and Extent of Item
1 online resource (viii, 198 pages) :
Other Physical Details
illustrations
SERIES
Series Title
Conducting educational research
INTERNAL BIBLIOGRAPHIES/INDEXES NOTE
Text of Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
CONTENTS NOTE
Text of Note
A third methodological movement : challenging the dominance of single methods -- Simple numeric and textual data : querying the divide -- Triangulation and combining methods across studies -- The "new" political arithmetic : a policy case study -- Understanding life histories by varying the scale -- The interplay of scale and type : complex interventions -- The promise of design studies -- What is the current prevalence of combined methods research? -- Theory as a barrier to the combination of research methods -- Prospects for the "new" education and social science researcher.
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SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
"This excellent book promises much and delivers a whole lot more. It provides a description of the practicalities of combining evidence from a variety of data collection modes in order to enrich our responses to educational research questions. This is achieved with thoroughness and clarity and even some wit. There are outstanding teaching materials here! This is the best book on educational research methods published in this country for decades."--Professor Charles Desforges, University of Exeter. "In this timely and important contribution, Stephen Gorard and Chris Taylor help us move beyond the wasteful schism of 'qualitative versus quantitative' research by offering sound basic theorising and extensive practical illustration of the combining of research methods ... I see their book as essential reading for anyone concerned for effective educational and social research."--Professor Peter Tomlinson, University of Leeds. There is growing interest in the possibilities of combining research approaches in education and social sciences, as dissatisfaction mounts with the limitations of traditional mono-method studies and with the schism between quantitative and qualitative methods.; This book argues the case for combining multiple research methods, and provides much-needed practical guidance for researchers who want to use this mixed-methods approach. The authors believe that all research has an over-arching logic and that, within this, the fruitful combination of quantitative and qualitative methods is possible. They develop the idea of the 'new' education and social researcher, for whom the combination of approaches is a representation of a diverse skills base, rather than a matter of ideological or theoretical allegiance. The book outlines and evaluates methods that are currently used, and looks at combining different methods across and within studies, including complex interventions, Bayesian approaches, new political arithmetic, triangulation, life histories, and design studies. It offers a radical, new and very simple way of working with numbers. Drawing on examples across the social sciences, this book is key reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students in education and social science courses with a research element, as well as academics and professionals undertaking research projects.
ACQUISITION INFORMATION NOTE
Source for Acquisition/Subscription Address
00992953
Stock Number
9780335213078
OTHER EDITION IN ANOTHER MEDIUM
Title
Combining methods in educational and social research.