This text confronts the many dilemmas facing investigators who do research on children and adolescents, and provides practical guidelines on solving them. Amongst the topics given detailed consideration are the kinds of research to which young people feel particularly vulnerable, right to privacy, how ethical guidelines - usually designed for research with adults - apply to work with minors, in what circumstances parental consent is not the right mechanism for protecting children's rights and the explanation of a research project to a young person.
The answers to questions on a wide variety of social and political issues from more than 25,000 respondents are contained in the General Social Survey (GSS) data base. The authors, who have directed the GSS since its inception, have set out to enable social scientists to exploit this large data set more effectively. The book outlines such topics as the recurrent, replicated `core' items suitable for trend analyses, the annual topical modules on subjects of current interest and the international modules produced in collaboration with the International Social Survey Programme.
Written by one of the leading figures in evaluation, Evaluation Thesaurus is the perfect alternative to the lengthy, expensive evaluation encyclopaedias and the all-too-brief glossaries at the end of evaluation texts. This edition includes recent work in personnel evaluation and its relevance to programme evaluation, fresh material on evaluation of scientific theories, contemporary ways to extend objective testing beyond multiple choice items without speed loss of correcting, and the most modern uses of computers in evaluation, analyses of assessment, focus groups and quality circles.
`Left me nourished, stimulated, and encouraged. The book's numerous components flowed smoothly and logically, aided by strong transitions and integrative passages. Given the editor's objective to `reframe' rather than `revisit' organizational culture, I contend they succeeded. The content and extensive bibliography render it an excellent supplement for the academic audience: for those already in the field, the book provides a thorough update and challenge to the cutting edge; for those new to the field, the book offers a balanced and encouraging overview without intimidation.... The merits... to the practitioner audience stem from the concise writing and vivid examples, particularly in Part One and most of Part Two' - Journal of Management With this follow-up to Organizational Culture (SAGE 1985), the editors continue their study of the interaction between investigation and the subject of inquiry. The editors have included a variety of frames as tools that allow readers to examine any empirical piece on organizational culture on its own merits - as good research - while at the same time, permit viewing it from other perspectives as well. Combined with a unique emphasis on process, this volume also includes reflections from the editors, pointing out their values, biases, beliefs, perceptions and experiences in research, and lending a human dimension to the research process.
By using familiar concepts from classical measurement methods and basic statistics, this book introduces the basics of item response theory (IRT) and explains the application of IRT methods to problems in test construction, identification of potentially biased test items, test equating and computerized-adaptive testing. The book also includes a thorough discussion of alternative procedures for estimating IRT parameters and concludes with an exploration of new directions in IRT research and development.
Relationships with family and friends, community life, religion, work, racial identity, political attitudes and participation, and physical and mental health are among the topics explored in this volume on Black Americans. It reports the findings from a survey which collected and analyzed data on social, psychological, economic and political behaviours of Americans of African descent. This survey, the first to sample a truly representative cross-section of black people in America, was designed and conducted with a sensitivity to cultural influences never attempted before.
Praised in the first edition for the clarity of his general framework for conceptualizing meta-analysis, Rosenthal's revised edition covers the latest techniques in the field, such as a new effect size indicator for one size data, a new coefficient of robustness of replication, new procedures for combining and comparing effect sizes for multiple dependent variables, and new data on the magnitude of the problem of incomplete retrieval (the file drawer problem).
Judgements, inferences and generalizations about interpersonal communication are made by us all. However, our observations are just the first step in understanding this phenomenon. This volume examines the systematic empirical study of interpersonal communication. Clark lays the groundwork for understanding systematic procedures, with an emphasis on experimental methodology. With this introduction to empirical study, readers can learn to become critical consumers of empirical research in interpersonal communication.
In this collection of original articles, three new strategies for doing research - postpositivism, critical theory and constructivism - challenge scientific positivism, long the reigning paradigm. In more than 30 chapters, these new strategies are examined and compared on issues such as: whether research can be conducted between paradigms; whether each paradigm is equally useful in answering questions of applied research; what constitutes good or ethical wotk within each paradigm. Unsurprisingly, there is no agreement on a 'best paradigm', but the significant issues in selecting the proper paradigm for a variety of research questions are fully aired.