Research Methods

Sociology in Pictures: Research Methods is a fresh and exciting publication based on styles from graphic novels and comics. It introduces research methods using entertaining and informative pictures drawn by a leading comic illustrator.


Sociology in Pictures: Research Methods offers an effective and novel learning experience.


Much of the material is taken from actual research - classics like William F Whyte’s Street Corner Society and more recent studies including Sudhir Venkatesh’s Gang Leader for a Day. It covers research methods for Sociology at AS/A level and introductory courses at university.


Contents
1. Participant observation
2. Gaining entry
3. Acting normally
4. Street corner society
5. Observations in context
6. Ethnography
7. Types of interviews
8. Interview effects
9. Social desirability effects
10. Interviews with context
11. Questionnaires
12. Answering questions
13. Sampling methods
14. Response rates
15. Types of data
16. Experiments
17. Correlation
18. Testing hypotheses
19. Multiple causes
20. Case studies
21. Longitudinal studies
22. Official statistics
23. Statistics are important
24. Documents
25. Exchanging notes
26. Reliability and validity
27. Social facts
28. Social construction
29. Positivism and interpretivism
30. Starting out
31. Choosing a topic
32. Mixed methods
33. Triangulation
34. Research ethics
35. References


Also available is Sociology in Pictures: Research Methods Teacher’s Guide.