Making Sense of Numbers
Quantitative Reasoning for Social Research
- Jane E. Miller - Rutgers University, USA
Quantitative/Statistical Research | Research Methods | Sociological Research Methods
Making Sense of Numbers teaches students the skills they need to be both consumers and producers of quantitative research: able to read about, collect, calculate, and communicate numeric information for both everyday tasks and school or work assignments. The text teaches how to avoid making common errors of reasoning, calculation, or interpretation by introducing a systematic approach to working with numbers, showing students how to figure out what a particular number means. The text also demonstrates why it is important to apply a healthy dose of skepticism to the numbers we all encounter, so that we can understand how those numbers can (and cannot) be interpreted in their real-world context. Jane E. Miller uses annotated examples on a wide variety of topics to illustrate how to use new terms, concepts, and approaches to working with numbers. End-of-chapter engagement activities designed based on Miller’s three decades of teaching experience can be used in class or as homework assignments, with some for students to do individually and others intended for group discussion. The book is ideally suited for a range of courses, including quantitative reasoning, research methods, basic statistics, data analysis, and communicating quantitative information.
An instructor website for the book includes a test bank and editable PowerPoint slides.Supplements
edge.sagepub.com/millernumbers1e
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LMS cartridge included with this title for use in Blackboard, Canvas, Brightspace by Desire2Learn (D2L), and Moodle
The LMS cartridge makes it easy to import this title’s instructor resources into your learning management system (LMS). These resources include:
- Test banks
- Editable chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides
- All tables and figures from the textbook
You can still access all of the same online resources for this title via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site.
This text invites students to develop an in-depth understanding of core concepts in research methods, clearly guides them through real-life examples, and offers tools needed for the development of strong analytical skills highly valued in the labor market.
This an incredibly useful textbook, showing students how to interpret others’ quantitative research, think about quantitative research of their own, and communicate the findings of that research. I learned several great tips myself on writing effectively about quantitative research findings!
Making Sense of Numbers is an excellent companion for those learning to navigate the world of quantitative research.
The entire USG system has moved toward open-access resource implementation (via the following language):
Open Access:
is information that is:
Free to read
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may be an answer to the serials / scholarly communication crisis, which refers to the system where information is locked up in subscription journals and databases whose prices keep rising (as library and university budgets stagnate or decrease) and universities and libraries are forced to pay for the creation of the research as well as to buy it back through subscriptions.
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