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Methods of Family Research
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Methods of Family Research

Third Edition


July 2012 | 224 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
An important skill for students, whether they remain in academia or move on to careers elsewhere, is to become critical consumers of research, with the ability to sort out and evaluate sometimes conflicting findings that are reported in the popular media.

 

While traditional sociological methods texts focus on teaching how to produce research, Greenstein teaches students how to understand the research results they'll encounter. He equips students with the essentials they'll need to become intelligent and critical readers of research on families, whether in their work or in everyday life.

 

In focusing on techniques that enable students to better interpret and comprehend scientific findings, Greenstein addresses such essential questions as:

  • Why do research on families?
  • What are the stages of social research? @! What are the benefits of well-conducted research?
  • How is research analyzed?
  • How are literature searches and reviews conducted?
  • How is the internet best used in research?

 Students at all levels will come away from this brief, affordable book equipped to critically read, understand, and evaluate research on the family.

 Generally, the text as a whole focuses on conceptual understanding aimed at helping students become intelligent and critical consumers of research on families, equipping them to more critically analyze what they read. More specifically, 'Study Questions' at the end of each chapter help students test their command of the material. In addition, when new terms are first introduced, they are highlighted in boldface and defined in context. A combined glossary/index further helps students review and navigate the terminology of social science research methodology and guides them to where the term was introduced in the text.

 
Preface
The Goal of This Text

 
What’s New in the Third Edition

 
To the Student

 
To the Instructor

 
Organization of This Text

 
 
Acknowledgments
 
1. Why Do Research on Families?
What Are the Stages of Social Research?

 
How Is Research on Families Different?

 
The Benefits of Well-Conducted Research

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
2. Causal Inference in Family Research
Variables

 
Units of Analysis

 
Thinking Causally

 
Framing the Hypothesis

 
Causal Inference in Qualitative Research

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
3. Searching and Reading the Literature
Reading a Journal Article

 
Where Do I Go From Here?

 
How Do Journal Articles Get Published?

 
Research Monographs

 
Edited Volumes

 
Other Types of Publications

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
4. Sampling Issues
Defining the Population

 
Sampling Designs

 
How Large Does the Sample Need to Be?

 
How Do We Go About Choosing a Sampling Technique?

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
5. How Do We Measure Concepts?
Characteristics of a Good Measurement Procedure

 
Levels of Measurement

 
What Are Reliability and Validity?

 
Some Thoughts on Reliability and Validity

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
6. Working With Scales and Indices
Types of Scales and Indices

 
Using Existing Scales and Indices

 
How Do We Evaluate Scales and Indices?

 
How Do We Deal With Missing Data in Scales and Indices?

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
7. Studying Families: Quantitative Methods
Studying Families Through Experiments

 
Studying Families Through Survey Methods

 
Studying Families Through Nonreactive Techniques

 
Types of Nonreactive Research

 
Secondary Analysis of Sample Surveys

 
Some Limitations of Quantitative Methods

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
8. Studying Families: Qualitative Methods
Qualitative Research Compared to Quantitative Research

 
Types of Qualitative Strategies

 
Studying Families through Observation

 
Evaluating Qualitative Research

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
9. Studying Families: Mixed Methods
Mixed-Method Approaches to Family Research

 
Mixed-Model Studies in Family Research

 
Some Closing Thoughts on Choosing a Research Strategy

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
10. Using Other People’s Data
Advantages and Disadvantages of Secondary Analysis

 
What Are Some Sources of Data About Families?

 
Sources of Secondary Data Sets

 
Future Trends in Secondary Data Analysis

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
11. Analyzing Data on Families
Descriptive Statistics

 
Interpreting Cross-classification Tables

 
Inferential Statistics

 
Commonly Reported Tests of Statistical Significance

 
Some Thoughts About Statistical Analysis

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
12. Advanced Topics in Family Analysis
The Idea of Nested Entities

 
Analyzing Nested Data

 
Individual Change over Time

 
Final Thoughts on Nested Entities

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
13. Evaluating Family Programs
Needs and Social Impact Assessment: What Is the Problem?

 
Outcome Assessment: Does It Work?

 
Process Research: How Does It Work?

 
Some Thoughts About Randomization in Evaluation Research

 
The Relationship Between Applied and Basic Research

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
14. The Ethics and Politics of Family Research
Ethical Issues in Research on Families and Children

 
What Is the Role of the Institutional Review Board?

 
Political Concerns in Research on Families

 
Some Closing Thoughts

 
Study Questions

 
For Further Reading

 
 
References
 
Glossary and Index
 
About the Authors

Very logical approach to family research. It's practical and theoretical which is refreshing and ensures the book is not only of relevance to lecturers but becomes essential for students' research development and understanding.

Miss Maeve Dempsey
Institute of Technology Carlow, Institute of Technology Carlow
September 29, 2015

simply and easy to understand and yet quite informative for students just beginning to understand critical research methods.

Ms Tapo Chimbganda
Children, Young People and Families, Leeds Trinity University
January 21, 2015

Perfect voice, coverage and length to use as a supplement in my intro to family studies course. Excellent option!

Professor Carol Bruess
Communications Dept, University Of St Thomas
March 3, 2014

Will be reconsidered when LMFT PhD program starts in August, 2014. Text's focus more appropriated there than for a general counseling program.

Professor Jon Crook
School Of Education, Texas Wesleyan University
October 19, 2013

Great text for teaching senior family and consumer science students methods of family research.

Dr Cydne Perry
Bus Admin Family Cons Sci Dept, Shepherd University
August 27, 2013

Sample Materials & Chapters

toc

ch 1

ch 3


Theodore Neuman Greenstein

Theodore N. Greenstein is a father, husband, teacher, author, and researcher.  He is currently Associate Professor of Sociology at North Carolina State University.  He received his Ph.D. in Sociology from Washington State University and has been teaching sociology of the family, research methods, and statistics since 1976.  His research program focuses on the intersection of work and family.  His publications on the division of household labor, marital stability, and the effects of maternal employment on child well-being have appeared in Social Forces, the Journal of Marriage and Family, the Journal of Family Issues, and the Journal of... More About Author

Shannon Nicole Davis

Professor Davis was born and raised in Charlotte, NC. She received her BA in Sociology in 1997 with distinction as an Undergraduate Research Scholar from the University of North Carolina at Asheville.  She received her Ph.D. in Sociology in 2004 from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at North Carolina State University.  She also spent two years as a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Professor Davis' research has two foci.  One vein of her work focuses on the creation of families and the... More About Author

Also available as a South Asia Edition.

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