Researching social life

Contributors xviii
Acknowledgements xxiii
Guided tour xxiv
Companion Website xxvi
Introduction 1
Nigel Gilbert
1 Conceptualising Social Life 5
Geoff Cooper
2 Research. Theory and Method 21
Nigel Gilbert
Part I Beginnings 41
3 Formulating and Refining a Research Question 43
Nicola Green
4 Searching and Reviewing Literature 63
Mary Ebeling and Julie Gibbs
5 Grounded Theory and Inductive Research 80
Paul Hodkinson
6 Participatory Approaches to Social Research 101
Christina Silver
7 Mixed Methods 125
Victoria D. Alexander, Hilary Thomas, Ann Cronin, Jane Fielding
and Jo Moran-Ellis
9 Designing Samples 165
Patrick Sturgis
10 Questionnaires 182
Rosemarie Simmons
11 Measuring Attitudes 206
Mike Procter
12 Focus Groups 226
Ann Cronin
13 Qualitative Interviewing 245
Nigel Fielding and Hilary Thomas
14 Ethnography 266
Nigel Fielding
15 Using Documents 285
Keith Macdonald
16 The Internet and Research Methods 304
Christine Hine
Part III Back Home 321
17 Coding and Managing Data 323
Jane Fielding
18 Analysing Survey Data 353
Mike Procter
19 Secondary Analysis of Survey Data 372
Nick Allum and Sara Arber
vi RESEARCHING SOCIAL LIFE
8 The Ethics of Social Research 145
Martin Bulmer
Part II Into the Field 163
SUMMARY OF CONTENTS vii
20 Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis (CAQDAS) 394
Ann Lewins
21 Narrative Analysis 420
Sarah Earthy and Ann Cronin
22 Conversation Analysis and Discourse Analysis 440
Robin Wooffitt
23 Analysing Visual Materials 462
Victoria D. Alexander
Part IV Endings 483
24 Writing about Social Research 485
Nigel Gilbert
Glossary 504
Bibliography 516
Index 539
Contributors xviii
Acknowledgements xxiii
Guided tour xxiv
Companion Website xxvi
Introduction 1
Nigel Gilbert
1 Conceptualising Social Life 5
Geoff Cooper
1.1 Introduction 6
1.2 Theories, concepts, frameworks 7
1.3 Different understandings of the social world 9
1.4 Conceptualising common objects: an example 13
1.5 Connections between theory, research and society 16
1.6 Questioning ourselves: reflexive sociology 18
1.7 Summary 19
Discussion questions 20
Resources 20
2 Research, Theory and Method 21
Nigel Gilbert
2.1 Introduction 22
2.2 Three ingredients of social research 22
2.3 Constructing theories 25
2.4 Concepts and relationships 29
2.5 Testing theories 31
2.6 Social research as a social process 34
2.7 Choosing a research design 34
2.8 Summary 37
x RESEARCHING SOCIAL LIFE
Discussion questions 38
Projects 38
Resources 39
Part I Beginnings 41
3 Formulating and Refining a Research Question 43
Nicola Green
3.1 Introduction 44
3.2'Deep Thought' 44
3.3 The characteristics of social research questions 47
3.4 Formulating and refining a research question 50
3.5 The research question and ... 57
3.6 Summary 61
Discussion questions 61
Resources 61
4 Searching and Reviewing the Literature 63
Mary Ebeling and Julie Gibbs
4.1 Introduction 64
4.2 Literature reviews: why and how 64
4.3 Searching the literature 68
4.4 Resource for searching 70
4.5 What to do with the information 74
4.6 Enough is enough! Knowing when to stop 78
4.7 Summary 78
Discussion questions 79
Resources 79
5 Grounded Theory and Inductive Research 80
Paul Hodkinson
5.1 Introduction 81
5.2 Integrating theory and research 81
5.3 Grounded theory 83
5.4 Criticisms of grounded theory 92
5.5 Flexibility in the development of theory through research 95
5.6 Summary 98
Discussion questions 99
Resources 100
CONTENTS xi
6 Participatory Approaches to Social Research 101
Christina Silver
6.1 Introduction 102
6.2 Historical roots of participatory approaches to social research 102
6.3 A spectrum of participatory approaches to social research 106
6.4 Methodological and ethical considerations 116
6.5 Impacts of technological developments on
participatory approaches 120
6.6 Summary 122
Discussion questions 123
Resources 123
7 Mixed Methods 125
Victoria D. Alexander. Hilary Thomas, Ann Cronin. Jane Fielding
and Jo Moran-Ellis
7.1 Introduction 126
7.2 What are mixed methods? 126
7.3 Why researchers use multiple methods 127
7.4 How researchers have mixed methods 129
7.5 Different paradigms, different data 137
7.6 Practical issues in mixed methods 140
7.7 Summary 142
Discussion questions 143
Projects 143
Resources 144
8 The Ethics of Social Research 145
Martin Bulmer
8.1 Introduction 146
8.2 Ethics in social research 147
8.3 Ethical behaviour in science: the norms 149
8.4 Ethical principles governing social research 150
8.5 Additional issues for quantitative research 154
8.6 Additional issues for qualitative research 156
8.7 Ethical regulation and ethical review 158
8.8 Summary 160
Discussion questions 160
Resources 161
xii RESEARCHING SOCIAL LIFE
Part II Into the Field 103
9 Designing Samples 165
Patrick Sturgis
9.1 Introduction 166
9.2 Statistical inference: from sample to population 167
9.3 Nonresponse 172
9.4 Sampling strategies 173
9.5 Summary 180
Discussion questions 181
Resources 181
10 Questionnaires 182
Rosemarie Simmons
10.1 Introduction 183
10.2 Choosing a method of questioning 184
10.3 How to begin 188
10.4 Types of information 189
10.5 Forms of questions 191
10.6 Developing questions 194
10.7 The format of a questionnaire 197
10.8 The format of an interview schedule 199
10.9 Preparing for fieldwork 202
10.10 Summary 203
Discussion questions 204
Project 204
Resources 205
11 Measuring Attitudes 206
Mike Procter
11.1 Introduction 207
11.2 What is an attitude? 207
11.3 Attitudes and behaviour 208
11.4 A preliminary example 209
11.5 Correlation 212
11.6 Techniques of attitude scale construction 212
11.7 Reliability and validity 217
11.8 Factor analysis 219
11.9 Summary 223
Discussion questions 223
Project 224
Resources 225
CONTENTS xiii
12 Focus Groups 226
Ann Cronin
12.1 Introduction 227
12.2 What is a focus group? 227
12.3 Preparing to use focus groups 233
12.4 Running a focus group 237
12.5 Analysis of focus group data 241
12.6 Summary 242
Discussion questions 244
Resources 244
13 Qualitative Interviewing 245
Nigel Fielding and Hilary Thomas
13.1 Introduction 246
13.2 Varieties of research interviews 246
13.3 Characteristic uses of interview data 247
13.4 Communication in interviews 249
13.5 How to design an interview guide 253
13.6 Interviewer effects 255
13.7 Transcription 256
13.8 Practicalities of analysing interview data 259
13.9 Some problems of interview analysis 260
13.10 Analytic stances towards interview data 262
13.11 Summary 264
Discussion questions 264
Project 265
Resources 265
U Ethnography 266
Nigel Fielding
14.1 Introduction 267
14.2 Ethnographic practice 268
14.3 The meaning of ethnographic research 269
14.4 Front management and finding a role 271
14.5 Recording the action: fieldnotes 273
14.6 Comes the crunch: analysis 275
14.7 Validation 276
14.8 Sequential analysis 279
14.9 Ethical issues 281
14.10 Summary 282
Discussion questions 283
Project 283
Resources
xiv RESEARCHING SOCIAL LIFE
15 Using Documents 285
Keith Macdonald
15.1 Introduction 286
15.2 What is a document? 287
15.3 Types of documents 288
15.4 Evaluation and interpretation 293
15.5 Exemplars of documentary research 296
15.6 General practical guidelines 299
15.7 Summary 300
Discussion questions 301
Project 301
Resources 302
16 The Internet and Research Methods 304
Christine Hine
16.1 Introduction 305
16.2 The Internet sample 305
16.3 Questionnaires and surveys online 308
16.4 Online interviewing and focus groups 310
16.5 Fieldwork in online settings 312
16.6 Analysis of online documents 313
16.7 Making research outputs available 314
16.8 The ethics of online research 316
16.9 Summary 318
Discussion questions 318
Project 319
Resources 320
Part III Back Home 321
17 Coding and Managing Data 323
Jane Fielding
17.1 Introduction 324
17.2 Why code the data? 325
17.3 Quantitative coding 326
17.4 Qualitative coding 334
17.5 Creation of the code book 340
17.6 Coding the data using a computer 342
17.7 Summary 350
Discussion questions 350
Project 351
Resources 352
CONTENTS xv
18 Analysing Survey Data 353
Mike Procter
18.1 Introduction 354
18.2 Programs for manipulating data 354
18.3 An analysis 356
18.4 A general approach to survey analysis 368
18.5 Summary 370
Discussion questions 370
Project 371
Resources 371
19 Secondary Analysis of Survey Data 372
Nick Allum and Sara Arber
19.1 Introduction 373
19.2 What is secondary analysis? 374
19.3 Types of surveys available for secondary analysis 375
19.4 The value of secondary analysis 383
19.5 Potential pitfalls of secondary analysis 385
19.6 How to obtain data for secondary analysis 388
19.7 Process of analysis 390
19.8 Summary 391
Discussion questions 392
Projects 392
Resources 393
20 Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis (CAQDAS) 394
Ann Lewins
20.1 Introduction 395
20.2 What is qualitative data analysis? 396
20.3 The development of CAQDAS 397
20.4 Analytic paradigms using qualitative data 400
20.5 How code-based theory building software can help 401
20.6 Examples: how the software helped 406
20.7 Suggestions for preparation and planning 413
20.8 Summary 417
Discussion questions 418
Project 418
Resources 419
21 Narrative Analysis 420
Sarah Earthy and Ann Cronin
21.1 Introduction 421
21.2 What is narrative analysis? 422
xvi RESEARCHING SOCIAL LIFE
21.3 The social production of the story 425
21.4 Using a narrative approach 428
21.5 Analysing data as narrative 433
21.6 Summary 438
Discussion questions 439
Project 439
Resources 439
22 Conversation Analysis and Discourse Analysis 440
Robin Wooffitt
22.1 Introduction 441
22.2 Talk, action and social interaction 441
22.3 Discourse, variability and social construction 445
22.4 Discourses, texts and power 448
22.5 Analysis of an example: an interview with punk rockers 450
22.6 Summary 457
Discussion questions 458
Projects 458
Resources 459
Appendix: Transcription symbols 460
23 Analysing Visual Materials 462
Victoria D. Alexander
23.1 Introduction 463
23.2 Analysing existing visual materials 464
23.3 Generating data with visual materials 469
23.4 Creating visual data 471
23.5 Presenting results with a visual component 472
23.6 Some problems in using visual materials 474
23.7 Summary 478
Discussion questions 479
Projects 479
Resources 480
Part IV Endings 483
24 Writing about Social Research 485
Nigel Gilbert
24.1 Introduction 486
24.2 Truth and persuasion 486
CONTENTS XVII
24.3 The research literature 487
24.4 Organising writing about research 490
24.5 Examining the structure of a journal article 492
24.6 Breaking the rules 500
24.7 Summary 501
Project 501
Resources 503
Glossary 504
Bibliography 516
Index 539