Ebooks for Education Research

Qualitative methods are central to research conducted in Education, Nursing, Sociology, Anthropology, and other disciplines in the humanities, social sciences and health sciences. The range of methods available to researchers is very broad (e.g., interviews, focus groups, observation) and projects are informed by various approaches (e.g., phenomenology, grounded theory, discourse analysis). Students, scholars and professionals who are new to qualitative research typically need guidance in defining the boundaries of this type of research, such as selecting specific methods, knowing what types of data are appropriate for qualitative research, identifying theoretical frameworks for particular projects, etc. It is important that both novice and established scholars understand the language, culture, and paradigmatic approaches used in qualitative research, especially as interdisciplinary projects increasingly link researchers across varied fields of study. Researchers and practitioners at all levels and across disciplines need a ready-reference tool that defines and explains core concepts, describes the techniques involved in the implementation of qualitative methods, and presents an overview of this approach to research. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods (two volumes) presents state-of-the-art information and ready-to-use techniques, facts, and examples from the field of qualitative methods in a non-intimidating and accessible style. The encyclopedia is specifically written to appeal to beginning, intermediate, and advanced students, practitioners, researchers, consultants, and consumers of information across the social sciences, humanities, and health sciences. While there are ′how-to′ guides and reference texts on qualitative methods, none provide as comprehensive a resource in as focused and approachable a manner as the proposed encyclopedia. From A to Z, the entries cover every major facet of qualitative methods, from gaining access to research participants, to data coding and collection, to research ethics, to the detailed aspects of specific qualitative methods, and much more û all without overwhelming the informed reader.

SAGE Reference is proud to announce the Encyclopedia of Measurements and Statistics. In fields as varying as education, politics and health care, assessment and the use of measurement and statistics have become an integral part of almost every activity undertaken. These activities require the organization of ideas, the generation of hypotheses, the collection of data and the interpretation, illustration and analysis of data. No matter where we look, this critical analysis is more important than ever in an age where information - and lots of it - is readily available. The average consumer must know what a `median′ is or what the connotations of the term `significant′ are when intelligently reading The Times, Science News or a tabloid. Likewise, students, practitioners and researchers must grapple with sophisticated terms and techniques when conducting research, writing proposals and analyzing data. The terms themselves have proven to be anxiety-provoking. The Encyclopedia of Measurement and Statistics, in two-volumes, presents state-of-the-art information and ready-to-use facts from the fields of measurement and statistics in a non-intimidating and accessible style. The Encyclopedia is specifically written to appeal to undergraduate students as well as practitioners, researchers and consumers of information. Whilst there are reference works covering statistics and assessment in depth, none provide as comprehensive a resource in as focused and approachable a manner as this encyclopedia. Key themes include: - biographies; - charts, graphs and visual displays; - computer topics and tools; - concepts and issues in measurement; - concepts and issues in statistics; - data and data reduction techniques; - descriptive statistics; - evaluation; - experimental methods; - inferential statistics; - organizations and publications; - predictions and estimations; - probability; - qualitative methods; - samples, sampling and distribution; - statistical techniques; - statistical tests; - tests by name. Key features include: - coverage of every major facet of these two different, but highly integrated disciplines with reference to mean, mode and median; reliability, validity, significance and correlation without overwhelming the informed reader; - cross-disciplinary coverage, with contributions from and applications to the fields of: psychology; education; sociology; human development; political science; business and management; and public health; - cross-referenced terms, a list of further readings and Website URLs after each entry, as well as an extensive set of appendices and an annotated list of organizations relevant to measurement and statistics. Appendices: - Appendix A is a guide to basic statistics for those readers who require an instructional step-by-step presentation of basic concepts in statistics and measurement; - Appendix B is a table of critical values used in hypothesis testing and an important part of any reference in this area; - Appendix C represents a collection of some most important and useful measurement and statistics Websites.

′Appreciative users of this volume will be students, faculty, and researchers in academic, special, and large public libraries, for whom it is recommended′ - Library Journal ′The compilers of this impressive, unique work claim it "brings together, in one place, authoritative essays on virtually all social science methods topics, both quantitative and qualitative" - a claim examination supports. More than 400 contributors from the US and abroad present approximately 1,000 comprehensive, in-depth, well-referenced entries that vary in length from 50 to 2,500 words. The attractively designed and produced volumes, 1,351 total pages, consist of easily legible text and figures, the front matter occupying 46 pages and the index 40.... This defining work will be valuable to readers and researchers in social sciences and humanities at all academic levels. As a teaching resource it will be useful to instructors and students alike and will become a standard reference source. Essential for general and academic collections′ - Choice SAGE Reference is proud to announce The SAGE Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods, a three-volume resource that is a first of its kind, developed by the leading publisher of social science research methods books and journals. This unique multi-volume reference set offers readers an all-encompassing education in the ways of social science researchers. Written to be accessible to general readers, entries do not require any advanced knowledge or experience to understand the purposes and basic principles of any of the methods. The Encyclopedia features two major types of entries: definitions, consisting of a paragraph or two, which provide a quick explanation of a methodological term; and topical treatments or essays, discussing the nature, history, application/example and implication of using a certain method. Also included are suggested readings and references for future study. To help provide a more complete explanation than is often achieved within the scope of a single article, key terms and concepts appear in small capital letters to refer readers to related terms explained elsewhere. In addition to epistemological issues that influence the nature of research questions and assumptions, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods tackles topics not normally viewed as part of social science research methodology, from philosophical issues such as poststructuralism to advanced statistical techniques. In covering the full range of qualitative and quantitative data analyses, this key reference offers an integrated approach that allows the reader to choose the most appropriate and robust techniques to apply to each situation. Many entries treat traditional topics in a novel way, stimulating both interest and new perspectives. One example is the entry Econometrics, by Professor Damodar Gujarati. Following a process which many educators preach but seldom practice, Gujarati walks the reader twice through the research process from economic theory to data and models to analysis, once in principle and a second time with an example. In using the ordinary process of economic research to achieve an extraordinary impact, he leaves the reader thinking not only about methods and models but also the fundamental purpose of econometrics. Topics Covered: - Analysis of Variance - Association and Correlation - Basic Qualitative Research - Basic Statistics - Causal Modeling (Structural Equations) - Discourse/Conversation Analysis - Econometrics - Epistemology - Ethnography - Evaluation - Event History Analysis - Experimental Design - Factor Analysis and Related Techniques - Feminist Methodology - Generalized Linear Models - Historical/Comparative - Interviewing in Qualitative Research - Latent Variable Model - Life History/Biography - Loglinear Models (Categorical Dependent Variables) - Longitudinal Analysis - Mathematics and Formal Models - Measurement Level - Measurement Testing and Classification - Multiple Regression - Multilevel Analysis - Qualitative Data Analysis - Sampling in Surveys - Sampling in Qualitative Research - Scaling - Significance Testing - Simple Regression - Survey Design - Time Series Key Features: - Over 900 entries arranged A to Z Each entry is written by a leading authority in the field, covering both quantitative and qualitative methods - Covers all disciplines within the social sciences - Contains both concise definitions and in-depth essays - Three volumes and more than 1500 pages