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Researching Real-World Problems
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Researching Real-World Problems
A Guide to Methods of Inquiry

First Edition
  • Zina O'Leary - The Australia and New Zealand School of Government

Courses:
Research Methods

November 2005 | 312 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd

This is the perfect book for any student new to Research Methods. It is brilliantly written, witty, and always easy to understand.

Taking as her starting point the need for students to conduct research for themselves in the 'real world', Zina O'Leary guides those new to research through the whys and how-tos of the entire research process. Always student-focused, this book offers a hands on and practical guide to the research process from the initial process of coming up with a good question, via methods of gathering information, through to the writing process itself.

Researching Real-World Problems:

- Makes the entire research process a meaningful experience

- Provides a jargon-busting hands-on guide to the entire research process

- Is illustrated throughout with real-life examples

- Speaks directly to the needs of the new researcher

- Locates the researcher and research process at heart of a complex web of social structures 

O'Leary draws her examples from the full range of the Social Sciences, and this is the perfect text for any student in Health, Education or Applied Social Science.



 
PART ONE: ORIENTATION TO RESEARCHING REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS
 
Researching Real-World Problems
 
PART TWO: LAYING FOUNDATIONS
 
From Real Problems to Researchable Questions
 
Preparing to Research Real-World Problems
 
Striving for Integrity in the Research Process
 
The Quest for `Respondents'
 
Selecting Appropriate Data Collection Methods
 
PART THREE: RESEARCHING PROBLEMS
 
Understanding Problems
 
The Quest for Solutions
 
Research that Moves from Knowledge to Action
 
Evaluating Change
 
PART FOUR: MAKING MEANING/MAKING A DIFFERENCE
 
Analyzing and Interpreting Data
 
Producing Research `Deliverables'

Auseful addition to CPD students knowledge

Mrs Amanda Hutcherson
St Bart's Schl of Nursing & Midwifery, City University
May 10, 2016

This is a fabulous book! Very well designed and practical for teaching application of research to undergraduate students.

Professor Kelly Bushey
Applied Psychology, Hodgs University
October 7, 2015

This text provides the students with some excellent examples of how to deal with the exciting and ponderous prospects of research - outside of the classroom. It is a text that should be on every students shelf (even if it isn't in every students hand) and is without doubt a great addition to any core material.

Dr Andy Bain
Sociology & Criminal Justice, University of Mount Union
October 27, 2014

Well written book, good structure, easy to work through with good examples

Miss Anita Finnegan
Department of Computing, Dundalk Institute of Technology
December 4, 2013

A very well written and clearly organised text book that will compliment our current reading list for our first year module 'Researching Society'

Ms Ruth Barley
Faculty of Development & Society, Sheffield Hallam University
July 12, 2011

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