At the heart of this book is the authors’ firm belief that understanding research methods is critical to being an informed citizen in our complex, fast-paced social world. Now in its Fifth Edition, Making Sense of the Social World continues to help students achieve that understanding by providing a balanced treatment of qualitative and quantitative methods, integrating substantive examples and research techniques throughout. All essential elements of social research methods are covered, including validity, causation, experimental and quasi-experimental design, and techniques of analysis. Additionally, it is written in a less formal style to make concepts more accessible to students, and it includes wide-ranging, practical exercises drawn from every experience to help students get hands-on with the material. Not only do students find the book approachable and easy to digest, but they also enjoy it! Table Of Contents Chapter 1: Science, Society, and Social Research Learning about the Social World Can Social Scientists See the Social World More Clearly? How Well Have We Done Our Research? Chapter 2: The Process and Problems of Social Research What Is the Question? What Is the Theory? What Is the Strategy? What Is the Design? But Is It Ethical? Chapter 3: Ethics in Research Historical Background Ethical Principles Chapter 4: Conceptualization and Measurement What Do We Have in Mind? How Will We Know When We’ve Found It? How Much Information Do We Really Have? Did We Measure What We Wanted to Measure? Chapter 5: Sampling How Do We Prepare to Sample? What Sampling Method Should We Use? Chapter 6: Causation and Experimental Design Causal Explanation What Causes What? Why Experiment? What If a True Experiment Isn’t Possible? What Are the Threats to Validity in Experiments? How Do Experimenters Protect Their Subjects? Chapter 7: Survey Research Why Is Survey Research So Popular? How Should We Write Survey Questions? How Should Questionnaires Be Designed? What Are the Alternatives for Administering Surveys? A Comparison of Survey Designs Ethical Issues in Survey Research Chapter 8: Elementary Quantitative Data Analysis Why Do Statistics? How to Prepare Data for Analysis What Are the Options for Displaying Distributions? What Are the Options for Summarizing Distributions? How Can We Tell Whether Two Variables Are Related? Analyzing Data Ethically: How Not to Lie With Statistics Chapter 9: Qualitative Methods: Observing, Participating, Listening What Are Qualitative Methods? How Does Participant Observation Become a Research Method? How Do You Conduct Intensive Interviews? How Do You Run Focus Groups? Analyzing Qualitative Data Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research Chapter 10: Qualitative Data Analysis What Is Distinctive About Qualitative Data Analysis? What Techniques Do Qualitative Data Analysts Use? What Are Some Alternatives in Qualitative Data Analysis? Why Are Mixed Methods Helpful? How Can Computers Assist Qualitative Data Analysis? What Ethical Issues Arise in Doing Qualitative Data Analysis? Chapter 11: Unobtrusive Measures Creative Sources Content Analysis Historical Methods Comparative Methods Chapter 12: Evaluation Research What Is the History of Evaluation Research? What Is Evaluation Research? What Are the Alternatives in Evaluation Designs? What Can an Evaluation Study Focus On? Ethical Issues in Evaluation Research Chapter 13: Reviewing, Proposing, and Reporting Research Comparing Research Designs Reviewing Research Proposing New Research Reporting Research