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Chapter 2 - Research Methods

from Part I - General Concerns and Orientations in the Study of Social Problems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 March 2018

By
Amir Marvasti
Edited by
A. Javier Treviño
A. Javier Treviño
Affiliation:
Wheaton College, Massachusetts
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Summary

I begin this chapter with an overview of research methodology as an essential part of investigating and creating knowledge about social problems. I argue that research methods emerge from and support different theoretical traditions in social problems. Quantitative and qualitative methods are then introduced and compared in the context of their shared emphasis on empirical research. I then describe three major data collection methods used in the social sciences: survey interviews, in-depth interviews, and ethnography. Each method is discussed in terms of its conceptual framework and its approach to data collection and analysis.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Social Problems , pp. 23 - 38
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2018

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