The Basics of Communication Research 1st edition by Leslie Baxter, Earl Babbie – Ebook PDF Instant Download/Delivery: 1285400808, 9781285400808
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ISBN 10: 1285400808
ISBN 13: 9781285400808
Author: Leslie Baxter, Earl Babbie
Combining the time tested classical work of Earl Babbie with the insights of one of the most recognized and respected names in speech communication research, THE BASICS OF COMMUNICATION RESEARCH is the book for the Communication research methods course. With the authors’ collective experience teaching research methods and as active researchers themselves you will find this text to be the authoritative text for your course. The authors frame research as a way of knowing, and provide balanced treatment to both quantitative and qualitative research traditions in communication research and present it in a student friendly and engaging format. It provides in-depth treatment of the role of reasoning in the research enterprise and how this reasoning process plays itself out in planning and writing a research proposal and report.
The Basics of Communication Research 1st Table of contents:
Part 1: An Introduction to Scientific Inquiry about Communication
Ch 1: Human Inquiry and Scientific Inquiry about Communication
What You’ll Learn in This Chapter
Introduction
Searching for Knowledge about Communication
Ordinary Human Inquiry about Communication
Tradition
Authority
Errors in Ordinary Inquiry about Communication and Some Solutions
What’s Really “Real”?
The Foundations of Scientific Inquiry about Communication
An Empirical Enterprise
Social Regularities
Aggregates, Not Individuals
Knowledge Claims about Communication
What Communication Researchers Study
The Dissemination of Communication Research
Some Dissemination Sites for Communication Research
Main Points
Key Terms
Review Questions and Exercises
Continuity Project
Additional Readings
Ch 2: Basic Building Blocks in Conducting Communication Research
What You’ll Learn in This Chapter
Introduction
Selecting and Narrowing Your Topic Area
Conducting a Literature Review
Reading Communication Research Reports
Different Forms of Communication Research Reports
Organization of the Quantitative Research Report
Organization of the Qualitative Research Report
Organization of the Multi-Method Research Report
Checklists for Reading Communication Research Reports
Determining Your Purpose
Exploration
Description
Causal/Functional Explanation
Understanding
Determining Your Unit of Analysis
Individuals
Groups
Organizations
Social Artifacts
Units of Analysis in Review
The Ecological Fallacy
Formulating Your Research Question or Hypothesis
Formulating Your Research Design
The Time Dimension
The Space Dimension
Writing Up Your Research Proposal
Main Points
Key Terms
Review Questions and Exercises
Continuity Project
Additional Readings
Answers to Units of Analysis Exercise (Pages 35–36)
Ch 3: Paradigms of Knowing in Communication Research
What You’ll Learn in This Chapter
Introduction
Four Social Science Paradigms: An Overview
The Positivist Paradigm
An Objective Reality
The Study of Variables
Positivist Theory
Generalized Laws
Quantitative Data
The Systems Paradigm
Characteristics of Systems
A Comparison of Systems and Positivist Paradigms
The Interpretive Paradigm
The Study of Meanings
The Study of Rules
Interpretive Theory
Qualitative Data
The Critical Paradigm
Critical Reflection
Some Critical Approaches
Paradigms Revisited: Some Concluding Remarks
Objectivity and Subjectivity
The Nature of Explanation
The Advantages of Multi-Method Research
Main Points
Key Terms
Review Questions and Exercises
Continuity Project
Additional Readings
Ch 4: Logic Systems and Theory in Communication Research
What You’ll Learn in This Chapter
Introduction
Two Logic Systems
Constructing Theory by Starting Deductively
A Detailed Example
Linking Deductively Derived Theory to Observation, and Back Again
Hypothesis Testing
Using Deductively Derived Theories Heuristically
Constructing Theory by Starting Inductively
A Detailed Qualitative Example
A Detailed Quantitative Example
Using Inductive and Deductive Reasoning to Get Started in Research
Relating Theory to Practice: Some Concluding Thoughts
Main Points
Key Terms
Review Questions and Exercises
Continuity Project
Additional Reading
Ch 5: The Ethics of Communication Research
What You’ll Learn in This Chapter
Introduction
The Origins of Researcher Agreements about Ethical Conduct
Ethical Issues in Conducting Communication Research
Voluntary Participation
No Harm to the Participants
Anonymity and Confidentiality
Deception
Ethical Issues in Analyzing and Reporting Communication Research
Objectivity and Ideology
Protection of Study Participants
Honesty and Integrity
Avoiding Plagiarism
Institutional Review Boards
Professional Codes of Ethics
Two Ethical Controversies
Trouble in the Tearoom
Observing Human Obedience
Main Points
Key Terms
Review Questions and Exercises
Continuity Project
Additional Readings
Part 2: Quantitative Communication Research
Ch 6: Conceptualization and Operationalization
What You’ll Learn in This Chapter
Introduction
Measuring Anything That Exists
How Do You Know?
Conceptions and Concepts
Conceptualization
Indicators and Dimensions
The Interchangeability of Indicators
The Confusion over Definitions and Reality
Creating Conceptual Order
Operationalization
Operationalization Choices
Levels of Measurement
Single or Multiple Indicators
Some Operationalization Illustrations
Definitions and Research Purposes
Criteria for the Trustworthiness of Measures
Reliability
Validity
Who Decides What’s Valid?
Tension between Reliability and Validity
Main Points
Key Terms
Review Questions and Exercises
Continuity Project
Additional Readings
Ch 7: The Logic of Sampling
What You’ll Learn in This Chapter
Introduction
The History of Sampling
President Alf Landon
President Thomas E. Dewey
Two Types of Sampling Methods
Nonprobability Sampling
Reliance on Available Participants
Purposive or Judgmental Sampling
Snowball Sampling
Quota Sampling
The Logic of Probability Sampling
Conscious and Unconscious Sampling Bias
Representativeness and Probability of Selection
Sampling Concepts and Terminology
Probability Sampling Theory and Sampling Distribution
Probability Sampling Theory
The Sampling Distribution of Ten Cases
Binomial Sampling Distribution
Populations and Sampling Frames
Types of Sampling Designs
Simple Random Sampling
Systematic Sampling
Stratified Sampling
Illustration: Sampling University Students
Study Population and Sampling Frame
Stratification
Sample Selection
Sample Modification
Multistage Cluster Sampling
Multistage Cluster Sampling, Stratification
Probability Proportionate to Size (PPS) Sampling
Disproportionate Sampling and Weighting
Probability Sampling of Messages: Some Examples
A Hypothetical Study: Sampling Graffiti on Campus
Probability Sampling in Review
Main Points
Key Terms
Review Questions and Exercises
Continuity Project
Additional Readings
Ch 8: Survey Research
What You’ll Learn in This Chapter
Introduction
The Challenge of Asking Good Questions
Guidelines for Asking Questions
Appropriately Open-Ended and Closed-Ended Questions
Question Clarity
Avoiding Double-Barreled Questions
Respondent Competence to Answer
Respondent Willingness to Answer
Question Relevance
Simplicity of Question Wording
Avoiding Negative Wording
Avoiding Biased Wording
Using Composite Measures
Unidimensional versus Multidimensional Composite Measures
Indexes versus Scales
Some Standard Indexes and Scales
Organization of The Questionnaire
Question Order
Questionnaire Layout and Design
Giving Instructions
Pretesting the Questionnaire
Modes of Questionnaire Administration
Self-Administered Questionnaires
Standardized Interview Surveys
Telephone Surveys
New Technologies and Survey Research
Comparison of the Different Survey Administration Modes
Strengths and Weaknesses of Survey Research
Secondary Analysis of Survey Data
Main Points
Key Terms
Review Questions and Exercises
Continuity Project
Additional Readings
Ch 9: Experiments
What You’ll Learn in This Chapter
Introduction
Topics Appropriate to Experiments
Threats to Internal Validity
Researcher-Related Threats
Participant-Related Threats
Procedure-Related Threats
Pre-, Quasi-, Classical, and Factorial Experimental Designs
The Scientific Notation of Various Experimental Designs
Pre-Experimental Designs
Quasi-Experimental Designs
The Classical or “True” Experiment
Factorial Experiments
External Validity and Experiments
Laboratory Experiments versus Field Experiments
Evaluation Research
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Experimental Method
Main Points
Key Terms
Review Questions and Exercises
Continuity Project
Additional Readings
Ch 10: Quantitative Text Analysis
What You’ll Learn in This Chapter
Introduction
The “Texts” in Quantitative Text Analysis
The Kinds of Questions Answered with Quantitative Text Analysis
Sampling in Quantitative Text Analysis
Units of Analysis
Sampling Techniques
Content Analysis
Coding in Content Analysis
Counting and Record Keeping
An Illustration of Content Analysis
Interaction Analysis
Coding in Interaction Analysis
Analyzing Interaction Structures
An Illustration of Interaction Analysis
Strengths and Weaknesses of Quantitative Text Analysis
Main Points
Key Terms
Review Questions and Exercises
Continuity Project
Additional Readings
Ch 11: The Basics of Quantitative Data Analysis
What You’ll Learn in This Chapter
Introduction
Quantification of Data
Codebook Construction
Data Entry
Data Cleaning
Possible-Code Cleaning
Contingency Cleaning
Descriptive Statistics
Distributions
Central Tendency
Dispersion
Level of Measurement and Descriptive Statistics
Detail versus Manageability
Subgroup Comparisons
Main Points
Key Terms
Review Questions and Exercises
Continuity Project
Additional Readings
Ch 12: Inferential Statistics in Quantitative Data Analysis
What You’ll Learn in This Chapter
Introduction
The Logic of Inferential Statistics
The Link Between Probability Sampling and Inferential Statistics
Tests of Statistical Significance
The Logic of Statistical Significance
Type I and Type II Statistical Decision Errors
The Process of Making a Statistical Decision
Step 1: Establishing Type I and Type II Error Risk Levels
Step 2: Selecting the Appropriate Statistical Test
Step 3: Computing the Test Statistic
Step 4: Consulting the Appropriate Statistical Table
Step 5: Deciding to Reject or Not Reject the Null Hypothesis
A Sampler of Some Commonly Used Statistics
Chi Square
T-Test
One-Way ANOVA
Factorial ANOVA
Pearson Product-Moment Correlation
Some Summary Thoughts
Main Points
Key Terms
Review Questions and Exercises
Continuity Project
Additional Readings
Part 3: Qualitative Communication Research
Ch 13: Participant Observation
What You’ll Learn in This Chapter
Introduction
Topics Appropriate for Participant-Observation Research
Some Thinking Topics
The Ethnography of Communication
Case-Study Research
The Choreography of Participant Observation
The “Warm-Up” Period
Questions to Guide the Study
The Literature Review
Self-Reflection
Site Selection
The Various Roles of the Researcher
Informed Consent Procedures
Sustaining Access
Development of a Timeline
The “Floor Exercise” Period
Sampling Participants, Activities, Scenes
Constructing Field Notes
Constructing Visual Records
Research Ethics in the Field
Triangulation
Elasticity
The “Cool-Down” Period
Some Illustrations of Participant-Observation Research
Strengths and Weaknesses of Participant-Observation Research
Main Points
Key Terms
Review Questions and Exercises
Continuity Project
Additional Readings
Ch 14: Qualitative Interviewing
What You’ll Learn in This Chapter
Introduction
Research Purposes Appropriate for Qualitative Interviewing
Qualitative Interviews as Speech Events
Planning the Interview
The Interview Protocol
Common Types of Qualitative Interview Questions
Executing the Interview: Some Do’s and Don’ts
Creating and Sustaining Rapport
Doing Questions and Answers
Genres of Qualitative Interviewing
The Ethnographic Conversation
The Depth Interview
The Group or Focus Interview
The Narrative Interview
The Postmodern Interview
Trustworthiness and Qualitative Interviewing
Main Points
Key Terms
Review Questions and Exercises
Continuity Project
Additional Readings
Summing Up
Main Points
Key Terms
Review Questions and Exercises
Continuity Project
Additional Readings
Appendixes
Appendix A: Communication-Related Journals
Appendix B: Using the Library
Appendix C: Research in Cyberspace
Appendix D: A Sample Research Report/Proposal in APA Style
Appendix E: APA Citations
Appendix F: Estimated Sampling Error
Appendix G: Random Numbers
Appendix H: Constructing Indexes and Scales
Appendix I: Distribution of Chi Square
Appendix J: Distribution of t
Appendix K: Percentage Points of the F-Distribution
Appendix L: Values of the Correlation Coefficient for Different Levels of Significance
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
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