Media Research Methods

James A. Anderson, Ph.D. (University of Iowa), Professor of Communication and Director of the Center for Communication and Community in the Department of Communication at the University of Utah. He is the author/co-author/editor of 17 books. His more than 100 chapters, articles, and research monographs are in the areas of family studies, cultural studies, media literacy, organizational studies, communicative ethics, methodology, and epistemology. Professor Anderson has been recognized as a “Master Teacher” by the Western States Communication Association and was recently given the Distinguished Scholar Award by the Broadcast Education Association. He is a Fellow of the International Communication Association. He is an active consultant in university administration, distance learning, and applied technology.

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsSection I: Overview1. Exploring the MediascapeChapter PreviewIntroductionCommunication DomainsUnderstanding Methodological DifferencesMoving OnReflections2. Mapping the MediascapeChapter PreviwIntroductionFour Corners of AnalysisPutting It Together: Friends in Social Networking SitesMoving OnReflections3. Methods of Exploration: Asking QuestionsChapter PreviewIntroduction: Primacy of the ProblemPreliminariesThe Process of ResearchThe Ethics of the ProblemMoving OnReflections4. Methods of Exploration: Finding AnswersChapter PreviewIntroductionAn Introduction to Empirical MethodsCataloguing MethodsConsidering Purposes Beyond MethodMoving OnReflectionsSection II: Foundations of Research Practice5. From Concepts to DataChapter PreviewThe Foundations of Argument in ResearchAssumptions Prior to DataPostassumptive TheoryConcepts and ConstructsEngagement, Evidence, Claim, and TrustworthinessMoving OnReflections6. Research Questions and HypothesesChapter PreviewCreating a Research StudyResearch Questions and HypothesesContemporary ExamplesImplications for Developing Research QuestionsAnticipating Institutional ReviewCommentary on Methods and ImplicationsMoving OnReflections7. Literatures and DatabasesChapter PreviewIntroductionMetric, Interpretive, and Hybrid Literature ReviewsIn the Beginning, For the BeginnerConducting Professional, Problem-Based Literature SearchesThe Ethics of Literature ReviewsMoving OnReflectionsSection III: Designing Protocols in Metric Research8. SamplingChapter PreviewIntroductionUnderstanding SamplingSampling MethodsMoving OnReflections9. Statistics and Statistical AnalysisChapter PreviewIntroductionDescriptive StatisticsInferential StatisticsThe Ethics of AnalysisMoving OnReflections10. Designing SurveysChapter PreviewIntroductionMeasuring Properties: Developing ContentMethods of Data CollectionThe Ethics of Survey DesignMoving OnReflections11. Protocols for ExperimentsChapter PreviewIntroductionComponents of Experimental DesignCreating the ProtocolThe Ethics of ExperimentsConclusionMoving OnReflectionsSection IV: Conducting Research in the Interpretive Paradigm12. Coding TextChapter PreviewIntroduction to Coding TextsSymbolic and Discursive ProtocolsElements of Content ProtocolsMetric CodingInterpretive CodingCommon Elements in CodingMoving OnReflections13. Discursive Protocols: Creating TextsChapter PreviewIntroductionProducing and Coding Research TextsCoding Texts: Pulling It All TogetherCritical Question ChecklistMoving OnReflections14. Critical Interpretive Methods: Social Meanings and Media Texts, by Geoffrey BaymChapter PreviewIntroductionGoalsIdentifying Issues and TextsSelectionTextual CaptureInterpretive ReadingSystematic Analysis of Meaning ConstructionEmergence and ConfrontationFinely Grained ExaminationCrafting the ArgumentMoving OnReflections15. Ethnographic MethodsChapter PreviewIntroductionAdaptive Strategies in Ethnographic ResearchThe Ethics of EthnographyMoving OnReflections16. An Excursion Into WritingChapter PreviewIntroductionProfessional WritingBackground Practices: Foundational ReviewsDeveloping the ArchiveCoding the WorkAn Example From the Media Effects ArchiveClosing Foundational ReviewsA Final Ethical NoteReflectionsAppendix A: A Short History of Media InnovationsAppendix B: One Hundred StudiesGlossaryReferencesIndexAbout the Author