Student Research and Report Writing

GABE T. WANG is Professor of Sociology at William Paterson University. He has published four books including China’s Population Problems, Thoughts and Policies (1999), China and the Taiwan Issue (2006) and American Sociology and the Socioeconomic Development of China (2013). His research focuses on population, socioeconomic development, and adolescent deviant behaviours. Professor Wang has given lectures in many universities and research institutes in China. He has over 20 years of experience in teaching research methods and student research.KEUMJAE PARK is Associate Professor of Sociology at William Paterson University. Her research focuses on immigrant women, migration in comparative perspectives, identities, and social inequality. She is the author of Korean Immigrant Women and the Renegotiation of Identity: Class, Gender, and Politics of Identity (2009). She enjoys teaching and mentoring student research and postgraduate theses. She teaches research methods and data analysis courses on a regular basis.

• Acknowledgments ixList of Boxes xList of Figures and Tables xiAbout the Website xiiiChapter 1: Introduction: Start Your Research Journey 1What Is Research? 1What Type of Research Project Do You Have? 3What Are the Procedures for Scientific Research? 6Will There Be Bends and Detours in the Research Process? 6How to Embark on Your Research Journey 7How Will This Book Help You? 11How Is This Book Organized? 12Chapter 2: Topic Selection: Getting Started 15Where Can You Start to Find a Good Topic? 15How Can You Narrow Down Your Topic? 18What Topic Is Appropriate for Your Research? 20How Do You Know the Topic You Selected Is a “Good Topic”? 24Can You Change Your Topic? 25Exercises for Chapter 2 26Your Project Outcome after Chapter 2 30Chapter 3: Searching for Information 31What Is Valid and Reliable Information? 31What Do You Need to Prepare Before Searching for Information? 32Should You Search in Libraries or on the Internet? 34What Different Sources Are Available? 35How Do You Go about Doing Library Research? 38How Do You Conduct a Search Using Journal Article Databases? 43How Do You Keep Organized Records of the Information Found? 50How Do You Use the Information You Found? 53Exercises for Chapter 3 54Your Project Outcome after Chapter 3 57Chapter 4: Reviewing the Literature 58What Is a Literature Review? 59Why Do You Need a Literature Review? 59What Does the Literature Review Entail? 60How to Sort Your Literature 61How Do You Read Your Literature and Take Notes? 63How Do You Evaluate and Synthesize Your Reviewed Literature? 64How Do You Write Your Literature Review? 67Exercises for Chapter 4 72Your Project Outcome after Chapter 4 80Chapter 5: Research Questions and Methods 81What Are Your Research Questions? 81What Are the Goals of Your Research? 84What Method Should You Use in Your Research? 86How Do You Use Theory in Your Research? 94Are Ethical Matters Important in Your Research? 96What Ethical Issues Should You Pay Attention To? 97Exercises for Chapter 5 100Your Project Outcome after Chapter 5 104Chapter 6: Steps of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Designs 105What Are Your Independent and Dependent Variables? 106How Do You Select a Sample to Study from Your Target Population? 107What Is an Acceptable Sample Size for Surveys? 108How Do You Turn Your Concepts into Variables in Surveys? 110What Are Levels of Measurement and Why Do They Matter? 111What Do You Need to Know about Qualitative Research Designs? 116How Do You Construct Your Interview Questions? 116How Do You Select People for Interviews? 119What Should You Do to Have Productive Interviews? 121What Other Qualitative Data Collection Methods Can You Consider? 123Exercises for Chapter 6 126Your Project Outcome after Chapter 6 132Chapter 7: Writing a Research Proposal 133What Should You Include in Your Research Proposal? 134Do You Need a Title for Your Proposal? 134What Should You Write in Your Introduction? 135What Should You Write in Your Literature Reviews? 136What Should You Write about Your Research Methods? 139What Else Do You Include in Your Proposal? 140What Format Should You Use to List the References? 142What Writing Styles Are Appropriate for Research Proposals? 143Incorporating Feedback from Faculty Supervisors 143Exercises for Chapter 7 145Your Project Outcome after Chapter 7 149Chapter 8: Practical Issues While Carrying Out Research 150Do You Have to Get Your Research Project Approved by Your University? 151How Can You Carry Out Your Data Collection Effectively? 152What Are Common Practical Problems in Qualitative Research? 157What Ethical Dilemmas Will You Encounter in the Field Research Process? 160What Should You Do When You Face Ethical Dilemmas? 162What Problems Are Common in Questionnaire Surveys? 162How Can You Conduct Your Questionnaire Surveys Effectively? 164Maintaining Good Communications with Your Supervisor 165How to Complete Your Research Project on Time 166Exercises for Chapter 8 168Your Project Outcome after Chapter 8 172Chapter 9: Quantitative Data Analysis 173How Do You Start Entering Data From Your Survey or Interview Questionnaire? 174Why Do You Need to Know the Levels of Your Measurement? 181What Computer Data Analysis Procedure Should You Use for Your Research? 182To Provide Descriptive Information about Your Respondents, Use Frequency, or Descriptive Analysis 182To Determine If Two Variables Are Related to Each Other, Use Cross Tabulations and Chi-square Analysis 186To Calculate Correlations between Two Variables That Are Measured at Interval or Ratio Level, Use Pearson’s r 189To Know Whether an Independent Variable Predicts or Explains an Effect on a Dependent Variable, Use Regression Analysis 192To Predict or Explain the Effects of Several Independent Variables on a Dependent Variable, Use Multiple Regression Analysis 195To Test If Two Means Are Significantly Different, Use the t-test 198To Determine Whether More Than Two Means Are Significantly Different, Use Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) 203Exercises for Chapter 9 207Your Project Outcome after Chapter 9 210Chapter 10: Qualitative Data Analysis 211What Is the Purpose of Qualitative Data Analysis? 211Do You Need to Transcribe All Your Interviews? 213Where Do You Start? 214What Is the Process of Inductive Analysis? Steps of Grounded Theory 219What Is the Process of Deductive Coding in Content Analysis? 224What Tools Can You Use to Organize and Summarize Codes? 226How Do You Write about Findings from a Qualitative Analysis? 227Exercises for Chapter 10 231Your Project Outcome after Chapter 10 235Chapter 11: Writing the Final Report 236What Should You Include in Your Final Report? 236How Is Your Final Report Different from Your Proposal? 237What Should You Consider before You Start Writing Your Final Report? 239Title of Your Final Report or Thesis 240An Abstract of Your Final Report 241Introduction 242Literature Reviews 242Research Methods 245Findings 247Discussions 249Conclusions 250References 250How to Write a Report for Qualitative Research 251Papers Based on Qualitative Field Research 251Historical Research 253Comparative Research 254A Final Check 254Exercises for Chapter 11 256Your Project Outcome after Chapter 11 259Index 261