Emphasizing conceptual understanding rather than algebra, Doing Media Research: An Introduction provides comprehensive coverage of both quantitative and qualitative social science methods used in research about the media and its role in society. Using straightforward language, author Susanna Hornig Priest shows students exactly how to design and implement meaningful small-scale research projects. This book is based on the philosophy that students can learn methods most effectively through actually using them, and it empowers beginning students to experience research for themselves. This Second Edition features completely revised hands-on exercises and greatly expanded discussions of both media content analysis and the application of social science to new media.
Features and Benefits: ·
Explores both qualitative and quantitative approaches to help beginning students understand both, so they can choose the right approach for a particular problem
Assumes no background in statistics and introduces most topics with a minimum of algebra, explaining all technical concepts in simple language in the text (and in the extensive glossary)
Explains the disciplinary origins of our various research methods, the nature of academic publishing, and the importance of the academic literature
Emphasizes the process of research design as applied to real-world problems and incorporates discussion of research ethics throughout the book
Gives students a chance to practice as they go along through chapter-by-chapter exercises, rather than approaching methods as an abstract subject that must be learned by rote
Describes advanced techniques in general terms to give beginning students an understanding of the full range of tools available without getting in the way of their ability to use more basic approaches right away
Doing Media Research: An Introduction, Second Edition is intended for an introductory course in social science research methods for students in journalism, mass communication, and media studies at either the undergraduate or beginning graduate levels.
PART I. ROOTS: SOCIAL SCIENCE FOUNDATIONS
1. A Philosophy of Social "Science"
Qualitative Versus Quantitative Methods
Deductive Versus Inductive Logic
Applied Versus Basic Research
The Limits of Social Science Research
2. Foundational Disciplines
Anthropology and the Range of Human Experience
Psychology and the Experimental Method
Sociology and the Study of Human Social Groups
3. Mass Communication as a Research Field
Origins of Mass Communication Research
Qualitative Versus Quantitative Research Revisited
Content Analysis as a Key Research Tool
Mass Communication and New Media
PART II. ASKING QUESTIONS AND COLLECTING DATA: CREATING A RESEARCH PLAN
4. Developing a Research Question, Reviewing the Literature, Exploring Data Sources, and Defining Variables
Reviewing the Academic Literature
The Nature of Academic Publishing
Defining and Refining Your Research Questions
More About the Role of Theory
Finding Resources and Data for Your Project
Defining and Measuring Variables
5. Designing Quantitative Research: Surveys, Experiments, and Quantitative Content Analysis
Survey Design Basics
Designing Basic Experiments
Content Analysis
6. Designing Qualitative Studies: Participant Observation, Interviews, Focus Groups, and Qualitative Content Analysis
Participant Observation
Interviews
Focus Groups
Qualitative Content Studies
PART III. APPROACHES TO DATA ANALYSIS: BASIC TOOLS
7. Describing a Numerical Data Set and Making Inferences
Levels of Measurement
Identifying and Summarizing Patterns
Reasoning From Sample to Population
8. Testing Hypotheses and Exploring Other Relationships
Testing Simple Hypotheses
Understanding Chi-Square
Comparing Two Means
Working With Complex Variables
Multivariate Techniques for Statistical Analysis
9. Qualitative Analysis: Identifying Themes and Writing Meaningful Summaries
Working With Theory and Identifying Themes
Analyzing Qualitative Data
Other Forms of Analysis
Writing Descriptive Summaries
Relating Data to Conclusions
PART IV. RESEARCH IN BROADER CONTEXT: CONTEMPORARY TRENDS IN THE DISSEMINATION OF RESEARCH RESULTS
10. Research Horizons: Opportunities and Challenges
New Media Technology
Research in a Global Village
Ethics in Research: A Further Note
11. Writing and Presenting the Research Report
Constructing the Research Paper
About Conference Presentations
A Concluding Note
