This introduction to communication research methods takes the student from the conceptual beginnings of a research project through the design and analysis. Emphasizing the correct questions to ask and how to approach the answers, authors Gary Petty, Cheryl Campanella Bracken, and Elizabeth Babin approach social science methods as a language to be learned, requiring multiple sessions and reinforcement through practice. They explain the basics of conducting communication research, facilitating students’ understanding of the operation and roles of research so that they can better critique and consume the materials in their classes and in the media. The book takes an applied methods approach, introducing students to the conceptual elements of communication science and then presenting these elements in a single study throughout the text, articulating the similarities and differences of individual methods along the way. The study is presented as a communication campaign, involving multiple methodologies. The approach highlights how one method can build upon another and emphasizes the fact that, given the nature of methodology, no single study can give complete answers to our research questions. Unique features of the text: It introduces students to research methods through a conceptual approach, and the authors demonstrate that the statistics are a tool of the concepts. It employs an accessible approach and casual voice to personalize the experience for the readers, leading them through the various stages and steps. The presentation of a communication campaign demonstrates each method discussed in the text. This campaign includes goals and objectives that will accompany the chapters, demonstrates each individual methodology, and includes research questions related to the communication campaign. The tools gained herein will enable students to review, use, understand, and critique research, including the various aspects of appropriateness, sophistication and utility of research they encounter.

Ithiel de Sola Pool was a distinguished scholar of the political process, and one of the most original thinkers in the development of an integrated social science. This volume focuses upon his contributions to the development of research methods that deepen our understanding of human behavior. The book is divided into five parts treating the analysis of communications, computer simulation, forecasting, network theory, and the social sciences in political contexts. The first part considers the problems and possibilities of analysis raised by the unprecedented quantity of data made available by widespread and improved communications technology; what should be counted and how should inferences be made. Part two explores computer simulation in the study of presidential election patterns and how it can provide in-depth analyses of crisis situations in history. Part three focuses on strategies for predicting the future of international politics and methods to forecast the impacts of new communications technologies, while part four offers a rigorous analysis of domestic and global contact networks and the so-called "small world" phenomenon. Part five is concerned with external challenges to the use of social science to create more humane politics, including the question of value neutrality, ideology, "deconstructive" critical theory, and threats by government to the health of universities. In a concluding essay Lloyd Etheredge draws upon Pool's work to discuss several new ways in which the methods treated in this volume can be applied to contemporary social change.

Product Description: This bundle includes Treadwell: Introducing Communication Research, 2e and SAGE IBM/SPSS 23.0

In the global quest for sustainability developers and investors have failed to deal adequately with the social dimension, the development of people and institutions. This book explores the reasons why this should be so, and offers possible solutions now being presented by advances in digital technology systems. Bernard Woods' argument shows how the root of the problem lies in the reductionism of Western education systems and the confined traditionalism of current approaches to development. By building a new conceptual framework which links the potential of the information revolution with the social prerequisites of sustainable development, he offers a new way forward. The basis of this is the new software delivery utilities, and the potential of their social applications, which can for the first time draw the private sector into the delivery of public services on a large scale. The book describes the new paradigm of development that the combination of these advances, outlines new opportunities that a major paradigm shift will open up, and looks to the new hope that this offers for the future.

Product Description: Originally published in 1988. Step-by-step, this book leads students from problem identification, through the mazes of surveys, experimentation, historical/qualitative studies, statistical analysis, and computer data processing to the final submission and publication in scientific or popular publications...read more

Product Description: Investigates the abuse of black basketball players by coaches, the AAU, sports companies, and even parents   Playing Time first looks at black youths’ love for basketball—their passion is innocent and naive. The author describes all the people and companies that view black ballplayers as another meal ticket, and unfortunately, some parents are also contributors to this abuse...read more

Communication Research: Asking Questions, Finding Answers covers basic research issues and processes, both quantitative and qualitative, appropriate for communication students with little or no previous research methods experience. The text's guiding principle is that methodological choices are made from one's research questions or hypotheses. This avoids the pitfall in which students learn one methodology or one methodological skill and then force that method to answer all types of questions. Instead of working with one methodology to answer all types of questions, students come away understanding a variety of methods and how to apply them appropriately.Instructors and students can now access their course content through the Connect digital learning platform by purchasing either standalone Connect access or a bundle of print and Connect access. McGraw-Hill Connect® is a subscription-based learning service accessible online through your personal computer or tablet. Choose this option if your instructor will require Connect to be used in the course. Your subscription to Connect includes the following:• SmartBook® - an adaptive digital version of the course textbook that personalizes your reading experience based on how well you are learning the content.• Access to your instructor’s homework assignments, quizzes, syllabus, notes, reminders, and other important files for the course.• Progress dashboards that quickly show how you are performing on your assignments and tips for improvement.• The option to purchase (for a small fee) a print version of the book. This binder-ready, loose-leaf version includes free shipping.Complete system requirements to use Connect can be found here: http://www.mheducation.com/highered/platforms/connect/training-support-students.html

Analyzing Media Messages is a primer for learning the technique of systematic, quantitative analysis of communication content. Rich with examples of recent and classic applications, it provides solutions to problems encountered in conducting content analysis, and it is written so that students can readily understand and apply the techniques. This thoroughly revised third edition includes current and engaging examples for today's students, in addition to a number of historically important cases. It emphasizes communication of visual imagery and studies of advertising content. Resources on the book’s companion website provide additional materials for students and instructors, including existing protocols, web links, and a bibliography of content analysis methods articles. This volume is intended for use as a primary text for content analysis coursework, or as a supplemental text in research methods courses. It is also an indispensable reference for researchers in mass media fields, political science, and other social and behavioral sciences.