Research methodology textbooks and materials

Dixon, BR, Bouma, GD & Atkinson, GBJ. A Handbook of Social Science Research: a comprehensive and practical guide for students.

Reviewed by Prof Gina Buijs, Dept of Anthropology & Development Studies, University of Zululand.

Publisher: Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987 (reprinted 1988)
Description: 225 pp. 135mm + 210mm. Extensive use of boxes with exercise examples, diagrams, figures and charts. All accessible to novice researchers. Index. Appendix of page of random numbers. No price available.
ISBN: 0198780249 / 0198780230 (pbk)

The text consists of three main sections: an Introduction (chapters one & two), which provides the background to the research process; Phase One: Essential First Steps (which includes chapter three - selecting a problem, chapter four - selecting variables, chapter five - finding a variable's measurements, chapter six   - selecting a research design, and chapter seven - selecting a sample); Phase Two: Data Collection, (comprising chapter eight - collecting data, chapter nine - summarizing and presenting data); Phase Three: Analysis and Interpretation (chapter ten - drawing conclusions, chapter eleven - writing up your research).

Each chapter has five or more useful subheadings displayed in the contents pages, for example, chapter seven - Selecting a Sample - has as subheadings: How to select a sample, Types of sampling procedure, Determining sample size, Summary, Questions for review. Each chapter ends with a list of review questions covering the material dealt with in that chapter so that the student can check her comprehension.

The book was first published as The Research Process in Australia (OUP 1984). Gary Bouma is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology & Sociology at Monash University, Melbourne, and Beverly Dixon is Head of the Department of Home Economics, Victoria College Melbourne. The British edition has been updated by GBJ Atkinson, co-author of Studying Society (OUP 1987).

A handbook of Social Science Research is a resource text for students and teachers, and is aimed at college and university students taking introductory research methodology courses or undertaking small scale research projects. It is not intended for the advanced student who is familiar with non-parametric statistics. The text approaches research methodology as a process and presents a sequence of activities, providing practical examples and exercises for each one.

The book deals in a comprehensive way with topics such as conducting a literature review, starting with and explanation of how a library catalogue works (including an example of the Dewey Decimal Classification) and referring the student to encyclopaedias, journals, abstracts and indexes. The students then moves on the a discussion of how to formulate a hypothesis or research objective, selecting variables and operationalizing the hypothesis. Measurement in the social and behavioural sciences is dealt with in detail, including using observation, interview schedules and questionnaires to measure variables.

Examples of simple questionnaires and data summarization forms are given. Problems of validity and reliability are also covered. Chapter Six deals with research design, including case study, longitudinal study, comparison and experiment, while Chapter Seven shows the student how to select a sample, determine sample size and choose sampling procedures.

The authors caution students to show consideration towards their subjects and to respect confidentiality. The ethics of research are dealt with in some detail (pp 164-166), following the British Psychological Society's Guidelines on 'Ethical principles for research with human subjects" as an authoritative statement of good practice.

The book assumes that the student will need to learn to summarise and present her data herself and provides instruction on the compilation of tables and graphs, (including bar graphs, pie charts, scattergrams and lines charts). While perhaps not so essential in these days of advanced computer graphics, the authors show the importance of clearly understanding the difference between dependent variables and what means and averages are and their uses.

Analysis and interpretation of the data is well dealt with in Chapter Ten on Drawing Conclusions and hints of writing up are given in Chapter Eleven. I feel that perhaps this final chapter is the weakest one in an otherwise most useful and comprehensive text. While the student is given a format for the presentation of her written report (title page, acknowledgements, abstract, introduction, literature review, research design, data description, data analysis, conclusion, bibliography, appendices) the authors could usefully have allocated more space to the methodology of presenting research findings, which students often find difficult.

In general, however, the text is accessible and is written in a friendly, non-patronising style, free from jargon, which should easily be understood by non-mother-tongue English speakers. Since the book was designed to cater for British students the examples used refer to places or people in Britain, but appropriate South African examples could easily be substituted by the lecturer. I have used this book for approximately ten years to teach research methodology and techniques to second and third year anthropology students. I have found that students with little or no mathematical background were able to grasp the principles of research design given in the book well.

A handbook of Social Science Research is a good resource text for students in the social sciences and humanities at an introductory college level. It is clearly and concisely written and the exercise given allow students to evaluate their own competence as they progress. While it is aimed at a British audience, the examples can be easily adapted to South African needs.