Description
Book SynopsisDesigned for social scientists working with big data sets, this book maps out the cycle of research, from epistemology and ethical questions to data collection and analysis. It introduces a unique mixed methods approach by integrating qualitative and quantitative methods. This book is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Trade Review'This book offers a more than welcome clarification of the role of pragmatism as a framework for several methodological contexts. It is very important for qualitative, mixed methods, and big data research, and for the methodological foundation of psychological research. It is clearly written and very accessible for various audiences.' Uwe Flick, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
'We must congratulate the authors for this bountiful attempt to cross the divide between the quantitative and qualitative research communities. Their choice of philosophic pragmatism as the vehicle for this uniting is right on target, and their concern with ethical implications adds vital dimension to the ongoing dialogues. This is a vitally needed reflection.' Kenneth J. Gergen, Swarthmore College, USA
'This remarkable book insists that social research should work on expanding human possibilities in ethical, imaginative, and responsive ways. Building on early American pragmatism, the authors argue that complex multifarious human interests can only be addressed by mixing different research methods. Their stance greatly contributes to current debates on truth, post-truth, epistemology, and useful knowledge, among other fundamental issues.' Ivana Markova, University of Stirling, UK
'This book should be used in introductory research methods courses, to complement the standard texts. Students will enjoy this book, which presents a clear and elegant introduction to research methodology from a pragmatist perspective, with a leaning toward mixed methodology.' Fathali M. Moghaddam, Georgetown University, USA
'Informative, insightful, and eminently practical. Gillespie, Glăveanu, and de Saint Laurent capture the spirit of pragmatist thinking, redevelop it in the context of contemporary problems, and present it to us in a way that is timely and reinvigorates social scientific inquiry.' Kieran O'Doherty, University of Guelph, Canada
Table of ContentsPreface; 1. Pragmatism; 2. Epistemology: How We Know; 3. Theory: What We Know; 4. Creating Questions; 5. Eliciting and Transforming Data; 6. Mixing Qualitative And Quantitative Methods; 7. Multi-Resolution Research; 8. Ethics; 9. Expanding Human Possibilities; References; Index.
