-- M. Carolyn Clark, Department of Educational Human Resource Development, College of Education, Texas A&M University Since Merriam's definitive Case Study Research in Education first appeared in 1988, significant advances have occurred in the field of qualitative research. To meet the demand for a book that reflects these important changes, Merriam has completely revised and updated her classic work.Timely, authoritative, and approachable, Qualitative Research and Case Study Applications in Education is a practical resource that offers the information and guidance needed to manage all phases of the qualitative and case study research process.

    It can be used in a variety of disciplines and is ideal for an introductory comprehensive undergraduate or graduate level course. Through its conversational, informal style it makes material that is often challenging for students both accessible and understandable. The Research Methods Knowledge Base, 3e covers everything from the development of a research question to the writing of a final report, describing both practical and technical issues of sampling, measurement, design and analysis.

    In addition to step-by-step coverage of documentation, the book includes an overview of the research-writing process entitled "Writing Scholarly Papers" and three useful appendices. Thorough and practical, this convenient reference guide is also less expensive and easier for undergraduates to use than the APA Manual. The Second Edition features expanded coverage of electronic sources to keep students up-to-date on using and evaluating Internet references in their research. In addition, this new edition provides more guidance on avoiding plagiarism. The two sample APA-style papers--one argumentative and one experimental--are carefully annotated to give students extra support as they master the elements of manuscript preparation and documentation principles.

    Health System, This Condensed Distillation Of The Important Topics Covered In Delivering Health Care In America Is The Perfect Resource For Courses In Health Policy, Allied Health, Health Administration And More. It Clarifies The Complexities Of Health Care Organization And Finance And Presents A Solid Overview Of How The Various Components Fit Together. The Second Edition Of Essentials Of The US Health Care System Has Been Updated To Include New Data, Charts, Tables And Accompanying Information Throughout The Book. Use As A Stand-Alone Text, Or A Supplement In Various Courses. New Content Includes: Medicare, Medicaid And SCHIP. Ongoing Evolution In U.S. Health Care As A Result Of Corporatization And Globalization. The Role Of Hospitalists. Updated Content On Parts C And D Of Medicare. Including Information On High-Deductible Health Plans/Health Savings Accounts As An Insurance Option. Updated Content On Primary Care And Community Oriented Health Care Development Current Development On Hospital Extensions To The Community. Current Development On Nano Technology. Current Health Policy Issues. Current Discussion On Healthcare Reforms, Including Future Challenges Posed By The Increased Need For Long-Term Care. New Third Edition Now Available!

    It shows how the components of design interact with each other, and provides a strategy for creating coherent and workable relationships among these design components, highlighting key design issues. Written in an informal, jargon-free style, the new Third Edition incorporates examples and hands-on exercises.

    Who knew Laine Crosby, former marketing executive at The Weather Channel, had the gift of being an Investigative Medium? Not even Laine, that is, until she moved from Atlanta to the property of an eighteenth century Maryland plantation and woke up talking to a former slave buried in her backyard! Investigative Medium - the Awakening, examines the gift that was thrust upon Laine who was at first surprised, and then upset, and over time and through experience, embracing of this new way of life. Laine’s husband, Chris, twins Annie and Caleb, and even her Jack Russell terrier “Steve” have peripheral ghostly involvement, so it is a family affair, although at first an unsettling one.Along Laine’s journey, she meets an unlikely friend, the spirit of Jannette, once nanny to the children on the plantation where she lives. Laine becomes Jannette's voice, bringing her back from the antebellum South to tell the incredible story of her life as a slave, and a tender romance is revealed. Interwoven with Laine’s personal story, are the first hand accounts of former slaves Jannette and Bill, and others.Laine finds similarities in her own life and Jannette's, and with Jannette's friendship, Laine begins her journey down a path of self discovery. Once Laine accepts her gift, it is her mother who, from beyond the grave, helps Laine find a way to surrender, and at long last give up on the life she dreamed of having, in order to have the life she was meant to live. Investigative Medium - the Awakening is first in the Investigative Medium series, a preface to future books about Laine's adventures with law enforcement, historians and archaeologists. It is a fast read and an uplifting and hopeful book for anyone who has lost a loved one. But, put on your seat belts; It's a thriller along the way!Now available as an ebook on Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords. Paperback available July 2013 (ISBN 978-1-940261-00-3)on LaineCrosby.com among other stores.

    Survey Methodology describes the basic principles of survey design discovered in methodological research over recent years and offers guidance for making successful decisions in the design and execution of high quality surveys. Written by six nationally recognized experts in the field, this book covers the major considerations in designing and conducting a sample survey. Topical, accessible, and succinct, this book represents the state of the science in survey methodology. Employing the "total survey error" paradigm as an organizing framework, it merges the science of surveys with state-of-the-art practices. End-of-chapter terms, references, and exercises enhance its value as a reference for practitioners and as a text for advanced students.

    The book covers four major topics in field experimentation:

    Covering all of the fundamentals in a straightforward, student-friendly manner, it is ideal for undergraduate- and graduate-level courses across the social sciences and also serves as an indispensable guide for researchers. Striking a balance between specific techniques and the underlying logic of scientific inquiry, this book provides a lucid treatment of the four major approaches to research: experimentation, survey research, field research, and the use of available data. Richly developed examples of empirical research and an emphasis on the research process enable students to better understand the real-world application of research methods. The authors also offer a unique chapter (13) advocating a multiple-methods strategy.

    Using lively examples from his and other researchers′ experiences, friendly, practical tips, and a warm, reflective writing style, this second edition has been completely updated and includes new features, such as:Chapter 4 on Linking Up: Provides readers with thoughtful guidelines as to how and where to use theory, what needs to be said about method, some thoughts about the traditional literature review (as well as how to decide whether or not to include this material!) Applications: Give readers the opportunity to put into practice some of Wolcott′s tips to improve or jump-start their own writing Bulleted Reviews: Highlight the key points to remember from each chapterRead the book that will not only enable you to better tell the story of your research in the article, monograph, or dissertation you need to write but also help you to incorporate writing into the essential role it must play in a professional research career.

    

    Thoroughly updated, this accessible introduction to the methods of ethnographic fieldwork reconsiders the status of ethnography and places it quite explicitly in a general methodological context.

    Using actual unfinished, "working" notes as examples, they illustrate options for composing, reviewing, and working fieldnotes into finished texts. They discuss different organizational and descriptive strategies, including evocation of sensory detail, synthesis of complete scenes, the value of partial versus omniscient perspectives, and of first person versus third person accounts. Of particular interest is the author's discussion of notetaking as a mindset. They show how transforming direct observations into vivid descriptions results not simply from good memory but more crucially from learning to envision scenes as written. A good ethnographer, they demonstrate, must learn to remember dialogue and movement like an actor, to see colors and shapes like a painter, and to sense moods and rhythms like a poet.The authors also emphasize the ethnographer's core interest in presenting the perceptions and meanings which the people studied attach to their own actions. They demonstrate the subtle ways that writers can make the voices of people heard in the texts they produce. Finally, they analyze the "processing" of fieldnotes—the practice of coding notes to identify themes and methods for selecting and weaving together fieldnote excerpts to write a polished ethnography.This book, however, is more than a "how-to" manual. The authors examine writing fieldnotes as an interactive and interpretive process in which the researcher's own commitments and relationships with those in the field inevitably shape the character and content of those fieldnotes. They explore the conscious and unconscious writing choices that produce fieldnote accounts. And they show how the character and content of these fieldnotes inevitably influence the arguments and analyses the ethnographer can make in the final ethnographic tale.This book shows that note-taking is a craft that can be taught. Along with Tales of the Field and George Marcus and Michael Fisher's Anthropology as Cultural Criticism, Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes is an essential tool for students and social scientists alike.

    For each question, there is a concise explanation of how to apply it in the evaluation of research reports.Numerous examples from journals in the social and behavioral sciences illustrate the application of the evaluation questions. Students see actual examples of strong and weak features of published reports.Commonsense models for evaluation combined with a lack of jargon make it possible for students to start evaluating research articles the first week of class.The structure of this book enables students to work with confidence while evaluating articles for homework.Avoids oversimplification in the evaluation process by describing the nuances that may make an article publishable even though it has serious methodological flaws. Students learn when and why certain types of flaws may be tolerated. They learn why evaluation should not be performed mechanically.This book received very high student evaluations when field-tested with students just beginning their study of research methods.Contains more than 60 new examples from recently published research. In addition, minor changes have been made throughout for consistency with the latest edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association."

    His concise guide provides numerous examples of successful phenomenological studies from a variety of fields including therapy, health care, victimology, psychology and gender studies. The book also includes form letters and other research tools to use in designing and conducting a study.