1st Edition
Studying Cities and City Life An Introduction to Methods of Research
1. Introduction
Part One: Initial Considerations
1.1. The Limitations Of Personal Experience
1.2. Scientific Research Methods
1.3. Theory and Research
1.4. Research Designs: An Overview And Preview
Part Two: Research Ethics
1.5. Ethical Constraints
1.6. Subject Protections
1.7. Neutrality
18. Giving Back to the Community
2. Ethnographic Field Studies
Part One: Historical and Theoretical Background
2.1. Historical Field Studies
2.2. The Place of Theory
2.3. Part Two: Conducting Field Studies
2.4. The Participant-Observer Continuum
2.5. Gaining Access
2.6. Sampling
2.7. Writing Field Notes
2.8. Terminating A Field Study
2.9. Assessing Data Quality
Analyzing Ethnographic Data
3. Experimental Design
3.1. Experiments Introduced
3.2. Contrasting Experiments and Ethnographic Studies
3.3. Experimentation In Social Science
3.4. Causal Inference
3.5. Experimental Designs
3.6. Assigning Subjects To Experimental Conditions
3.7. Internal And External Validity
4. Sample Surveys
4.1. History of Urban Sampling Studies
4.2. Sampling: Basic Terms
4.3. Sample Accuracy
4.4. Types Of Samples
4.5. Reaching Respondents
4.6. Nonresponse Bias
5. Obtaining Data, Part One
5.1. Interviews
5.2. Questionnaires
5.3. Observation
6. Obtaining Data, Part Two
6.1. Multi-Methods
6.2. Mixed Methods
6.3. Secondary Sources
6.4. Special Analyses
7. Measurement, Reliability And Validity
7.1. Concepts And Indicators
7.2. Reliability
7.3. Validity
8. The Research Report
8.1. Section Headings
8.2. Writing Style
Biography
Mark Abrahamson is Professor of Sociology (Emeritus) at the University of Connecticut.
"This book provides an accessible and engaging introduction to the wide range of methods used in urban research. Students will benefit from the author’s ability to convey complex ideas succinctly and with clarity, and understanding is aided by numerous relevant examples drawn from classical and contemporary literature." - Graham Crow, Professor of Sociology and Methodology, University of Edinburgh
