• First steps in research 3/e

• Maree K (Editor)
• ISBN: 9780627037085
• eISBN: N/A
• ePub ISBN: 9780627037092
• 492 Pages | Published: 2019
• Print: R605.00 ePub: R544.50

At some point or other in their academic careers, most tertiary-level students will become engaged in the planning and execution of research projects. It is a fundamental part of further education that many students find daunting, which need not be the case. First steps in research uses the most current perspectives in the field both locally and internationally to provide theoretical and practical guidelines on how to conduct and report on research at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

First steps in research brings together the views of academics, theorists, researchers, and practitioners. It presents perspectives and theory on how to facilitate the understanding and application of theories, goals, methods, and strategies. The book is easy to read and use without diluting the conceptual and terminological complexities of the field. It examines the historical and philosophical underpinnings of qualitative, quantitative, and integrative (integrated) or mixed methods of conducting research, and suggests how these three approaches may be used most appropriately. It also elaborates on the methodological dimensions of action research processes and exemplifies participatory reflection.

Contents include the following:

·         Formulating research questions

·         Conceptualising and writing research proposals

·         An example of a research proposal using a mixed-methods approach and one using an action research proposal

·         Conducting a preliminary literature review

·         Ethical considerations

·         Interpreting data

·         Data construction or generation (collection methods, including how to engage participants and elicit “thick” data)

·         Sampling methods

·         Graphical ways of representing data

·         Basic probability rules

·         Basic statistical methods and tests/techniques

·         Employing online and technical instruments in the areas of literature review, data collection, and data analysis

·         Mixed-methods (avant garde) frameworks

First steps in research is aimed at scholars, academics, researchers, and Master’s and doctoral students conceptualising and conducting research as well as undergraduate students or junior postgraduate students who are encountering research methodology for the first time.

Jacobus G. (Kobus) Maree, DEd, PhD, DPhil, is a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, University of Pretoria. A fellow of the International Association for Applied Psychology and the Psychological Association of South Africa, he has spent much time abroad as a visiting professor. Kobus is a regular keynote speaker at national and international conferences and has received multiple awards for his work. He has authored or co-authored 115+ peer-reviewed articles and 65 books/ book chapters on career counselling and related topics since 2009.