Research Methods in Applied Settings: An Integrated Approach to Design and Analysis

The authors of this unique text found that while most students can "crunch" the numbers quite easily and accurately with a calculator or computer, many have trouble seeing the "big picture" or seeing how research questions and design influence data analysis. As a result, the authors developed a semantically consistent framework that integrates traditional research approaches (experimental, quasi-experimental, comparative) into three basic kinds of research questions (difference, associational, and descriptive), which, in turn, lead to three kinds or groups of statistics with the same names.

This text:
*helps students become good consumers of research by demonstrating how to analyze and evaluate research articles;
*offers a number of summarizing diagrams and tables that clarify confusing or difficult to learn topics;
*points out the value of qualitative research and how it should lead quantitative researchers to be more flexible;
*divides all quantitative research questions into five logically consistent categories that help students select appropriate statistics and understand their cause and effect; and
*classifies design into three major types: between groups, within subjects, and mixed groups and shows that, although these three types use the same general type of statistics (e.g., ANOVA), the specific statistics in between-groups design are different from those in within-subjects and mixed groups.

Gliner and Morgan....have written a book that will help students become good consumers of quantitative research.
—Contemporary Psychology

...we really like your book. It is organized and written in such a cogent manner. Although this class has been taught with a packet of readings for the last 20 years, we have assigned, almost in order, the chapters in the book up to the statistical applications. The one chapter that came out of order was the one on external validity. I find that rather amazing, considering the differences between public health approaches and psychological ones. We will adopt it for the class I teach on Research Methods in Health Services Research. Thanks so much for writing it, it was worth your efforts!
—Anne W. Riley
Johns Hopkins University