Practical Research Methods for Media and Cultural Studies: Making People Count

by Maire Messenger Davies, Nick Mosdell

Many very intelligent people don't like dealing with numbers. Similarly, many gifted scientists are not especially interested in studying people and their cultural behavior. In this book, we argue that being interested in people and their cultures, and helping students and others to use numbers to pursue these interests, are not mutually exclusive. Research methods are becoming an increasingly important requirement for students of all kinds. But many students, particularly those in the humanities, struggle with concepts drawn from the social sciences and find quantitative and statistical information inaccessible and daunting. Nonetheless, such concepts are found in nearly all areas of society, from market research to opinion polls to psychological studies of human behavior.

This book provides a simple guide to the process of conducting research in the humanities, with special reference to media and culture, from the planning stage, through the data gathering, to the analysis and interpretation of planning it, doing it, and understanding it.

The book shows how students' own choice of research topic can be refined into a manageable research question and how the most appropriate methodologies can be applied. Each section draws on actual examples from research that the authors and their students have conducted. Topics covered choosing a research question and method; instrument design and pilot data; practical procedures; research with children; looking at statistics; and interpretation of results.

336 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2006

Reviews

[Ioana Fotache · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 would recommend to any beginner. This is what introductory methodology books should strive to be: succinct, way to understand, approachable, with relatable examples a-plenty.

[Tara Brabazon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This introductory guide has an important focus. It introduces quantitative research methods for humanities scholars, particularly those working in media and cultural studies. There is attention to the formulation of a research question, sampling, analysis and presentation of data. There is discussion of how to construct a survey and how to select the participants in a research project.

It is a bit dry, but it is a solid presentation and guide through quantitative research methods. This is a highly introductory guide, but useful.

[Rasheed Shabazz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book illustrates practice research methods for both quantitative and qualitative research methods in media. From the basic theories to running regressions, this book will give you the methods to conduct research that matters.