Introduction to Research: Understanding and Applying Multiple Strategies

This is the book I was looking for...exactly what i needed. If fact, this was truly the best deal i found,brand new! Thank you for the free shipping! It made it that much more of a pleasure to purchase from you.

This book gives a strong foundation on the basics of human oriented research with simple, but useful explainations of all the major concepts. The part where it is lacking is in the statistical analysis which is definitely not like the rest of the book. While the basic concpts of statistics use in research is covered, a more thorough explaination and inclusion of examples would have been useful. However, in spite of this, I would still highly recommend this book to anyone beginning their studies in clinical or human based research.

Breaks down the research process and makes it a bit less intimidating. The authors tried their best to clearly explain the hard concepts. The whole book is written in an easy to understand format. Highly recommended.

I have been teaching social science research methods since 1978. As a result, I believe I have reviewed most of the textbooks in the area. As a result, I feel I can make a couple of remarks regarding the work of DePoy and Gitlin.First and foremost, this is a textbook. It was specifically designed for students in allied health professional studies and human service curricula. Compared to most textbooks, it is NOT dry writing. Clearly, the authors have a flare for words.Second, the primary strength of this text is its evenhandedness. More so than any other text, DePoy and Gitlin address both the qualitative and quantitative methodologies. No text completes this task as effectively and as efficiently. When Ph.D. students (within my doctoral cohort) were being educated, they shared an unsavory learning experience. Most of us were taught to become number crunchers. The value of qualitative research was downplayed. In some cases we were specifically taught that qualitative research methodologies were hampering the image and progress of the social sciences. Thus, qualitative techniques were portrayed as a strategy employed by professors to engage the interest of undergraduate students. Qualitative methods were often adopted as a "play time." The possible exception for my observation is anthropology. However, even doctoral educators in anthropology noted the value of number crunching.DePoy and Gitlin offer a doorway to turn our thinking around. They contend that the research question must drive the research method - not the other way around. During my education (Baccalaureate, Masters, and Ph.D.), I was taught to design research questions that could be answered by employing regression analysis or a variation of it. DePoy and Gitlin do more to legitimize qualitative methodologies than any current authors. They accomplish this task by systematically examining a wide range of methods by demonstrating the value of each.I see two problems. First, the authors have embarked on a Herculean task. They skim the surface of the various methodologies, but offer little depth. In the end, students will not have an adequate knowledge base to employ any single research method without some additional educational support. Perhaps such educational support is a role for the research professor. Thus, the lack of depth may be a blessing in disguised. Second, few of my students (3 to 25%) will enroll in graduate school. Thus, it is highly unlikely that they will be actively involved in a substantive research project. These students need to employ research methodologies to improve their job performance and gain insight into self-evaluation. This is a flaw in the work of DePoy and Gitlin. The authors do not directly address self-evaluation.In the end, I believe that DePoy and Gitlin offers the best preparation for graduate school. Nothing comes closer. I highly recommend this book.