This collection of field research narratives from veteran social and behavioral science researchers acknowledges the unpredictability of managing a project and candidly illustrates real-world problems and solutions. Unlike standard research methods texts, each chapter in this book has practical import for the researcher, ties together extant literature, and illustrates the issues with concrete examples from the authors' own experience. Chapters cover scenarios such as creating an interdisciplinary research team, hiring and training research staff and interviewers, developing the instrument, preparing data for analysis, navigating the IRB and ethical dilemmas, maintaining cultural sensitivity, evaluating the intervention, and disseminating results.
Doctoral students, junior faculty, and research assistants will appreciate this insider's look at the reality of conducting a research project. Designed to supplement traditional textbooks on research methods, The Field Research Survival Guide will be an ideal addition to doctoral courses in departments of social work, psychology, psychiatry, and public health, and an indispensible field guide for those managing a research project.
- An insider's guide to managing the reality of conducting a research project
- Filled with straightforward advice from seasoned researchers
- Chapter outlines summarize and map each scenario for quick reference
- Addresses real-world research dilemmas candidly and knowledgeably
1. Balancing Science and Services: The Challenges and Rewards of Field Research, Kimberly Eaton Hoagwood and Sarah McCue Horwitz ; 2. Developing Questions when the Perfect Instrument is Not Available, Sarah McCue Horwitz and Kimberly Eaton Hoagwood ; 3. Hiring, Training, and Retaining Research Staff and Interviewers, Elizabeth Mayfield Arnold and Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus ; 4. Managing the Data from Survey Development through Archiving, Peter Dore and Arlene Rubin Stiffman ; 5. Data Preparation and Data Standards: The Devil is in the Details, Catherine M. Smith, Carolyn Breda, Tonya Simmons, Ana Regina Vides de Andrade, and Leonard Bickman ; 6. Cultural Sensitivity and Cultural Disparaties: Ethical Dilemmas, Legal Issues, and IRB Requirements, Arlene Rubin Stiffman ; 7. Creating Interdisciplinary Research Teams and Using Consultants, John Landsverk ; 8. "Indigenizing" Collaborative Research Efforts with Native American Communities, Karina L. Walters, Antony Stately, Tessa Evans-Campbell, Jane M. Simoni, Bonnie Guillory Duran, Katie Schultz, Erin Stanley, Chris Charles, and Deborah Guerrero ; 9. The World of all Possible Program Evaluation Outcomes, Leonard Bickman and Michele Athay ; 10. The Influence of Research on Policy and Practice: Lessons from Studies of Asset Building and Low-Income Families, Michael Sherraden and Trina Williams Shanks ; 11. Disseminating Results and Sharing Data and Publications, Matthew O. Howard and Michael G. Vaughn
