Researching ageing and later life : the practice of social gerontology / Anne Jamieson and Christina Victor (eds.).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction / Anne Jamieson and Christina Victor -- Pt. I. The who, what and how of social gerontology. 1. Theory and practice in social gerontology / Anne Jamieson. 2. Strategies and methods in researching ageing and later life / Anne Jamieson -- Pt. II. Using existing sources. 3. Using documentary material: researching the past / Andrew Blaikie. 4. Using existing research and statistical data: secondary data analysis / Christina Victor. 5. Using the Mass-Observation Archive / Dorothy Sheridan. 6. Using 'cultural products' in researching images of ageing / Mike Hepworth -- Pt. III. Creating new data. 7. Doing longitudinal research / Michael Wadsworth. 8. Doing life history research / Joanna Bornat. 9. Doing case study research in psychology / Peter Coleman. 10. Doing diary-based research / Bill Bytheway and Julia Johnson. 11. Doing evaluation of health and social care interventions / Ann Netten -- Pt. IV. The roles and responsibilities of the researcher. 12. Researching ageing in different cultures / Margaret Boneham. 13. Ethical issues in researching later life / Mary Gilhooly. 14. The role of older people in social research / Sheila Peace. 15. The use of gerontological research in policy and practice / Mike Nolan and Jo Cooke.

"The changing demographic profiles of modern societies have led to a growing interest in understanding ageing and later life among those working within the social sciences and humanities. This edited volume addresses the methodological challenges entailed in studying the process of ageing and life course changes, as well as the experience of being old. The book focuses on the theory and practice of doing research, using a wide range of examples and case studies. The contributors, who are prominent researchers in the field, review the range of practices in the use of different methodologies and give in-depth examples, based on their own research experience. The book covers a variety of disciplines and methodologies, both quantitative and qualitative, and a diversity of sources, including fiction, photographs, as well as the traditional social science sources. Researching Ageing and Later Life will be essential reading for those wishing for an insight into the realities of doing research in this area."--Publisher description.