Social science research in New Zealand : an introduction / Edited by Martin Tolich and Carl Davidson.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Mihi Whakatau -- Introduction -- Part I. The Big Picture : -- 1. The Purposes of Research -- 2. Science and Social Science -- 3. Research with Māori: Learning from Kaupapa Māori Research -- 4. Doing Cross-cultural Research in New Zealand -- 5. Feminist Social Science Research in New Zealand -- 6. Politics and Ethics: Ethical Research Following the Canterbury Earthquakes -- Part II. The Basics : -- 7. Literature Review -- 8. Research Design -- 9. Collecting and Analysing Quantitative Data -- 10. Collecting and Analysing Qualitative Data -- 11. Writing about Your Research -- Part III. Techniques of Social Research : -- Quantitative Methods -- 12. Research with National Surveys -- 13. Evaluation -- 14. Longitudinal Research -- 15. Official Statistics -- 16. Secondary Sources -- 17. Predictive Modelling -- Qualitative Methods -- 18. Visual Ethnography -- 19. Historical Research: Pulling Together a History of New Zealand's Teenagers -- 20. Focus Groups -- 21. Action Research: Peer Researchers, Refugees and the Canterbury Earthquakes -- 22. Observation and Ethnographic Fieldwork -- 23. Using Conversation Analysis -- Mixed Methods -- 24. The Incredible Complexities and Tensions of Researching with Māori: A Mixed Methods Autoethnography -- 25. Distress Purchases: A Mixed Methods Study -- 26. Nature in Children's Environments: A Mixed Methods Study -- Conclusion: Many Paths to Understanding.

"This book introduces readers to the range of theories, approaches and techniques that we will need to understand this country in the twenty-first century.Part one, ‘the big picture’, looks at how different cultures gather knowledge, introducing readers to science, social science, Māori approaches, cross-cultural and feminist research, and ethics. Part two, ‘the basics of social science research’, explains how to do a literature review, design a research project, collect and analyse quantitative and qualitative data, and write up the results. In part three, ‘techniques of social research’, a number of prominent New Zealand social scientists show how research really gets done by explaining the use of key techniques in their own research projects, from official statistics and longitudinal research to focus groups and ethnography.This is a book for New Zealand students and practitioners written by New Zealand social scientists, highlighting what is different about doing research in this country in the twenty-first century. The book is as much about qualitative approaches as quantitative ones and introduces readers to the practice of research through real cases, rather than just theory. The editors are fierce methodological pluralists, and they introduce the wide range of tools and approaches available to the modern researcher."--Publisher information.