Social Research: Philosophy, Politics and Practice

Social Research: Philosophy, Politics and Practice provides a wide-ranging and critical introduction to the principles of social and educational research. It draws together a key set of readings which offer a broad assessment of the issues of values and practice in social research. Issues explored include: the relationship between quantitative and qualitative methods; positivism, and the role of the natural sciences as a model for social research; the purposes of research - knowledge of the social world, or its transformation; issues of race, gender and power in social research; the politics and ethics of data collection; the validity and relevance of social research. Social Research: Philosophy, Politics and Practice is a set text for the Open University course Principles of Social and Educational Research (DEH313). The book is intended for students, academics and researchers across the social sciences, education and health sciences.