Designing a study and writing up a research proposal takes time---often more time than actually conducting the study! This practical guide will save you time and frustration by walking you through every step of the process. For starters, it will help you hone in on a research topic---a huge (and hugely important) first step. Then it will guide you in developing the research question, designing the study, and choosing the best strategies for sampling and measurement. The figures, tables, and exhibits offer a wealth of examples and tools, including activities and worksheets to practice alone or in a study group.
 
While many research design books focus on either qualitative or quantitative studies, this book presents a balanced discussion of the relative strengths and limitations of each, as well as differences in how validity is handled for each. No research study can be perfect or provide all the answers. In fact, the best studies result in more questions than answers. This book will deepen your understanding of study limitations and ways to build upon them in future research.
 

Jennifer Brown Urban, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Family Science and Human Development at Montclair State University, where she also directs the Research on Evaluation and Developmental Systems Science lab. She is trained as a developmental scientist with specific expertise in youth development and program evaluation. Her scholarship is encapsulated under the umbrella of systems science,
including both theoretical approaches and methodologies.

Bradley Matheus van Eeden-Moorefield, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Family Science and Human Development at Montclair State University and director of the PhD program. His research includes a strong social justice commitment to understanding and strengthening marginalized families, with his most recent work focused on stepfamilies headed by same-sex couples.

Series Foreword
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Choosing Your Research Question and Hypotheses
Chapter 3: Choosing Your Study’s Purpose
Chapter 4: Choosing Whether to Use a Qualitative, Quantitative, or Mixed-Methods Approach
Chapter 5: Understanding Terms for Quantitative Studies: Concepts, Constructs, and Variables
Chapter 6: Choosing Your Design
Chapter 7: Choosing Your Sample
Chapter 8: Planning Your Measurement Strategy for Collecting Data
Chapter 9: Establishing Validity for Quantitative Studies
Chapter 10: Establishing Validity for Qualitative Studies
Chapter 11: Conclusion
Index
About the Authors
About the Series Editor