Understanding communication research methods : a theoretical and practical approach / Stephen M. Croucher and Daniel Cronn-Mills.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Section One. Research paradigms -- Introduction and ethics -- The social scientific paradigm -- The interpretive paradigm -- The critical paradigm (James P. Dimock) -- Section Two. Research design -- Data -- Evaluating research - warrants -- Hypothesis and research questions -- Section Three. Research methods -- Ethnography -- Interviewing -- Focus groups -- Content analysis -- Discourse analysis (Margarethe Olbertz-Siitonen) -- Surveys -- Descriptive statistics -- Inferential statistics -- Experimental design -- Mixed methods (Malynnda Johnson) -- Rhetorical criticism -- The process of critique (James P. Dimock) -- Methods of performance (Desirée D. Rowe and Michael Tristano, Jr.).

"Using an engaging how-to approach that draws from scholarship, real life, and popular culture, this textbook, now in its fourth edition, offers students practical reasons why they should care about research methods and offers a practical guide for conducting research. Explaining quantitative, qualitative, critical, and performance research methods, this new edition helps students better grasp the theoretical and applied uses of method by clearly illustrating practical applications. The book features all the main research traditions in communication including applications of the methods through effective examples and exercises, and sample student papers that demonstrate research methods in action. This textbook is perfect for beginning and advanced scholars using critical, cultural, interpretive, qualitative, quantitative, rhetorical, and performance research methods. Additional resources for students and instructors can be found on the eResource, which includes links, videos, outlines, activities, recommended readings, test questions, and more"-- Provided by publisher.