The Basics of Communication Research (with InfoTrac)

476 Pages·2003·10.781 MB·English

by  Leslie A. Baxter, Earl R. Babbie

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From the Wadsworth Series in Speech Communication
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Crannell Voice and Articulation,Third Edition Fifth Edition
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Thinking for Reasoned Decision Making,Tenth Edition of Public Speaking
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Personal, Cultural and Political Complexities Approach
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Contexts: Skills, Ethics, and Technologies Speaking,Twelfth Edition
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Hall Among Cultures: Communication and Challenges Williams/Monge Reasoning with Statistics: How to
Hamilton Essentials of Public Speaking,Second Edition Read Quantitative Research
Hamilton/Parker Communicating for Results: A Guide Wood Communication Mosaics: An Introduction to the
for Business and the Professions,Sixth Edition Field of Communication,Third Edition
Hoover EffectiveSmallGroupandTeamCommunication Wood Communication in Our Lives,Third Edition
Isaacson/Dorries Service Learning in Communication Wood Communication Theories in Action: An
Studies: A Handbook,Second Edition Introduction,Third Edition
Jaffe Public Speaking: Concepts and Skills for a Diverse Wood Gendered Lives: Communication, Gender, and
Society,Fourth Edition Culture,Fifth Edition
Kahane/Cavender Logic and Contemporary Rhetoric: Wood Interpersonal Communication: Everyday
The Use of Reason in Everyday Life,Eighth Edition Encounters,Fourth Edition
Knapp/Hall Nonverbal Communication in Human Wood Relational Communication: Continuity and
Interaction,Fifth Edition Change in Personal Relationships,Second Edition
Larson Persuasion: Reception and Responsibility,Tenth
Edition
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THE BASICS OF
COMMUNICATION
RESEARCH
Leslie A. Baxter
The University of Iowa
Earl Babbie
Chapman University
Australia • Canada • Mexico • Singapore • Spain • United Kingdom • United States
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Leslie dedicates the book to her
daughter, Emma, the best question
asker she knows.
Earl dedicates the book to Aaron and
Ara Babbie, who keep finding new ways
to enrich his life.
Copyright 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has
deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
CONTENTS IN BRIEF
Preface xiv Part 3
A Note from the Authors xvii QUALITATIVE COMMUNICATION
RESEARCH 296
Part 1
13 Participant Observation 300
AN INTRODUCTION TO SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY
14 Qualitative Interviewing 324
ABOUT COMMUNICATION 1 15 Social Text Analysis 347
1 Human Inquiry and Scientific Inquiry about 16 Qualitative Data Analysis 365
Communication 2
2 Basic Building Blocks in Conducting APPENDIXES 381
Communication Research 17
A Communication-Related Journals 382
3 Paradigms of Knowing in Communication
B Using the Library 384
Research 46
C Research in Cyberspace 387
4 Logic Systems and Theory in Communication
D A Sample Research Report/Proposal in APA
Research 68
Style 392
5 The Ethics of Communication Research 84
E APA Citations 398
F Estimated Sampling Error 400
Part 2
G Random Numbers 401
QUANTITATIVE COMMUNICATION H Constructing Indexes and Scales 403
RESEARCH 102 I Distribution of Chi Square 413
6 Conceptualization and Operationalization 106 J Distribution of t 415
7 The Logic of Sampling 131 K Percentage Points of the F-Distribution 416
8 Survey Research 166 L Values of the Correlation Coefficient for Different
Levels of Significance 418
9 Experiments 204
10 Quantitative Text Analysis 230
Glossary 419
11 The Basics of Quantitative Data Analysis 256
References 431
12 Inferential Statistics in Quantitative Data
Analysis 271 Index 443
vi
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CONTENTS
Preface xiv Chapter 2
A Note from the Authors xvii Basic Building Blocks in Conducting
Communication Research 17
Part 1
Introduction 18
AN INTRODUCTION TO SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY Selecting and Narrowing Your Topic Area 18
ABOUT COMMUNICATION 1
Conducting a Literature Review 19
Reading Communication Research Reports 21
Chapter 1
Different Forms of Communication Research
Human Inquiry and Scientific Inquiry
Reports 21
about Communication 2
Organization of the Quantitative Research
Introduction 3 Report 22
Searching for Knowledge about Communication 4 Organization of the Qualitative Research
Report 25
Ordinary Human Inquiry about Communication 4
Organization of the Multi-Method Research
Tradition 5
Report 27
Authority 5
Checklists for Reading Communication Research
Errors in Ordinary Inquiry about Communication
Reports 28
and Some Solutions 6
What’s Really “Real”? 7 Determining Your Purpose 30
Exploration 30
The Foundations of Scientific Inquiry about
Description 31
Communication 9
Causal/Functional Explanation 31
An Empirical Enterprise 9
Understanding 31
Social Regularities 10
Aggregates, Not Individuals 10 Determining Your Unit of Analysis 32
Individuals 32
Knowledge Claims about Communication 11
Groups 33
What Communication Researchers Study 11
Organizations 33
TheDisseminationofCommunicationResearch 13
Social Artifacts 34
Some Dissemination Sites for Communication
Research 13 Units of Analysis in Review 35
The Ecological Fallacy 38
Main Points 14
Formulating Your Research Question or Hypothesis 38
Key Terms 15
Formulating Your Research Design 38
Review Questions and Exercises 15
The Time Dimension 38
Continuity Project 15
The Space Dimension 41
Additional Readings 16
vii
Copyright 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has
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viii CONTENTS
Writing Up Your Research Proposal 43 Chapter 4
Logic Systems and Theory in Communication
Main Points 44
Research 68
Key Terms 44
Introduction 69
Review Questions and Exercises 44
Two Logic Systems 70
Continuity Project 45
Constructing Theory by Starting Deductively 72
Additional Readings 45
A Detailed Example 73
Answers to Units of Analysis Exercise 45
Linking Deductively Derived Theory to Observation, and
Back Again 74
Chapter 3
Hypothesis Testing 74
Paradigms of Knowing in Communication
Using Deductively Derived Theories
Research 46
Heuristically 77
Introduction 47
Constructing Theory by Starting Inductively 78
Four Social Science Paradigms: An Overview 47 A Detailed Qualitative Example 78
The Positivist Paradigm 48 A Detailed Quantitative Example 79
An Objective Reality 49 Using Inductive and Deductive Reasoning to Get Started
The Study of Variables 49 in Research 80
Positivist Theory 52 Relating Theory to Practice: Some Concluding
Generalized Laws 54 Thoughts 81
Quantitative Data 55 Main Points 82
The Systems Paradigm 56 Key Terms 82
Characteristics of Systems 57
Review Questions and Exercises 82
A Comparison of Systems and Positivist
Continuity Project 82
Paradigms 58
Additional Readings 83
The Interpretive Paradigm 59
The Study of Meanings 59
Chapter 5
The Study of Rules 60
The Ethics of Communication Research 84
Interpretive Theory 61
Qualitative Data 62 Introduction 85
The Critical Paradigm 62 The Origins of Researcher Agreements about Ethical
Critical Reflection 62 Conduct 85
Some Critical Approaches 63 Ethical Issues in Conducting Communication
Research 86
Paradigms Revisited: Some Concluding Remarks 64
Voluntary Participation 86
Objectivity and Subjectivity 64
No Harm to the Participants 87
The Nature of Explanation 64
Anonymity and Confidentiality 88
The Advantages of Multi-Method Research 65
Deception 89
Main Points 66
Ethical Issues in Analyzing and Reporting
Key Terms 66
Communication Research 90
Review Questions and Exercises 67 Objectivity and Ideology 90
Continuity Project 67 Protection of Study Participants 91
Honesty and Integrity 91
Additional Readings 67
Avoiding Plagiarism 92
Copyright 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has
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