Download or read book Theory Construction and Model Building Skills Second Edition written by James Jaccard and published by Guilford Press. This book was released on 2019-12-17 with total page 546 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This accessible, hands-on text has now been revised and updated, with expanded coverage of topics including how theory may emerge from exploratory data analysis. The book prepares graduate students, new researchers, and even seasoned investigators to develop their own theories and build on existing ones. Concrete strategies are provided to help readers generate ideas, define constructs, and think through relationships and processes that link constructs. Compelling examples from multiple disciplines illustrate the use of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods orientations to theory construction. The text also offers practical advice for writing effectively about theories in papers and grant applications. Readers learn by doing via application and concept exercises, demonstration boxes, and practical guidelines. The extensive companion website (www.theory-construction.com) includes PowerPoint slides of all of the book's figures, primers on advanced topics, video demonstrations, supplemental exercises, and other resources. New to This Edition *Emergent theory is now covered in mixed methods as well as qualitative approaches, plus in a new chapter on exploratory quantitative methods that can help generate new theory through data mining. *Chapter on whether and how to revise a theory when faced with disconfirmatory data. *Two chapters on the theoretical underpinnings of measurement practices. *New or expanded discussions of what constitutes a theoretical contribution, conceptual logic models, thought experiments, and more. Pedagogical Features *Application and concept exercises in every chapter. *Lists of key terms and engaging topical boxes. *Annotated suggestions for further reading. *New companion website with rich resources for students and instructors. *Chapters stand on their own and can be used in any order.
Download or read book Theory Construction and Model Building Skills written by James Jaccard and published by Guilford Publications. This book was released on 2020-02-06 with total page 545 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book provides young scientists with tools to assist them in the practical aspects of theory construction. We take an informal journey through the cognitive heuristics, tricks of the trade, and ways of thinking that we have found to be useful in developing theories-essentially, conceptualizations-that can advance knowledge in the social sciences. This book is intended to provide the instructor with a useful source for helping students come up with ideas for research and for fine-tuning the resultant theories that emerge from such thinking. An objective of this book is to move toward a needed balance in the emphases given to theory construction and theory testing"--
Download or read book How to Build Social Science Theories written by Pamela J. Shoemaker and published by SAGE Publications. This book was released on 2003-12-10 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Click ′Additional Materials′ to read the foreword by Jerald Hage As straightforward as its title, How to Build Social Science Theories sidesteps the well-traveled road of theoretical examination by demonstrating how new theories originate and how they are elaborated. Essential reading for students of social science research, this book traces theories from their most rudimentary building blocks (terminology and definitions) through multivariable theoretical statements, models, the role of creativity in theory building, and how theories are used and evaluated. Authors Pamela J. Shoemaker, James William Tankard, Jr., and Dominic L. Lasorsa intend to improve research in many areas of the social sciences by making research more theory-based and theory-oriented. The book begins with a discussion of concepts and their theoretical and operational definitions. It then proceeds to theoretical statements, including hypotheses, assumptions, and propositions. Theoretical statements need theoretical linkages and operational linkages; this discussion begins with bivariate relationships, as well as three-variable, four-variable, and further multivariate relationships. The authors also devote chapters to the creative component of theory-building and how to evaluate theories. How to Build Social Science Theories is a sophisticated yet readable analysis presented by internationally known experts in social science methodology. It is designed primarily as a core text for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses in communication theory. It will also be a perfect addition to any course dealing with theory and research methodology across the social sciences. Additionally, professional researchers will find it an indispensable guide to the genesis, dissemination, and evaluation of social science theories.
Download or read book Theory Building in Applied Disciplines written by Richard A. Swanson and published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers. This book was released on 2013-08-05 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Theory matters in applied disciplines—fields that apply scholarly research to professional practice, such as management, social work, health care, human resource development, education, and many others. Because these disciplines deal with human beings in the real world, a flawed theory can result in actual harm to people and institutions. When faced with a professional problem, practitioners resort to the latest fad or simply throw everything and anything at it because of the lack of sound theory. Scholars deal with problems by slicing them into small segments to study them but fail to address the practical implications. What's needed is a way to unite research and practice to create robust theory. This is exactly what Richard Swanson and Thomas Chermack offer here: a complete, five-step method for developing sound, field-tested theory in applied disciplines. Unlike many existing methods, which cover only the initial conceptualization of a theory, the authors offer a complete approach, from conceptualizing a theory to creating relevant assessment criteria, establishing a research agenda to test the theory's validity, applying the theoretical concepts in the real world, and using that experience to further refine and improve the theory. The method is not restricted to any single discipline, nor is it beholden to any research ideology. Swanson and Chermack provide a set of tools for each phase of the process, making this book accessible and applicable to a wide audience. And in addition to examples in each chapter, they offer two extended case examples of complete theory building. With flawed theories impeding the development of many applied disciplines, this book is desperately needed.
Download or read book Primer in Theory Construction written by Paul Davidson Reynolds and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-07-02 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Primer in Theory Construction is for those who have already studied one or more of the social, behavioral, or natural sciences, but have no formal introduction to the way theories are constructed, stated, tested, and connected together to form a scientific body of knowledge. The author discusses scientific theories in general terms, but also addresses the special challenges of developing scientific knowledge about social and human phenomena. This Allyn and Bacon Classics Edition contains the complete text of the original copyright 1971 version, with new typography and page design.
Download or read book Building Theories written by David Danks and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-01-18 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores new findings on the long-neglected topic of theory construction and discovery, and challenges the orthodox, current division of scientific development into discrete stages: the stage of generation of new hypotheses; the stage of collection of relevant data; the stage of justification of possible theories; and the final stage of selection from among equally confirmed theories. The chapters, written by leading researchers, offer an interdisciplinary perspective on various aspects of the processes by which theories rationally should, and descriptively are, built. They address issues such as the role of problem-solving and heuristic reasoning in theory-building; how inferences and models shape the pursuit of scientific knowledge; the relation between problem-solving and scientific discovery; the relative values of the syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic view of theories in understanding theory construction; and the relation between ampliative inferences, heuristic reasoning, and models as a means for building new theories and knowledge. Through detailed arguments and examinations, the volume collectively challenges the orthodox view’s main tenets by characterizing the ways in which the different “stages” are logically, temporally, and psychologically intertwined. As a group, the chapters provide several attempts to answer long-standing questions about the possibility of a unified conceptual framework for building theories and formulating hypotheses.
Download or read book Paradigms in Theory Construction written by Luciano L'Abate and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-12-01 with total page 453 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Within the field of psychology there is a proliferation of paradigms, theories, models, and dimensions without an underlying conceptual framework or theory. This conclusion has been reached by representatives of many different psychological specialties. In response to this inconsistency this book presents a hierarchical framework about important theoretical issues that are present in psychological thinking. These issues concern definitions of three major theoretical concepts in theory and practice: (a) paradigms, (b) theories, and (c) models. It focuses on defining, comparing, and contrasting these three conceptual terms. This framework clarifies differences among paradigms, theories, and models, terms which have become increasingly confused in the psychological literature. Paradigms are usually confused with theories or with models while theories are confused with models. Examples of misuses of these terms suggest the need for a hierarchical structure that views paradigms as conceptual constructions overseeing a variety of psychological theories and verifiable models.
Download or read book Theory Building written by Robert Dubin and published by . This book was released on 1978 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Family Theories written by James M. White and published by SAGE Publications. This book was released on 2018-12-20 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Family Theories: An Introduction by James M. White, Todd F. Martin, and new co-author Kari Adamsons provides an incisive, thorough primer to current theories of the family that balances the diversity and richness of a broad scope of scholarly work in a concise manner. This best-selling text draws upon eight major theoretical frameworks developed by key social scientists to explain variation in family life. These frameworks include social exchange and choice, symbolic-interaction, family life course development, systems, conflict, feminist, ecological, and functional theories. This new Fifth Edition includes suggestions for integrating theory to guide a research program and more applications for those going on to careers in the helping professions. With an increased focus on both classical theories as well as contemporary and emerging theories, this text challenges students to think about how families and family theories have changed over the last 70 years as well as where family scholarship is headed.
Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Quantitative Methods in Psychology Vol 1 written by Todd D. Little and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-03-21 with total page 507 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Oxford Handbook of Quantitative Methods in Psychology provides an accessible and comprehensive review of the current state-of-the-science and a one-stop source for learning and reviewing current best-practices in a quantitative methods across the social, behavioral, and educational sciences.
Download or read book Construction Management Strategies written by Milan Radosavljevic and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2012-05-08 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An authoritative textbook on construction management offering a clear model for understanding theoretical aspects. The construction industry has become a truly global network of interconnected stakeholders making demands which require the involvement of skilled workforces from all over the world. Construction Management Strategies sets the foundations for understanding and managing construction’s inherent complexity and uniqueness. It establishes clear definitions of commonly accepted terms like built environment, construction, civil engineering, etc. which are often given confusing and conflicting interpretations. It cuts through the plethora of overlapping role titles currently used in the construction sector that make it difficult to establish how projects are actually managed. Construction Management Strategies: Offers a robust and consistent theoretical basis to explain the performance of the main approaches to construction management. Describes corporate and project management in construction as an integrated whole. Provides the basic toolkit a student needs to think through the practical situations they will later face. Helps bring the theory of construction management to international students who struggle to find a solid grounding in this complex and fragmented subject. Includes a companion website featuring a wealth of directly transferable examples for students, as well as PPT slides and topic discussion ideas for lecturers.
Download or read book Strategies for Theory Construction in Nursing written by Lorraine Olszewski Walker and published by Pearson. This book was released on 2013-11-01 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For all masters or doctoral courses on nursing theory or related to framework development for practice or research. For beginning graduate students in nursing and related disciplines, this text offers the clearest, most useful introduction to methods of theory development. It places nursing theory development in context, with a rich historical view that traces the field from its from its mid-20th century beginnings through contemporary and emerging issues. Present-day coverage includes both domain- and population-focused theories designed to specifically address the needs of clients served by nurses. Important additions in this edition include short reflections and critical thinking projects, as well as a new chapter on using knowledge development and theory to inform practice.
Download or read book Techniques and Problems of Theory Construction in Sociology written by Jerald Hage and published by New York : J. Wiley. This book was released on 1972 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book How to Build a Person written by John L. Pollock and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 1989 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pollock describes an exciting theory of rationality and its partial implementation in OSCAR, a computer system whose descendants will literally be persons.
Download or read book Understanding Tall Buildings written by Kheir Al-Kodmany and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-02-17 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years, the rapid pace of tall building construction has fostered a certain kind of placelessness, with many new tall buildings being built out of scale, context and place. By analyzing hundreds of tall buildings and by providing hundreds of visuals that inspire, stimulate and engage, Understanding Tall Buildings contends that well-designed tall buildings can rejuvenate cities, ignite economic activity, support social life and boost city pride. Although this book does not claim to possess all the solutions, it does propose specific tall building design guidelines that may help to promote placemaking. Through this work, it is the author’s hope that ill-conceived developments will become less common in the future and that good placemaking will become the norm, not the exception. This book is a must-read for students and practitioners working to create better tall buildings and better urban environments.
Download or read book Workbenches Revised Edition written by Christopher Schwarz and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-01-15 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two centuries of workbench wisdom in one book With this book, your very first workbench will do everything you need it to do--possibly for the rest of your woodworking career. Encompassing years of historical research and real-world trials, Christopher Schwarz boils down centuries of the history and engineering of workbenches into basic ideas that all woodworkers can use. • Learn how to design your own world-class workbench • Learn the fundamental rules of good workbench design that have been largely forgotten • Learn how to build an inexpensive and practical bench that hasn't been in widespread use for over 100 years • Learn how to properly use any workbench In this revised and updated edition you'll find plans for five benches--two sturdy English benches and two variations on the French Roubo, as well as a portable bench you can clamp to any solid surface. The old-school benches in this book are simpler than modern benches, easier to build and perfect for both power and hand tools. Beginning woodworkers can build any of these benches. The technical drawings are clear and show every detail. Using the step-by-step instructions, you will be amazed at how easily these workbenches can be constructed.
Download or read book The Fundamentals of Political Science Research written by Paul M. Kellstedt and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2009 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This textbook introduces the scientific study of politics, supplying students with the basic tools to be critical consumers and producers of scholarly research.
