Research methods in public administration and nonprofit management : quantitative and qualitative approaches

Designed for practicing administrators as well as students, this book incorporates the latest thinking in public administration and nonprofit organization management. It integrates both the quantitative and qualitative approaches to research, and also provides specific instruction in the use of available statistical software programs such as Excel and SPSS.

Coverage includes such important topics as research design, specifying research problems, designing questionnaires and writing questions, designing and carrying out four classes of qualitative research approaches, and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative research data. The book also encompasses the latest developments in social science research, management and organization research, and research in the social and administrative sciences.

List of Tables and Figures	p. xiii
Part 1 Foundations of Research	p. 1
1. Introduction to Research Methods	p. 3
Why Develop Research Skills?	p. 4
The Research Activity	p. 5
Research--the Scientific Way	p. 6
Purpose of the Book	p. 9
Scope of the Book	p. 9
Structure of the Book	p. 10
2. Research in Public Administration	p. 15
Research Emphasis	p. 16
Public Administration Research Today	p. 17
Research Topics and Themes	p. 17
A Void in Public Administration Research	p. 19
Research Methods	p. 20
Research Strategies	p. 20
3. Research Ethics	p. 27
The Meaning of "Ethics"	p. 28
Foundations of Our Moral Standards	p. 30
What Are Public Administration Ethics?	p. 34
What Are Research Ethics?	p. 36
Research with Human Subjects	p. 38
Ethics in the Research Process	p. 40
Part 2 Introduction to the Research Process	p. 51
4. The Research Process	p. 53
Steps in the Research Process	p. 53
5. The Research Problem	p. 63
Defining the Problem	p. 64
Tasks in the Problem Definition Process	p. 65
Finding a Research Focus	p. 73
Finding Information About a Topic	p. 75
6. Research Designs	p. 81
Quantitative Research Designs	p. 82
Qualitative Research Designs	p. 89
Combination Research Designs	p. 94
Part 3 Quantitative Designs	p. 97
7. Quantitative Research Fundamentals	p. 99
Measurement Fundamentals	p. 100
Defining "Statistics"	p. 103
Statistics Applications	p. 105
Using Statistics to Communicate	p. 107
Statistics in Action	p. 109
Statistics in Public Administration Research	p. 110
Computer Applications	p. 112
8. Introduction to Sampling	p. 114
Why We Sample	p. 115
Sampling Methods	p. 116
Sample Bias and Sampling Error	p. 119
Dealing with Nonsampling Error	p. 120
Sample Distributions	p. 121
9. Questionnaires and Questions	p. 125
Advantages of Using Questionnaires	p. 125
Questionnaire Construction Procedure	p. 126
Writing Questions	p. 136
Part 4 Quantitative Analysis Methods	p. 145
10. Using Descriptive Statistics	p. 147
Summary Statistics	p. 148
Measures of Central Tendency	p. 149
Measures of Variability	p. 154
Measures of Relative Position	p. 156
Measures of Correlation	p. 160
Understanding Distributions	p. 160
Calculating Descriptive Statistics with Excel	p. 163
11. Using Tables, Charts, and Graphs	p. 165
Making Sense Out of Ungrouped or "Raw" Data	p. 166
Presenting Data in Tables	p. 169
Communicating with Charts	p. 176
Using Graphs	p. 179
12. Research Hypotheses	p. 186
Types of Hypotheses	p. 187
The Null Hypothesis	p. 189
Making Inferences About Populations	p. 190
Analyzing Errors of Analysis	p. 191
Hypothesis Testing in Action	p. 191
Tests for a Normal Distribution	p. 195
13. Testing Hypotheses About Two or More Groups	p. 197
Statistical Significance	p. 198
Interpreting Results with p-Values	p. 199
Goodness-of-Fit Tests	p. 199
Two-Group Hypothesis Tests	p. 200
Testing for Differences with the t-Test	p. 202
Comparing Groups with ANOVA	p. 205
14. Looking for Relationships	p. 212
Understanding the Meaning of Correlation	p. 214
What Does Correlation Tell Us?	p. 215
The Link Between Regression and Correlation	p. 216
Calculating and Interpreting Correlation Values	p. 217
Regression Analysis	p. 218
The Standard Error of the Estimate	p. 223
15. Experiments and Experimental Design	p. 225
Key Considerations in Experimental Design	p. 226
Types of Experimental Designs	p. 231
Interpreting Experimental Results	p. 236
Analysis of Experimental Design Data	p. 237
16. Using SPSS to Process Statistical Data	p. 240
How to Start Using SPSS	p. 240
The SPSS Opening Screen	p. 241
Entering Variable Labels: SPSS Version 10 and Above	p. 242
SPSS Data Editor Toolbar: Version 9 and Lower	p. 245
Entering SPSS Data	p. 245
Variables and Values in SPSS	p. 247
Data in SPSS	p. 252
Putting SPSS to Work	p. 253
Part 5 Qualitative Research Strategies	p. 265
17. Introduction to Qualitative Research	p. 267
Classes of Qualitative Research Strategies	p. 269
The Changing Paradigm	p. 275
Approaches to Qualitative Research	p. 276
Collecting, Analyzing, and Interpreting Qualitative Data	p. 282
18. The Case Study in Public Administration Research	p. 285
Defining the Case Study Approach	p. 286
Categories of Case Studies	p. 287
Developing Case Studies	p. 288
Steps in the Case Study Method	p. 291
Required Characteristics in Case Studies	p. 298
19. Grounded Theory in Public Administration Research	p. 301
Importance of Grouping and Coding	p. 303
Two Approaches to Grounded Theory	p. 304
Steps in the Grounded Theory Process	p. 305
Grounded Theory Research in Practice	p. 315
Case Examples	p. 317
20. Ethnography in Public Administration Research	p. 320
The Historical Background of Ethnography	p. 320
Ethnographic Research	p. 324
What Do Ethnographers Do?	p. 328
Doing Fieldwork	p. 332
Ethnography in Public Administration Research	p. 333
Researching the Culture of Public Organizations	p. 338
Case Examples	p. 340
21. Action Research in Public Administration	p. 345
The Contributions of Lewin and Dewey	p. 345
Five Models of Action Research	p. 347
Action Research and Critical Theory	p. 353
Key Themes in Action Research	p. 355
Seven Phases of Planned Change	p. 355
Goals of Action Research	p. 358
Applying Action Research	p. 360
Case Examples	p. 362
Part 6 Qualitative Analysis Methods	p. 365
22. Analyzing Qualitative Data	p. 367
What Is Qualitative Data?	p. 368
Components of Qualitative Data Analysis	p. 368
Bringing Order to Data: A Nine-Step Process	p. 370
A Twelve-Step Process for Analyzing Qualitative Data	p. 375
Analysis of Ethnographic Study Data: Six Phases	p. 379
Computer Analysis of Qualitative Data	p. 387
23. Analyzing Texts, Documents, and Artifacts	p. 391
Analysis of Texts As Data	p. 392
The Literature Review	p. 393
Document Research Using Archival Data	p. 397
Performing a Meta-Analysis of Text Materials	p. 401
Hermeneutic Analysis of Text Material	p. 407
Semiotics: The Analysis of Signs and Symbols	p. 412
Content Analysis	p. 414
Complementary Tools: Narrative and Discourse Analysis	p. 416
Examining Material Culture: Finding Meaning in Artifacts	p. 420
Part 7 Preparing and Presenting Research Findings	p. 425
24. Organizing and Structuring the Research Report	p. 427
Ways to Organize the Research Report	p. 427
Sections of the Final Research Report	p. 429
25. Writing the Research Report	p. 443
Formats for Endnotes and Footnotes	p. 443
Formats for In-Text Citations	p. 444
Tips for Using Sources	p. 445
Bibliographic Style	p. 445
Standard Style Requirements	p. 446
Requirements for Public Administration Research Reports	p. 453
References	p. 457
Index	p. 471

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