A theoretical and practical guide on how to conduct and report on research at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Uses the most current perspectives in the field; both locally and internationally; to facilitate the understanding and application of theories; goals; methods and strategies. Aimed at scholars; academics; researchers; and Master's and doctoral students who are conceptualising and conducting research
A Science News Best Science Book of the Year: “A brilliant, fun, and scientifically deep stroll through history, anatomy, and evolution.” —Agustín Fuentes, PhD, author of The Creative Spark: How Imagination Made Humans Exceptional Winner of the W.W. Howells Book Prize from the American Anthropological Association Blending history, science, and culture, this highly engaging evolutionary story explores how walking on two legs allowed humans to become the planet’s dominant species. Humans are the only mammals to walk on two rather than four legs—a locomotion known as bipedalism. We strive to be upstanding citizens, honor those who stand tall and proud, and take a stand against injustices. We follow in each other’s footsteps and celebrate a child’s beginning to walk. But why, and how, exactly, did we take our first steps? And at what cost? Bipedalism has its drawbacks: giving birth is more difficult and dangerous; our running speed is much slower than other animals; and we suffer a variety of ailments, from hernias to sinus problems. In First Steps, paleoanthropologist Jeremy DeSilva explores how unusual and extraordinary this seemingly ordinary ability is. A seven-million-year journey to the very origins of the human lineage, this book shows how upright walking was a gateway to many of the other attributes that make us human—from our technological abilities to our thirst for exploration and our use of language—and may have laid the foundation for our species’ traits of compassion, empathy, and altruism. Moving from developmental psychology labs to ancient fossil sites throughout Africa and Eurasia, DeSilva brings to life our adventure walking on two legs. Includes photographs “A book that strides confidently across this complex terrain, laying out what we know about how walking works, who started doing it, and when.” —The New York Times Book Review “DeSilva makes a solid scientific case with an expert history of human and ape evolution.” —Kirkus Reviews “A brisk jaunt through the history of bipedalism . . . will leave readers both informed and uplifted.” —Publishers Weekly “Breezy popular science at its best.” —Science News
First Steps in Research and Statistics is a new, very accessible approach to learning about quantitative methods. No previous knowledge or experience is assumed and every stage of the research process is covered. Key topics include: * Formulating your research questions * How to choose the right statistical test for your research design * Important research issues, such as questionnaire design, ethics, sampling, reliability and validity * Conducting simple statistics to explore relationships and differences in your data * Using statistics to explore relationships and differences in your data * Writing up your research report and presenting statistics Simple and helpful worksheets and flow diagrams guide you through the research stages. Each chapter contains exercises with answers to check whether you've understood.
Intended for beginning interpreters, this book approaches seismic interpretation via synthesis of concepts and practical applications rather than through formal treatment of basic physics and geology. Based on the author's personal experience as a seismic interpreter, it is organised along the lines of notes from classes he designs and teaches.
′This engagingly written and nicely opinionated book is a blend of friendly introduction and concisely applicable detail. No-one can recall every statistical formula, but if they have this book they will know where to look′ - Professor Jon May, University of Plymouth ′This is one of the best books I have come across for teaching introductory statistics. The illustrative examples are engaging and often humorous and the explanations of ′difficult′ concepts are written in a wonderfully clear and intuitive way′ - Nick Allum, University of Essex Selected as an Outstanding Academic Title by Choice Magazine, January 2010 First (and Second) Steps in Statistics, Second Edition provides a clear and concise introduction to the main statistical procedures used in the social and behavioural sciences and is perfect for the statistics student starting their journey. The rationale and procedure for analyzing data are presented through exciting examples with an emphasis on understanding rather than computation. It is ideally suited for introductory courses in statistics given its gentle beginning, yet progressive treatment of topics. In addition to descriptive statistics, graphs, t-tests, oneway ANOVAs, Chi-square, and simple linear regression, this Second Edition now includes some new, more advanced topic areas as well as a host of additional examples to help students confidently progress through their studies and apply the techniques in lab work, reports and research projects. Key features of this new edition: - the reoganization of the first three chapters giving more attention to univariate statistics and providing more examples to work through at this level - more advanced ′second step′ content has been added on factorial ANOVA and multiple regression - the robust methods chapter from the first edition is now spread throughout the book, and is linked with common teaching practices. - many more examples have been added to enhance the book′s practical potential. - a host of exercises as well as further reading sections at the end of every chapter. An accompanying Web page includes information for each chapter using the statistical packages SPSS and R.
Carol S. Parke's Essential First Steps to Data Analysis: Scenario-Based Examples Using SPSS provides instruction and guidance on preparing quantitative data sets prior to answering a study's research questions. Such preparation may involve data management and manipulation tasks, data organization, structural changes to the data files, or conducting preliminary analysis. Twelve research-based scenarios are used to present the content. Each scenario tells the "story" of a researcher who thoroughly examined their data and the decisions they made along the way. The scenario begins with a description of the researcher's study and his/her data file(s), then describes the issues the researcher must address, explains why they are important, shows how SPSS was used to address the issues and prepare data, and shares the researcher's reflections and any additional decision-making. Finally, each scenario ends with the researcher's written summary of the procedures and outcomes from the initial data preparation or analysis.
In the twenty-first century we are confronted with a rapidly changing world full of social, economic and environmental uncertainties. We are all inherently connected to this changing world and in order to create the best possible conditions for life to thrive, we must each develop an inner capacity to respond and adapt to life in new, creative and innovative ways. The author of this visionary book argues that the path to a happy, healthy and peaceful world begins with the individual. By learning to recognise our cognitive habits of interrupting and defining life through our fixed ideas, labels and judgements, we can begin to develop a dynamic way of seeing that enables us to perceive and respond to life with greater attentiveness. First Steps in Seeing reveals a practical set of stepping stones that guide the reader into this dynamic way of seeing and relating. Using personal stories, practical exercises and real-world case studies in development, education and business, the author takes the reader on a journey to explore how to give our full attention to life, and how to enliven the world that we each co-create. An inspiring guide for all those working for social change in youth work, business, education or research, or simply seeking fresh paths in life.
The First Steps in Seeing is about the eyes, and how they capture an image and convert it to the neural messages that ultimately result in visual experience. A full appreciation of how the eyes work is rooted in diverse areas of science-optics; biochemistry and photochemistry; molecular biology, cell biology, neurobiology, and evolutionary biology; psychology and psychophysics. The findings related to vision from any one of these fields are not difficult to understand in themselves, but, in order to be clear and precise, each discipline has developed its own set of words and conceptual relations-in effect, its own language-and for those wanting a broad introduction to vision these separate languages can present more of an impediment to understanding than an aid. However, what lies beneath these words usually has a beautiful simplicity, and it is the aim of The First Steps in Seeing to describe how we see in a manner that is understandable to all. In this book, the use of technical terms is restricted, and several hundred full-color illustrations ensure that the terms that are used are associated with a picture, icon, or graph that visually expresses their meaning. Experimental findings have been recast in terms of the natural world whenever possible, and broad themes bring together lines of thought that are often treated separately. Fourteen main chapters form a "thread" that tells the main scientific story and can be read without specialized knowedge or reliance on other sources. This thread is linked to fourteen discussions which explore certain crucial topics in greater depth. Notes link the material presented in the thread and in the special topics discussions to important review articles and seminal research papers. The First Steps in Seeing is an innovative, authoritative work that belongs in the library of anyone with an interest in visual perception.
Set in the wider context of the project approach to learning, this book addresses the needs of both library media specialists and teachers in preschool, kindergarten, and primary grades. Educators who want to use stories and nonfiction to promote independent learning in young children will love this book. The reader will find practical hands-on activities where each sample lesson includes content, learning goals, and strategies for teaching and assessing learning. Librarians and teachers will learn not only how to guide young children through the research process, but also the important why to do this. These developmentally appropriate research lessons are ready to teach for grades preschool through second.
Research Basics: Design to Data Analysis in Six Steps offers a fresh and creative approach to the research process based on author James V. Spickard’s decades of teaching experience. Using an intuitive six-step model, readers learn how to craft a research question and then identify a logical process for answering it. Conversational writing and multi-disciplinary examples illuminate the model’s simplicity and power, effectively connecting the “hows” and “whys” behind social science research. Students using this book will learn how to turn their research questions into results.
