Feilzer, M. Y. (2010). Doing mixed methods research pragmatically: Implications for the rediscovery of pragmatism as a research paradigm. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 4(1), pp.6-16. Rossi, P. H., Wright, J. D., & Anderson, A. B. (2013). Handbook of survey research. Academic Press. Eldabi, T., Irani, Z., Paul, R. J., & Love, P. E. (2002). Quantitative and qualitative decision-making methods in simulation modelling. Management Decision, 40, 64–73. Crotty, M. (1998). The foundations of social research: Meaning and perspective in the research process. Sage. Although this research approach is informed by a positivist philosophy, it can be used to investigate a wide range of social phenomena, including feelings and subjective viewpoints. The quantitative approach can be most effectively used for situations where there are a large number of respondents available, where the data can be effectively measured using quantitative techniques, and where statistical methods of analysis can be used (May, 2011).

Exceptionally comprehensive but practical and student-friendly, offering clear and complete coverage of all the key areas of social research methods. Prandini, R. (2015). Relational sociology: A well-defined sociological paradigm or a challenging ‘relational turn’ in sociology? International Review of Sociology, 25, 1–14. A sample is a representative segment of a larger population (Bryman, 2012). In quantitative research, the sample size and how it is selected can be used to establish the reliability of the results of the study. In qualitative research, the sample characteristics are also important, but much smaller samples tend to be used. Marginson, S. (2016). The worldwide trend to high participation higher education: Dynamics of social stratification in inclusive systems. Higher Education, 72, 413–434. In new 'Learn from experience' boxes, recent social science graduates from across the UK and Europe share their experiences of conducting a student research project. These candid accounts will inspire readers and help them to avoid common pitfalls and emulate successful approaches.

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Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2002). Research methods for business students. Pearson education Ltd., Harlow. Hornborg, A. (2006). Animism, fetishism, and objectivism as strategies for knowing (or not knowing) the world. Ethnos, 71, 21–32. In addition to many new examples of published research, this edition features the insights of a panel of recent graduates from their experiences of researching a variety of fascinating topics, including attitudes towards the LGBT+ community on social media, the experiences of Pakistani Muslim single mothers, and the impact of screen time on sleep. 'Learn from experience' boxes in every chapter contain their candid reflections on the successes and challenges of their projects, and their advice for student researchers. Buell, M. J., Hooper, A., Hallam, R. A., & Han, M. (2018). A descriptive study of the relationship between literacy quality and global quality in family child care programs engaged in quality rating and improvement systems. In Child & Youth Care Forum (pp. 725–745). Springer. Taber, K. S. 2017. Beyond positivism. In School-based research: A guide for education students (p. 323).

Hathcoat, J. D., Meixner, C., & Nicholas, M. C. (2019). Ontology and epistemology. Handbook of Research Methods in Health Social Sciences, 99–116. Marginson, S. (2018a). Higher education, economic inequality and social mobility: Implications for emerging East Asia. International Journal of Educational Development, 63, 4–11. Walmsley, D. J., & Lewis, G. J. (2014). People and environment: Behavioural approaches in human geography. Routledge. Gardner, S. K. (2013). Paradigmatic differences, power, and status: A qualitative investigation of faculty in one interdisciplinary research collaboration on sustainability science. Sustainability Science, 8, 241–252. The qualitative approach is drawn from the constructivist paradigm (Bryman & Allen, 2011). This approach requires the researcher to avoid imposing their own perception of the meaning of social phenomena upon the respondent (Banister et al., 2011). The aim is to investigate how the respondent interprets their own reality (Bryman & Allen, 2011). This presents the challenge of creating a methodology that is framed by the respondent rather than by the researcher. An effective means by which to do this is through interviews, or texts, where the response to a question can be open (Feilzer, 2010).Lassar, W., Mittal, B., & Sharma, A. (1995). Measuring customer-based brand equity. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 12, 11–19. New material on recent developments within social research, including social media research and big data, has been embedded throughout and the numerous examples of real research have been thoroughly updated. Dr Tom Clark is a Lecturer in Research Methods at the University of Sheffield, UK. He is interested in all aspects of methods and methodology, particularly with respect to learning and teaching. His other interests

Bansal, P., Smith, W. K., & Vaara, E. (2018). New ways of seeing through qualitative research. Academy of Management Briarcliff Manor. Creswell, J. W., & Miller, D. L. (2000). Determining validity in qualitative inquiry. Theory into Practice, 39, 124–130. Hertzog, M. A. (2008). Considerations in determining sample size for pilot studies. Research in Nursing & Health, 31, 180–191. Bougoure, U. S., Russell-Bennett, R., Fazal-E-Hasan, S., & Mortimer, G. (2016). The impact of service failure on brand credibility. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 31, 62–71. Banister, P., Bunn, G., Burman, E., & Daniels, J. (2011). Qualitative Methods In Psychology: A Research Guide. London: McGraw-Hill International.

Hammersley, M. (2017). Deconstructing the qualitative-quantitative divide 1. In Mixing methods: Qualitative and quantitative research. Routledge. This form of research is effective in financial research, such as comparing the experiences of two companies, or comparing the effect of investment in difference contexts.