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Workbook

This workbook is written for the readers of Social Research who wish to explore further the various issues covered in the text. In its 17 chapters - matching those of Social Research - the workbook offers useful guidance and assistance, which help to consolidate the skills and knowledge offered in each chapter. Furthermore, this workbook contains several techniques to test the outcome of your reading, and to guide you to the next step of your study. Acceptable test results will indicate that you are ready to continue with your reading; otherwise a revision of the chapter would be advisable.

Each chapter contains nine sections; these are: contents, educational objectives, points to remember, short-answer questions, true/false questions, fill-in questions, multiple-choice questions, practical exercises and answers to the questions. The list of contents offers an overview of the issues addressed in the chapter and outlines the boundaries within which the discussion will focus. This tells you what you will be dealing with in the chapter, helping you to focus your attention on the correct points. The educational objectives spell out in general terms the goals of your learning and the expected outcomes of your study in each chapter. The list of points to remember give a brief but comprehensive summary of the main issues considered in each chapter. This list offers a condensed overview of the main points introduced in each chapter, and helps you to highlight the new knowledge in point form, and to keep it alive in your memory.

Short-answer questions address the central issues of the chapter and help you to review its material, encouraging you to address issues in your own words, allowing freedom of expression and individual response to the issues in question. True/false questions are more specific in their focus and encourage personal choice and decision making when answering questions. Fill-in questions focus on definitions of the central concepts introduced in the chapter in question. Multiple-choice questions are similar to true/false questions, but there are four options to choose from when answering the question. Practical exercises provide a forum where you can apply the concepts, methods and techniques introduced in each chapter in real situations.

The diversity of the questions introduced in this workbook reflects the diversity of goals entailed in testing. Each test type focuses more or less on the specific aspects of learning for which it is most suitable. Overall, tests address skills, abilities and competencies, as well as other educational attributes such as knowledge, comprehension, analysis, application, synthesis and evaluation. Knowledge refers mainly to memorising, defining, describing, identifying, recognising and recalling facts, concepts, theories, and so on. Comprehension reflects the ability to translate, integrate and extrapolate. Analysis relates to identifying, categorising, comparing, discriminating and recognising set elements. Application is the ability to use new knowledge in practical situations, and to focus on constructing, developing, planning, applying, building and solving. Synthesis involves combining and integrating elements with the purpose of creating, developing and explaining, as well as formulating and proposing plans and solutions. Evaluation is the ability to make judgments, that is, to decide, to appraise and to critically assess.

This workbook has accompanied Social Research for a number of years, and fellow students who have used it in their studies have contributed to make it easier to approach and more student-friendly. In its current version it should be closer to your needs and personal preferences. It will be useful for me to share with you the way your fellow students have used this workbook in the past. Most of the surveyed students used the workbook immediately after having completed the study of the relevant chapter. However, there were also students who read the relevant chapter of the workbook before and after studying the text. Obviously, there is no correct way of studying; learning styles vary and it is for you to decide which way to follow.

Finally, you will soon discover that although you will be informed which answers are right and which are wrong, there will be no explanation for this judgment. The reason for not offering such explanations is that the educational philosophy of this workbook and of the text in general is based on the principles of critical and interactive learning, which encourage you to search for evidence based on facts and standards rather than on what many call 'spoon-feeding' or offering answers 'on a plate'. Learning here is more than knowing the answers alone. It is about the overall domain of knowledge, theory and practice, which are beyond brief answers and justifications. Hence you are expected to search critically to find out why an answer is wrong, knowing that this way you will become more knowledgeable and more self-confident than if a brief justification at the end of the question was merely cited. An exception to this is Chapter 17 where statistical and mathematical concepts and practices are being employed. In this chapter you will find not only answers but also clarification of the processes that lead to these answers.

I am sure that you will find your way through this workbook, I hope that you will find it useful and helpful and also enjoyable to read, and wish you good luck with your studies.

Sotirios Sarantakos
May 2004

Contents

Click here for a score sheet for the exercises