Social Statistics Commons^™

Looking Beyond Arts And Crafts: A Book Review Of Research For Designers, April Coan

The Qualitative Report

In this book review of Research for Designers: A Guide to Methods and Practice, I provide a summary of the book’s content and a brief description of each chapter. I also discuss the book’s structure, organization, strengths, and weaknesses. This review concludes with the evaluation that Research for Designers is an excellent resource and practical guide for novice researchers from any academic discipline, but especially so for researchers and practitioners in the design field.

“I Am Just Like Everyone Else, Except For A Nine-Digit Number”: A Thematic Analysis Of The Experiences Of Dreamers, Joanna Méndez-Pounds Ph.D., Denise A. Nicholas, Natali Gonzalez, Jason B. Whiting

The Qualitative Report

This qualitative thematic analysis study explored the experiences of DREAMers, undocumented students raised in the US awaiting the passage of the DREAM Act. We used a phenomenologically-informed textual analysis which resulted in a summary essence of the experience of DREAMers, describing how even though DREAMers are like other contributing members of society “except for a nine-digit number,” certain characteristics make their experience unique. Two websites containing experiences of individuals identifying as DREAMers as they wait for the passage of the DREAM Act, were analyzed to draw out specific themes that represented DREAMers’ experiences. Results revealed the following themes, Uncertainty about …

A Book Review Journey Through Doing Ethnography, Katie L. Laux

The Qualitative Report

Giampietro Gobo and Andrea Molle describe their book, Doing Ethnography, as a recipe for cooking ethnography. In this book review, I will take you on a journey through this culinary delight. I provide an overview of the points of interest, a short description of what can be found at each location, and the benefits of the various stops on the tours. Overall, this book is an appropriate choice for novice researchers or anyone who is interested in the practice of ethnography.

A Comprehensive Review Of Seven Steps To A Comprehensive Literature Review, Jan Kirksey Williams 8272621

The Qualitative Report

Onwuegbuzie and Frels (2015) provide the framework for evaluating current research and present seven steps for developing a Comprehensive Literature Review. Today a significant dilemma of research involves the sparse number of rigorous, empirical research studies to guide development of best practices of writing. The authors describe the purpose of their book as “a tool and guide for master’s-level students, doctoral-level students, and new and experienced researchers” to approach writing a CLR in a through and investigative way. The thrust and challenge is for researchers to concentrate on improving their methods and practices when reviewing topics with strong potential for …

An Evaluation Of The 2016 Election Polls In The United States, Courtney Kennedy, Mark Blumenthal, Scott Clement, Joshua D. Clinton, Claire Durand, Charles Franklin, Kyley Mcgeeney, Lee Miringoff, Kristen M. Olson, Douglas Rivers, Lydia Saad, G. Evans Witt, Christopher Wlezien

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The 2016 presidential election was a jarring event for polling in the United States. Preelection polls fueled high-profile predictions that Hillary Clinton’s likelihood of winning the presidency was about 90 percent, with estimates ranging from 71 to over 99 percent. When Donald Trump was declared the winner of the presidency, there was a widespread perception that the polls failed. But did the polls fail? And if so, why? Those are among the central questions addressed by an American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) ad hoc committee. This paper presents the committee’s analysis of the performance of preelection polls in …

Inductive And Deductive: Ambiguous Labels In Qualitative Content Analysis, Mohammad Reza Armat, Abdolghader Assarroudi, Mostafa Rad, Hassan Sharifi, Abbas Heydari

The Qualitative Report

The propounded dualism in Content Analysis as quantitative and qualitative approaches is widely supported and justified in nursing literature. Nevertheless, another sort of dualism is proposed for Qualitative Content Analysis, suggesting the adoption of "inductive" and/or "deductive" approaches in the process of qualitative data analysis. These approaches have been referred and labelled as "inductive" or "conventional"; and "deductive" or "directed" content analysis in the literature. Authors argue that these labels could be fallacious, and may lead to ambiguity; as in effect, both approaches are employed with different dominancy during the process of any Qualitative Content Analysis. Thus, authors suggest more …

The Basics And Ethics Of Social And Behavioral Sciences Research Design: A Book Review, Isibel C. Moreno

The Qualitative Report

The following is a succinct review of the book: Research Design: Quantitative, Qualitative, Mixed Methods, Arts-Based, and Community-Based Participatory Research Approaches, written by Patricia Leavy and published in 2017. This review covers topics such as the book’s successful depiction of the basic concepts encompassed in research design for the social and behavioral sciences, the setup of the chapters, discussions about the author’s inclusion of Review Stops interweaved in each chapter, as well as the author’s discussions of social justice and ethical considerations for each topic explained in the book. In addition, there are brief notes on the author’s expertise in …

On Time Well Spent: A Review Of Helen Kara’S Research And Evaluation For Busy Students And Practitioners, Stephanie Fitzsimmons

The Qualitative Report

We all have those moments when we are assigned a new project or research assignment where we think, “Oh my goodness, I don’t even know where to start.” I wish I had this book 20 years ago to guide me through internal conversations and shed light on the research process. Kara weaves the conversation, not only from her perspective and experience but also of others who shared their thoughts and experiences. The book through stories, experiences, and tips creates a virtual friend that acts as a safe place to ask questions and see how others handled certain situations. As a …

Models As Weapons: Review Of Weapons Of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality And Threatens Democracy By Cathy O’Neil (2016), Samuel L. Tunstall

Numeracy

Cathy O’Neil. 2016. Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy (New York, NY: Crown) 272 pp. ISBN 978-0553418811.

Accessible to a wide readership, Cathy O’Neil’s Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy provides a lucid yet alarming account of the extensive reach of mathematical models in influencing all of our lives. With a particular eye towards social justice, O’Neil not only warns modelers to be cognizant of the effects of their work on real people—especially vulnerable groups who have less power to fight back—but also encourages laypersons to take initiative …

Incarceration Rates And Single Motherhood, Ethan Zurbrugg, Colt Hall

Student Scholarship - College of Business

Traditionally, the family unit consists of a mother, a father, and one or more children. There are many instances throughout the United States where this traditional family structure is not found. One of these situations, the single motherhood situation, occurs when a father figure is absent and the mother has to provide for her children on her own. Could the lack of a father figure in a child’s life cause them to be more likely to break the law and become incarcerated? Is there a causation between a state’s single motherhood rate and their incarceration rate, or are the two …

Patterns Of Government In Onondaga County: Structure And Services Of County, City, Town, And Village Governments, Focus Greater Syracuse, Syracuse University, Maxwell School, Community Benchmarks Program

Community Benchmarks Program

The 2018 revised Patterns of Government is an important resource for elected and public officials, citizens, students, businesses, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and the general public. Patterns of Government also serves as the textbook for Citizens Academy, co- sponsored by FOCUS Greater Syracuse and Syracuse University Community Engagement. Local government courses at Maxwell School of Syracuse University and Newhouse School of Public Communications also use Patterns of Government as an educational tool. This book contains vital information that ordinarily can be found only when one researches multiple sources. This informational book will help you understand how local governments are organized, …

State Of Nebraska 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results, Bureau Of Sociological Research

Nebraska Student Health and Risk Prevention Surveillance System (SHARP)

No abstract provided.

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #3: Economics, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

[Introductory paragraph]

This report examines regional perceptions of economic conditions from the 2018 Life In Hampton Roads survey (LIHR 2018) conducted by the Old Dominion University Social Science Research Center. Data from prior years is also provided when available to show comparisons in responses over time. Responses were weighted by city population, race, age, gender, and phone usage (cell versus land-line) to be representative of the Hampton Roads region. For additional information on survey methodology, and analyses of other issues, please see the SSRC website at www.odu.edu/ssrc.

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #1: Regional, City And Neighborhood Quality Of Life, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

[Introductory paragraph]

The Old Dominion University Social Science Research Center is proud to release the first part of the 2018 Life in Hampton Roads (LIHR) Survey Report. LIHR has been conducted by the Social Science Research Center with support from the Old Dominion University Office of Research and the College of Arts and Letters since 2010 and is now in its ninth year. Release #1 focuses on regional quality of life and perceptions of the local public school system. Data from prior years is also provided when available to show comparisons in responses over time. Responses were weighted by city …

Life In Hampton Roads Report: The Ninth Annual Life In Hampton Roads Survey, Steve Parker, Randy R. Gainey, Tancy Vandecar-Burdin

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

[From the Executive Summary]

The Social Science Research Center (SSRC) at Old Dominion University recently completed data collection for the ninth annual Life in Hampton Roads telephone survey. The purpose of the survey was to gain insight into residents’ perceptions of the quality of life in Hampton Roads. The project also investigated attitudes and perceptions of citizens regarding topics of local interest such as transportation and traffic, local and state government, perceptions of police, health, community, education, and other issues. This year, the SSRC also partnered with the Virginia Beach Department of Public Health and they provided additional health-related questions …

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #2: Politics, Social Issues, Perceptions Of The Police, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

[Introductory paragraph]

This report examines regional perceptions of political figures and political affiliation from the 2018 Life In Hampton Roads survey (LIHR 2018) conducted by the Old Dominion University Social Science Research Center. Data from prior years is also provided when available to show comparisons in responses over time. Responses were weighted by city population, race, age, gender, and phone usage (cell versus land-line) to be representative of the Hampton Roads region. For additional information on survey methodology, and analyses of other issues, please see the SSRC website at www.odu.edu/ssrc. The political climate is one factor in understanding attitudes on …

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #4: Health, Health Care, And Other Health Related Issues, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

[Introductory paragraph]

This report examines regional and sub-regional measures of health and health related issues from the 2018 Life In Hampton Roads survey (LIHR 2018) conducted by the Old Dominion University Social Science Research Center. Data from prior years is also provided when available to show comparisons in responses over time. Responses were weighted by city population, race, age, gender, and phone usage (cell versus land-line) to be representative of the Hampton Roads region. For additional information on survey methodology, and analyses of other issues, please see the SSRC website at www.odu.edu/ssrc. The health of Hampton Roads residents is …

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #5: Transportation, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

[Introductory paragraph]

This report examines regional perceptions of transportation related issues from the 2018 Life In Hampton Roads survey (LIHR 2018) conducted by the Old Dominion University Social Science Research Center. Data from prior years is also provided when available to show comparisons in responses over time. Responses were weighted by city population, race, age, gender, and phone usage (cell versus land-line) to be representative of the Hampton Roads region. For additional information on survey methodology, and analyses of other issues, please see the SSRC website at www.odu.edu/ssrc.

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #6: Sea Level Rise And Flooding, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

[Introductory paragraph]

This report examines regional measures of environmental risk perceptions from the 2018 Life In Hampton Roads survey (LIHR 2018) conducted by the Old Dominion University Social Science Research Center. Data from prior years is also provided when available to show comparisons in responses over time. Responses were weighted by city population, race, age, gender, and phone usage (cell versus land-line) to be representative of the Hampton Roads region. For additional information on survey methodology, and analyses of other issues, please see the SSRC website at www.odu.edu/ssrc. The 2018 Life in Hampton Roads survey included a series of …

Nebraska Risk And Protective Factor Student Survey Results For 2018. Profile Report: State Of Nebraska, Bureau Of Sociological Research

Nebraska Student Health and Risk Prevention Surveillance System (SHARP)

This report summarizes the findings from the 2014 Nebraska Risk and Protective Factor Student Survey (NRPFSS). The 2014 survey represents the sixth implementation of the NRPFSS and the third implementation of the survey under the Nebraska Student Health and Risk Prevention (SHARP) Surveillance System.

The NRPFSS targets Nebraska students in grades 8, 10, and 12 with a goal of providing schools and communities with local-level data. As a result, the NRPFSS is implemented as a census survey, meaning that every public and non-public school with an eligible grade can choose to participate. Therefore data presented in this report are not …

Nasis 2018: Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey Questionnaire, Bureau Of Sociological Research

Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (NASIS)

100 questions; 12 pages

Developing A Cyberterrorism Policy: Incorporating Individual Values, Osama Bassam J. Rabie

Theses and Dissertations

Preventing cyberterrorism is becoming a necessity for individuals, organizations, and governments. However, current policies focus on technical and managerial aspects without asking for experts and non-experts values and preferences for preventing cyberterrorism. This study employs value focused thinking and public value forum to bare strategic measures and alternatives for complex policy decisions for preventing cyberterrorism. The strategic measures and alternatives are per socio-technical process.

Data Note: State Intellectual And Developmental Disability Agencies’ Service Trends, Agnes Zalewska, Jean Winsor, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

In FY2016, an estimated 638,568 individuals received day or employment supports from state IDD program agencies. This number grew from 455,824 in FY1999. The estimated number of individuals in integrated employment services increased from 108,227 in FY1999 to 120,244 in FY2016. Despite the trend to terminate facility-based services in some states, the overall state investment continues to emphasize non-work services, rather than integrated employment services. Figure 1 shows the trends in the percentage of people served in integrated employment and facility-based and non-work settings between FY2008 and FY2016.

Item Location, The Interviewer–Respondent Interaction, And Responses To Battery Questions In Telephone Surveys, Kristen Olson, Jolene Smyth, Beth Cochran

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Survey researchers often ask a series of attitudinal questions with a common question stem and response options, known as battery questions. Interviewers have substantial latitude in deciding how to administer these items, including whether to reread the common question stem on items after the first one or to probe respondents’ answers. Despite the ubiquity of use of these items, there is virtually no research on whether respondent and interviewer behaviors on battery questions differ over items in a battery or whether interview behaviors are associated with answers to these questions. This article uses a nationally representative telephone survey with audio-recorded …

Campus Climate Sexual Assault Survey (2015) Analysis, Felicia Rosin

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The issue of sexual assault has garnered widespread attention in recent years, as is evident by the growing number of high-profile cases and mainstream social movements. With this increasingly bright spotlight, it is no surprise that The University of Akron has interest in improving the sexual violence education programs offered to students. In 2015, the university conducted a survey to gather information on the campus climate surrounding sexual assault. This analysis dives into a deeper analysis of the data gathered in an attempt to pinpoint areas that require the university’s attention. The analysis covers topics identified by Dean of Students …

A Holistic Teaching Approach For Your Qualitative Research Class: A Book Review, Lilian L. Latulippe

The Qualitative Report

A book review on Teaching Qualitative Research: Strategies for engaging emerging scholars, written by Raji Swaminathan and Thalia M. Mulvihill, published in 2018. This review offers an overall look into an instructor’s book by highlighting its unique features for teaching qualitative research in the social sciences. The review presents the main intent of the book, which is the authors’ holistic pedagogical approach for teaching qualitative inquiry. Swaminathan and Mulvihill offer readers a melding of qualitative pedagogy and holistic pedagogy, a clear strength of this book. The review concludes by sharing potential readership, as well as, possible applications.

The Effects Of Respondent And Question Characteristics On Respondent Answering Behaviors In Telephone Interviews, Kristen Olson, Jolene Smyth, Amanda Ganshert

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

In a standardized telephone interview, respondents ideally are able to provide an answer that easily fits the response task. Deviations from this ideal question answering behavior are behavioral manifestations of breakdowns in the cognitive response process and partially reveal mechanisms underlying measurement error, but little is known about what question characteristics or types of respondents are associated with what types of deviations. Evaluations of question problems tend to look at one question characteristic at a time; yet questions are comprised of multiple characteristics, some of which are easier to experimentally manipulate (e.g., presence of a definition) than others (e.g., attitude …

The Effects Of Mismatches Between Survey Question Stems And Response Options On Data Quality And Responses, Jolene Smyth, Kristen Olson

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Several questionnaire design texts emphasize a dual role of question wording: the wording needs to express what is being measured and tell respondents how to answer. Researchers tend to focus heavily on the first of these goals, but sometimes overlook the second, resulting in question wording that does not match the response options provided (i.e., mismatches). Common examples are yes/no questions with ordinal or nominal response options, open-ended questions with closed-ended response options, and check-all-that apply questions with forced-choice response options. A slightly different type of mismatch utilizes a question stem that can be read as asking for two different …

Effects Of A Government-Academic Partnership: Has The Nsf-Census Bureau Research Network Helped Improve The U.S. Statistical System?, Daniel H. Weinberg,, John M. Abowd, Robert F. Belli, Noel Cressie, David C. Folch, S. H. Holan, Margaret C. Levenstein, Kristen Olson, Jerome P. Reiter, Matthew D. Shapiro, Jolene Smyth, Leen-Kiat Soh, Bruce D. Spencer, Seth E. Spielman, Lars Vilhuber, Christopher K. Wikle

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The National Science Foundation-Census Bureau Research Network (NCRN) was established in 2011 to create interdisciplinary research nodes on methodological questions of interest and significance to the broader research community and to the Federal Statistical System (FSS), particularly to the Census Bureau. The activities to date have covered both fundamental and applied statistical research and have focused at least in part on the training of current and future generations of researchers in skills of relevance to surveys and alternative measurement of economic units, households, and persons. This article focuses on some of the key research findings of the eight nodes, organized …

Applying A Total Quality Framework To Qualitative Research Design: A Review, Paula Boros

The Qualitative Report

In Applied Qualitative Research Design: A Total Quality Framework Approach, Margaret R. Roller and Paul J. Lavrakas present their Total Quality Framework (TQF) designed to help researchers understand qualitative research is required to be creditable, analyzable, transparent, and useful. The authors show how qualitative researchers can utilize these four TQR fundamental elements to identify strengths and limitations of their qualitative methods and design process.