| Description |
1 online resource : text file, PDF |
| Contents |
Cover; Half Title; Endoresment; Title Page; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; List of figures; List of tables; List of boxes; Chapter 1 Introduction to research methods in environmental studies; Introduction: The recent growth of environmental studies; Why is there so much interest in studying the environment?; Undergraduate research in environmental studies; The many and varied types of research questions; Disciplinary vs. interdisciplinary research; Conclusions; Note; References; Chapter 2 A brief history of knowledge and argumentation; Introduction; What is knowledge? |
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The origins of knowledge in the ancient worldThe Renaissance: Beginnings of modern knowledge; Twentieth-century thought; Conclusions; Exercises/discussion questions; Notes; References; Chapter 3 General research design principles; Introduction; What is a research question?; A key distinction: Quantitative vs. qualitative research; What is evidence and how is it used?; Identifying interesting, feasible research projects; Feasibility: Can this project be done?; Interest: How much do I care about the answer?; An extended example: Local impacts of climate change; Conclusions |
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Exercises/discussion questionsReferences; Chapter 4 General principles of quantitative research; Introduction; What is quantitative research?; The relationship between theory and hypotheses; Using theory to generate hypotheses; Prelude to hypothesis testing; Representing variables with data; Conclusions; Exercises/discussion questions; References; Chapter 5 Quantitative data and sampling; Introduction; Data: The basics; Two important concepts: Unit of analysis and unit of observation; The structure of a quantitative database; Measurement error; Data collection: Sampling issues |
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Some practical issues of collecting and managing dataConclusions; Exercises/discussion questions; Additional resources; Appendix: Sources of environmental data; References; Chapter 6 Basic quantitative methods and analysis; Introduction; Why statistical methods?; What sorts of questions might you ask of your data?; Describing random variables; Estimation and inference; More on characterizing random outcomes: Probability distributions; How good are our guesses? Statistical inference; Conclusions; Exercises/discussion questions; Additional resources |
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Appendix: Some intuition for interpreting the correlation coefficient formulaNote; Chapter 7 More advanced methods of quantitative analysis; Introduction; How do we know that an estimated relationship is not being generated by random noise?; How do we quantify the relationship between visitations and temperatures?: The basics of two-variable regression analysis; How trustworthy are our estimates of the relationship I?: The important notion of validity; How trustworthy are our estimates of the relationship II?: Statistical inference again |
| Summary |
"The methodological needs of environmental studies are unique in the breadth of research questions that can be posed, calling for a textbook that covers a broad swath of approaches to conducting research with potentially many different kinds of evidence.?? Written specifically for social science-based research into the environment, this book covers the best-practice research methods most commonly used to study the environment and its connections to societal and economic activities and objectives. Over five key parts, Kanazawa introduces quantitative and qualitative approaches, mixed methods, and the special requirements of interdisciplinary research, emphasizing that methodological practice should be tailored to the specific needs of the project. Within these parts, detailed coverage is provided on key topics including the identification of a research project; spatial analysis; ethnography approaches; interview technique; and ethical issues in environmental research.? Drawing on a variety of extended examples to encourage problem-based learning and fully addressing the challenges associated with interdisciplinary investigation, this book will be an essential resource for students embarking on courses exploring research methods in environmental studies."--Provided by publisher |
| Subject |
Environmental sciences -- Research -- Methodology
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Environmental sciences -- Social aspects -- Research -- Methodology
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Environmental sciences -- Research -- Methodology.
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| Form |
Electronic book
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| ISBN |
9781315563671 |
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1315563673 |
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