Sage Publications

100 questions (and answers) about research methods.

Salkind (educational psychology, U. of Kansas) answers 100 questions about research methods for undergraduate and graduate students and researchers in the social sciences. These relate to understanding the research process, the initial asking of questions, reviewing and writing about a research question, ethics, sampling, data analysis and interpretation, testing and measuring, different methods, and inference and significance. Each question ends with a reference to three others. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The answer is in the room; how effective schools scale up student success.

Blankstein, an author and former teacher who now runs a non-profit organization, shows teachers, community members, parents, administrators, and policy makers that the answer to student success is already in their schools and explains how to scale successes that are already present. He uses examples of school-based practices and successes in eradicating famine and illnesses around the world to show how a similar process can be implemented in schools, by focusing on how the strategies or behaviors of certain individuals or groups enable them to find a better solution to a problem than their peers. He provides an overview of this process (which draws on the principles of his volume Failure is Not an Option: 6 Principles That Guide Student Achievement in High-Performing Schools) and each aspect of it, including commitment to change, resources, excellence, action planning, transference of knowledge, and embedding new learning in the school culture. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Autism; educational and therapeutic approaches.

Aiming to describe therapies and also promote healthy skepticism, Kalyva (psychology, City College, Thessaloniki, Greece), a practitioner, writer, and academic specializing in education and treatment of individuals with special educational needs, examines educational and therapeutic approaches for parents and professionals working with children with autism. She begins with therapies that are most effective according to scientific data, including applied behavioral analysis, TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Communication related handicapped CHildren), and cognitive-behavioral approaches, then describes therapies used to deal with developmental areas like social interaction, communication, and play. She then addresses supplementary therapies with limited scientific evidence of their effectiveness: sensorimotor, pharmacological, psychoanalytic, and other approaches. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The brain and strengths based school leadership.

Feinstein and former school administrator and instructional leader Kiner (both education, Augustana College) show how educational leaders can apply strengths based leadership and current brain research to lead effectively. They outline the leadership styles of executer, relationship builder, influencer, and strategic thinker and how to recognize and use them along with brain research on higher-level thinking skills, emotional control, and the role of experience in the learning process to create a positive school culture, developmentally appropriate education, and results-oriented schools; work in leadership teams; mentor and supervise teachers and their instructional and assessment strategies, including standardized testing; integrate technology; and use data to inform curriculum and instruction. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Bringing poetry alive; a guide to classroom practice.

Lockwood (English and education, U. of Reading, UK) assembles a group of scholars, poets, and writers, who teach or studied at the U. of Reading and specialize in children's literature and education, for nine essays that demonstrate how teachers can promote poetry in the classroom. Topics include the history of poetry teaching in England, poetry initiatives, the early and primary years, the teacher's role, the use of visiting poets, poetry writing across the curriculum, issues in working with teens, the connection to drama, and the concept of literary reading to connect with poems personally. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Cases and exercises in organization development & change.

This casebook can be used as a supplement to the second edition of the author's textbook, Organization Development: The Process of Leading Organizational Change. It can also be used as a supplement to another text. The casebook provides cases and practical exercises on organization development (OD), designed to reinforce decision making skills. The book first introduces OD processes and practitioners as a context for the cases and gives tips on case analysis. Part 1 presents cases illustrating the OD process, from contracting with clients through selecting interventions and sustaining change. Cases come from for-profit and non-profit sectors, government, health care, and education. Part 2 provides cases on OD interventions at the individual, team, and organization level. Finally, part 3 presents a variety of practical exercises, including self-assessment surveys, scenarios, role plays, and individual and group simulations. An instructor's website includes teaching notes, discussion questions, and additional readings. Anderson teaches at the University of Denver. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

CBT and personality disorders.

Van Bilsen, a consultant in cognitive behavioral therapy and clinical psychology, and Thomson (cognitive behavioral therapy, U. of Hertfordshire, UK) outline an approach to treating clients with personality disorders that is based on their analyses of their personal, interpersonal, and societal problems, not a categorical approach that focuses on programmatic and protocolized interventions that fulfill the criteria of a specific diagnosis. They emphasize the development, maintenance, and functionality of the client's problem presentation and detail the theory, practice, and process of cognitive behavioral therapy; core interventions for these clients; how to engage and motivate them; the concept of personality disorders and their diagnostic criteria; the larger context of societal perspectives on deviance; the cost of personality disorders to society; evidence for psychological interventions; and pitfalls. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Chemical dependency counseling; a pratical guide, 4th ed.

This comprehensive text, treatment guide, and collection of resources for addictions counselors and students, is written in plain language and features numerous scenarios and dialogues from groups and individual treatment. The book concentrates on five evidence-based treatments: cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational enhancement, pharmacology, skills training, and 12-step facilitation. Chronological chapters follow the entire recovery process, from the first hours of treatment through discharge and continuing care. The book offers a review of the categories of drugs of abuse, and separate chapters on individual treatment and group therapy. It provides lectures for group sessions and discusses clients with special issues such as low intelligence, mental illness, and early childhood trauma. There is also a wealth of material on adolescent treatment and the family program. The book includes about 600 pages of appendices, offering checklists, assessment tools, sample treatment schedules, screening instruments, symptom scales, and readings and handouts for clients. An instructor website offers a test bank and lecture slides. This fourth edition is updated to reflect the latest research, treatment techniques, and current trends in drugs of abuse. Perkinson is clinical director of Keystone Treatment Center in South Dakota. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Child maltreatment; a collection of readings.

Meyers (U. of the Pacific) collects reprints of twenty articles from SAGE journals published between 1997 and 2010. Intended for use in conjunction with the third edition of ASPC Handbook on Child Maltreatment, the back cover states "Learning aids in each reading include discussion questions and a one-page summary of key points written by the editor," however these are not present in this volume. Articles are grouped into five sections covering the child protection system in the United States, child neglect, physical abuse, child sexual abuse, and investigation and substantiation of neglect and abuse. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Classroom behaviour; a practical guide to effective teaching, behaviour management and colleague support, 3d ed.

Writing in accessible conversational style with sense of humor, Rogers, an education consultant, explains the dynamics of classroom behavior and gives advice on behavior management, basic skills of effective teaching, and management beyond the classroom. The author's theoretical position on classroom discipline has been described variously as democratic discipline, positive behavior leadership, and interactionist. Case studies and examples of difficult situations, such as children with emotional and behavioral difficulties and managing anger in ourselves, are drawn from the author's work with colleagues as a mentor-teacher. The book includes a glossary, chapter reflection questions, and humorous b&w illustrations. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Companion reader on violence against women.

Intended to supplement the second edition of Sourcebook on Violence Against Women, which while thorough could not contain all the material Bergen (sociology, Saint Joseph's U., Philadelphia, PA), Edleson (social work, U. of Minnesota), and Renzetti (sociology, U. of Kentucky) wanted to include, this volume offers a collection of 21 articles published between 2003 and 2010 in academic journals. The articles are grouped into sections on theoretical and methodological issues in researching violence against women, types of violence against women, and prevention and direct intervention. A sampling of topics includes development of the scale of economic abuse, a cross-country study of attitudes towards wife beating in Asia, adult domestic violence in cases of international parental child abduction, and partnering with community-based organizations to reduce intimate partner violence. Many of the articles focus on the global aspects of violence against women. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Connecting content and academic language for English learners and struggling students, grades 2-6.

Arguing that learning academic language has to be planned, Swinney, a consultant and former principal and bilingual teacher, and Velasco (education, Queens College, City U. of New York) describe how teachers in bilingual and regular classrooms and ESL teachers can teach English learners and struggling students in grades two through six language associated with academic and content area knowledge. They discuss language components and ways of developing conversation, vocabulary, morphology, and syntax, and how to use read alouds and shared reading and writing to develop background knowledge and teach the language skills students need to understand content. They provide units for language arts, social studies, and science, as well as a thematic unit on the rainforest, with strategies for teaching and templates to plan and organize goals. They do not divide students by their level of proficiency, but instead focus on language development for every activity. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Corrections.

For a general audience that includes students, Chambliss (sociology, George Washington U.) collects 20 essays that address the goals of the US correctional system, its environment, punishment, and the treatment and rights of prisoners. Scholars mainly from the US cover the history, debates, and legislation related to capital punishment and the death penalty; clemency; cruel and unusual punishment; due process, free speech, and religious rights of prisoners; early release; furlough and work-release programs; gangs and violence; health care, medical, and legal assistance; life sentence; mentally ill and mentally challenged inmates; preventive detention; labor; overcrowding; privatization and contract facilities; punishment vs. rehabilitation; sex offender treatment; and shaming penalties. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Correctional theory; context and consequences.

Cullen (U. of Cincinnati) and Jonson (Northern Kentucky U.) present an introduction to correctional theory in the United States. They are guided in their presentation by three core themes: that theories about the purpose and structure of corrections matters to correctional policy and practice, that the social and political context of US society helps shape correctional theory and practice, and that correctional theory and practice must be evidence-based. The authors examine both mainstream correctional theories of deterrence and incapacitation, as well as alternative approaches such as restorative justice and early intervention. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Courts, law, and justice.

Chambliss (sociology, The George Washington U., author, editor) offers a volume in which the contributors cover a variety of topics in the realm of crime, law, and the inner workings of the criminal justice system and the "fallible human beings" who work within it. The authors discuss DNA evidence, drug laws, DUI penalties, expert witnesses and hired guns, gun control laws, insanity defense, the jury system, mandatory sentencing, plea bargaining, polygraphs, sex offender registry, three strikes laws, victim rights and restitution, and additional topics. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Crime and criminal behavior.

In this reference for students and general readers, Chambliss (sociology, George Washington U.) compiles 20 essays on a variety of topics in crime and criminal behavior. A group of scholars mostly from the US consider the historical contexts, debates, policy and legal responses, and sociological characteristics related to age of consent, antisocial personality disorders, child abuse, civil disobedience, corporate crime, date rape, euthanasia and assisted suicide, gambling, guns, hate crimes, intellectual property and Internet crimes, prescription drug abuse, prostitution, religious convictions, state and war crimes, terrorism and extremism, undocumented immigrants, and vagrancy and the homeless. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Culturally proficient collaboration; use and misuse of school counselors.

For teachers and school leaders, Stephens (counseling and guidance, California Lutheran U.) and Lindsey, an educational consultant who taught at California State U., Los Angeles, describe how to better use school counselors' knowledge and skills by involving them as members of school leadership teams that develop culturally proficient practices for all students. They detail national counseling standards and expectations of school counselors, ways to assess their current skill level as culturally proficient leaders, and ways to improve their effectiveness in multiple roles as educational leaders, advocates, collaborators, and agents of change in creating cultures of care and rigorous academic expectations. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Dare to lead; the transformation of Bank of Baroda, the role of intangibles; leadership, rebranding, customer centricity, technology, people processes.

Author Khandelwal, ex-chairman and managing director of the Bank of Baroda, tells the story of how he transformed the Bank of Baroda from just another public sector bank into one of the most valuable brands in India's banking sector. He describes leadership challenges, management solutions, and personal and professional issues he experienced in transforming the 97-year-old bank into a modern, tech-savvy, customer-focused bank. Some of the issues discussed include dealing with unions, building human capital, connecting with customers, and working with the board. The book offers lessons for undertaking transformation at any large, geographically dispersed public sector enterprise. Illustrations include personal and professional color photos and b&w editorial cartoons. The author is currently the chairman of the Center for Microfinance in Jaipur. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Designing social research; a guide for the bewildered.

Written in plain language, this guide for students in sociology is intentionally designed to be shorter and more readable than other similar texts. It gives practical advice on the process of designing and doing social research, and also gives students background in the vocabulary and philosophy they need to understand the research they are undertaking. The goal is for students to be able to engage in discussion not only about the differences between methods, but in the reason for those differences. After an overview of the language of social science research and discussion of what makes a good research question, the book covers methods and approaches such as surveys and questionnaires, sampling and statistics, ethnography, and dealing with qualitative data. Some advanced topics covered include causality in research and dealing with time in social research. There is also advice on writing the research report and putting together literature reviews. Chapter summaries and examples are included. Greener teaches in the School of Applied Social Sciences at Durham University. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Doing essays & assignments; essential tips for students.

Greasley (health studies, U. of Bradford, UK) outlines essay and assignment writing skills needed by UK university students. He describes the grading process, what tutors see as the most common problems and ways to impress them (based on a survey of UK university tutors), and common tactics students use to raise their grades. He then gives tips for planning, time management, and deadlines; reading and researching the literature; writing introductions and conclusions; answering the question; critical analysis and argument; referencing; language, grammar, and expression; presentation; getting feedback; and avoiding plagiarism. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Doing visual research.

Drawing on her work in collaborative projects using visual participatory methodologies (VPM) in Sub-Saharan Africa since the 1990s, Mitchell (McGill U.) shows social science researchers how visual tools such as photography, video, and drawing can be used in research related to social change. She examines both conceptual and practical perspectives, and addresses the ethical and interpretive concerns attending participatory research within communities. The book includes many case examples describing participants' video and photo projects on HIV/AIDS, sexual abuse in schools, and sexual assault in their communities. B&w photos of the participants in action, plus some of the photos they made, illustrate the case histories. The author also gives tips on storing, managing, and using visual data in ways that can be participatory, and concludes by discussing the impact of images on policy making. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)