Quantitative Research Methods in Communication: The Power of Numbers for Social Justice

by Erica Scharrer, Srividya Ramasubramanian

Overview

This fully updated second edition offers an advanced introduction to quantitative methods that focuses on why and how to conduct research that contributes to social justice.

Providing both inspiration and step-by-step guidance on how to conceive, design, and carry out a quantitative study, the book shows how research can be used to work toward a more just and equitable world. The authors provide a detailed guide to quantitative methods and statistical analysis, showing how researchers can engage with social justice issues in systematic, rigorous, ethical, and meaningful ways. This new edition includes a new chapter on writing literature reviews and better aligns with the stages of quantitative research as well as the changing technologies that are available for researchers to both study and use in their work. It includes updated real-world case studies, interviews with scholar-activists, and definitions of key concepts as well as a deeper focus on ethics, social media, computational social sciences, data analytics, and data visualization techniques.

Attuned to questions of access, equity, justice, diversity, and inclusion, this textbook is ideal for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses in research methods for communication and the social sciences. It will also be of interest to researchers who wish to engage with the transformation of structures, practices, and understandings in society through community and civic engagement and policy formation.

Online resources for instructors include a test bank, PowerPoint slides, sample dataset, and YouTube tutorials. They are available online at www.routledge.com/9781032599878.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032599878
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	04/17/2025
Series:	Routledge Social Justice Communication Activism Series
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	404
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Erica Scharrer is Professor of Communication at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA. She is also the editor of Children, Media, and Technology: Access, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (Routledge, 2025). In recent years, she received the Distinguished Community Engagement Award in Research at UMass and became a fellow of the International Communication Association.

Srividya Ramasubramanian is Newhouse Professor and Endowed Chair at Syracuse University, USA. She is also the director of CODE^SHIFT (Collaboratory for Data Equity, Social Healing, Inclusive Futures, and Transformation), Media Rise, and the Difficult Dialogues Project. She is editor-in-chief of Communication Monographs, fellow of the International Communication Association, and honored as a Distinguished Scholar by the National Communication Association.

Table of Contents

1. Foundations and Definitions  2. Reading and Writing about the Research Literature  3. Ethical Considerations  4. Meaning in/and Measurement  5. Sampling and Representation  6. Soliciting Opinions through Survey Research  7. Studying Responses through Experimental Methods  8. Examining Communication Content in Content Analysis Research  9. Calculations and Complexity  10. Mixed Methods: Triangulating with Qualitative Research  11. Community Partnerships and Participatory Research  12. Using Research in Action: Publication, Public Engagement, and Policymaking  Appendices: Statistical Analysis Guide: Introduction to SPSS and R

Editorial Reviews

“This volume provides clear and thoughtful guidance on conducting social science research that is inclusive and aware of the importance of social justice. This updated edition now includes instruction on writing literature reviews, analysis using both SPSS and R, and computational approaches. This is essential reading for both students and more seasoned scholars alike.”

Mary Beth Oliver, Pennsylvania State University, USA

 

“Social justice issues arise at every stage of research, from the initial literature review through to critically harnessing the power of numbers and then, communicating the results for social good. Scharrer and Ramasubramanian provide the essential guide that both novice and expert researchers need.”

Sonia Livingstone, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

From the Publisher