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Diary Methods
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Diary Methods

  • John B Nezlek - College of William and Mary, USA, College of William & Mary, VA, College of William & Mary, USA


July 2012 | 168 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
Diary Methods, sometimes known as intensive repeated measures or ecological assessments, are an important method for social and personality psychologists. The volume begins with a rationale for such methods, with an emphasis on social and personality psychology, and then provides a non-technical, accessible description of how to use such methods, including advice on study design, data analysis, and preparation of papers. Both interval contingent methods (e.g., daily diaries) and event contingent methods (e.g., social interaction diaries) are covered.

The author, John B. Nezlek, has used these methods in his own scholarly work for over 30 years and has written this book to provide an introduction to these methods for those who are not familiar with them.

This book will be perfect for advanced students and researchers in social and personality psychology and related disciplines who use and want to use diary methods in their research.

The SAGE Library of Methods in Social and Personality Psychology is a new series of books launching in early 2011 to provide students and researchers with an understanding of the methods and techniques essential to conducting cutting-edge research.

Each volume explains a specific topic and has been written by an active scholar (or scholars) with expertise in that particular methodological domain. Assuming no prior knowledge of the topic, the volumes are clear and accessible for all readers. In each volume, a topic is introduced, applications are discussed, and readers are led step by step through worked examples. In addition, advice about how to interpret and prepare results for publication are presented.

The Library should be particularly valuable for advanced students and academics who want to know more about how to use research methods in social and personality psychology.

 
Introduction
 
Designing a Study
 
Diary-Level Measures
 
Data Preparation
 
Multilevel Analyses of Diary Data: An Overview
 
Multilevel Analyses of Diary Data: Some Applications and Advanced Topics
 
Other Data Analytic Strategies: Measures of Instability
 
In Conclusion and Some Thoughts about the Future
 
Appendix 1: Sample Social Interaction Diary Instructions
 
Appendix 2: Diary-Level Measures
 
Index

Very nice book for students to get familiar with diary methods: easy to read and understand.

Professor Daphne Kos
Health , Artesis University Antwerpen
December 6, 2013

Very interesting book about diary methods which are frequently used in occupational therapy research. Easy to read and understandable for students.

Professor Daphne Kos
Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science, KU Leuven
October 21, 2013

This book has been adopted as a recommended text on the module and I am recommending it to students using Diary Methods for the final year dissertation projects.

Dr Victoria Lavis
Social Sciences and Humanities, Bradford University
June 5, 2013

This book has been adopted as a recommended text and I am recommending it to students studying on the MSc conversion award who are using diary methods in their dissertation research

Dr Victoria Lavis
Dept of Social Sciences & Humanities, Bradford University
June 5, 2013

I found the book to be immensly informative - it elucidates ways of thinking and viewing what we experience and suggests on how to systematically deal with it. As a pilot situation, I used the book in testing the methods with three students. I will continue to use this book and will recommend it as necessary reading in our class which involves keeping a diary of social work practice experiences and subsequent analysis. Unfortunately, I cannot suggest it as esential, as this is not a methodology class, but I asked our librarians to order copies for students to use in their preparations (and also for students who are writing their theses, using such approaches).

Ms Ana Sobocan
Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana
April 30, 2013

A worthy book if considering adopting diary method for research.

Ms Louise Lawson
Dept of Nursing & Midwifery, Hertfordshire University
March 25, 2013

A very good book supplementing our research interests

Dr David Biggs
School of Health & Social Sciences, Gloucestershire University
November 6, 2012

I have already recommended the book to Sports Medicine MSc students (20 or so) for their projects, as I thought it well suited to their needs. I was originally worried about the format, as it does not look very user friendly, but the style of writing makes it easily digestible and the content is interesting and without waffle. The book nicely covers general theory and approaches as well as diary methods, making it well suited to students for other reasons than its title suggests, and it has a very practical application.

Dr Carol Rivas
Public Health & Primary Care, Queen Mary, University of London
November 2, 2012

This book provides researchers with a really useful alternative methodolgy for recording thoughts and feelings. It provides a refreshing alternative to the more usual methods of collecting qualitative data. Because it is written in a clear, acessible style, it will be useful accross the board from Levels 4-6.

Ms Dilva Porter
CHYPPE, University Campus Suffolk
September 14, 2012

The book begins by explaining why and when to use the diary method. Next followins a thorough narration about how to apply the method in your own research. Finally, the author ends with guiding you in the analysis and interpretation of the results.

The book is very readable, also for researcher unfamiliar with the method because the author did not assume any prior knowledge on the topic.

As the diary method is only one of many methods students could apply to their project in my course, it is only possible for me to recommend it to those students who will consider the diary method. An I would definitely recommend it to any other researcher who is about to apply the method.

Mrs Maartje De Graaf
Media, Communication & Organisation, Twente University
September 14, 2012

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Introduction


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