Synthesizing Research: A Guide for Literature Reviews (Applied Social Research Methods)

217 Pages·1998·0.96 MB·English

by  Harris M. Cooper

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title: Synthesizing Research : A Guide for Literature Reviews Applied
Social Research Methods Series ; V. 2
author: Cooper, Harris M.
publisher: Sage Publications, Inc.
isbn10 | asin: 0761913475
print isbn13: 9780761913474
ebook isbn13: 9780585384818
language: English
subject Social sciences--Research.
publication date: 1998
lcc: H62.C5859 1998eb
ddc: 300/.72
subject: Social sciences--Research.
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Page i
SYNTHESIZING RESEARCH
Third Edition
Applied Social Research Methods Series
Volume 2
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Page ii
APPLIED SOCIAL RESEARCH METHODS SERIES
Series Editors
LEONARD BICKMAN, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville
DEBRA J. ROG, Vanderbilt University, Washington, DC

1. SURVEY RESEARCH METHODS 16. INTERPRETIVE INTERACTIONISM
(Second Edition) by NORMAN K. DENZIN
by FLOYD J. FOWLER, Jr. 17. ETHNOGRAPHY (Second Edition)
2. SYNTHESIZING RESEARCH by DAVID M. FETTERMAN
(Third Edition) 18. STANDARDIZED SURVEY INTERVIEWING
by HARRIS COOPER by FLOYD J. FOWLER, Jr. and THOMAS W.
3. METHODS FOR POLICY RESEARCH MANGIONE
by ANN MAJCHRZAK 19. PRODUCTIVITY MEASUREMENT
4. SECONDARY RESEARCH by ROBERT O. BRINKERHOFF and DENNIS E.
(Second Edition) DRESSLER
by DAVID W. STEWART and MICHAEL A. KAMINS 20. FOCUS GROUPS
5. CASE STUDY RESEARCH by DAVID W. STEWART and PREM N.
(Second Edition) SHAMDASANI
by ROBERT K. YIN 21. PRACTICAL SAMPLING
6. META-ANALYTIC PROCEDURES FOR SOCIAL by GARY T. HENRY
RESEARCH 22. DECISION RESEARCH
(Revised Edition) by JOHN S. CARROLL and ERIC J. JOHNSON
by ROBERT ROSENTHAL 23. RESEARCH WITH HISPANIC POPULATIONS
7. TELEPHONE SURVEY METHODS by GERARDO MARIN and BARBARA VANOSS
(Second Edition) MARIN
by PAUL J. LAVRAKAS 24. INTERNAL EVALUATION
8. DIAGNOSING ORGANIZATIONS by ARNOLD J. LOVE
(Second Edition) 25. COMPUTER SIMULATION APPLICATIONS
by MICHAEL I. HARRISON by MARCIA LYNN WHICKER and LEE
9. GROUP TECHNIQUES FOR IDEA BUILDING SIGELMAN
(Second Edition) 26. SCALE DEVELOPMENT
by CARL M. MOORE by ROBERT F. DeVELLIS
10. NEED ANALYSIS 27. STUDYING FAMILIES
by JACK McKILLIP by ANNE P. COPELAND and KATHLEEN M.
11. LINKING AUDITING AND METAEVALUATION WHITE
by THOMAS A. SCHWANDT and EDWARD S. 28. EVENT HISTORY ANALYSIS
HALPERN by KAZUO YAMAGUCHI
12. ETHICS AND VALUES IN APPLIED SOCIAL 29. RESEARCH IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS
RESEARCH by GEOFFREY MARUYAMA and STANLEY DENO
by ALLAN J. KIMMEL 30. RESEARCHING PERSONS WITH MENTAL
13. ON TIME AND METHOD ILLNESS
by JANICE R. KELLY and JOSEPH E. McGRATH by ROSALIND J. DWORKIN
14. RESEARCH IN HEALTH CARE SETTINGS 31. PLANNING ETHICALLY RESPONSIBLE
by KATHLEEN E. GRADY and BARBARA STRUDLER RESEARCH
WALLSTON by JOAN E. SIEBER
15. PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
by DANNY L. JORGENSEN
Other volumes in this series are listed at the back of the book
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Page iii
SYNTHESIZING RESEARCH
Third Edition
A Guide for Literature Reviews
Harris Cooper
Applied Social Research Methods Series
Volume 2
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Page iv
Copyright © 1998 by Sage Publications, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher.
For information:
SAGE Publications, Inc.
2455 Teller Road
Thousand Oaks, California 91320
E-mail: [email protected]
SAGE Publications Ltd.
6 Bonhill Street
London EC2A 4PU
United Kingdom
SAGE Publications India Pvt. Ltd.
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Greater Kailash I
New Delhi 110 048 India
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cooper, Harris
Synthesizing research: A guide for literature reviews / by Harris
Cooper. — 3rd ed.
p. cm. — (Applied social research methods ; v. 2)
Rev. ed. of: Integrating research. 2nd ed. c1989.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-7619-1347-5 (acid-free paper). — ISBN 0-7619-1348-3 (pbk.:
acid-free paper)
1. Social sciences—Research. I. Cooper, Harris Integrating
research. II. Title. III. Series: Applied social research methods
series ; v. 2.
H62.C5859 1998
300'.72—dc21 97-33792
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
98 99 00 01 02 03 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Acquiring Editor: C. Deborah Laughton
Editorial Assistant: Eileen Carr
Production Editor: Astrid Virding
Production Assistant: Lynn Miyata
Typesetter/Designer: Danielle Dillahunt
Cover Designer: Candice Harman
Print Buyer: Anna Chin
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CONTENTS
Preface to the Third Edition xi
1. Introduction 1
The Need for Attention to Research Synthesis 1
Goals and Premises of the Book 2
Definitions of Literature Reviews 3
Stages of Research Synthesis 4
Four Examples of Research Synthesis 9
Exercise 11
2. The Problem Formulation Stage 12
Definition of Variables in Social Science Research 13
Multiple Operations in Research Synthesis 15
Judging the Conceptual Relevance of Studies 20
Relations Between Different Concepts in Research Synthesis 21
Study-Generated and Synthesis-Generated Evidence 22
The Role of Past Syntheses 25
The Research Synthesis Coding Sheet 26
Validity Issues in Problem Formulation 37
Exercises 39
3. The Literature Search Stage 40
Population Distinctions in Social Science Research 41
Methods for Locating Studies 42
Informal Channels 43
Formal Channels 51
Secondary Channels 58
Conducting Searches of Reference Databases 62
Determining the Adequacy of Literature Searches 73
Validity Issues in Study Retrieval 75
Exercises 77
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4. The Data Evaluation Stage 78
Evaluating Data in Social Science Research 78
Predispositions of the Synthesist 80
Judging Research Quality 81
Approaches to Categorizing Research Methods 84
Problems in Data Retrieval 90
Identifying Independent Comparisons 97
Validity Issues in Evaluating Research 102
Exercises 103
5. The Data Analysis Stage 104
Data Analysis Techniques in Social Science Research 104
Meta-Analysis 105
Synthesizing Main Effects and Interactions 110
Techniques for Combining Significance Levels of Independent Findings 115
Measuring Relationship Strength 125
Combining Effect Sizes Across Studies 137
Analyzing Variance in Effect Sizes Across Findings 143
Validity Issues in Data Analysis 155
Exercises 156
6. The Interpretation and Presentation Stage 157
Report Writing in Social Science Research 157
A Format for Research Synthesis Reports 158
The Substantive Interpretation of Effect Size 173
Validity Issues in Report Writing 180
Exercises 181
7. General Issues 182
Validity Issues Revisited 182
Feasibility and Cost 183
The Scientific Method and Disconfirmation 183
Creativity in Research Synthesis 184
Conclusion 184
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Page ix
References 186
Author Index 193
Subject Index 196
About the Author 201
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