Research Methods and Statistics for Public and Nonprofit Administrators The authors wish to dedicate this book to current and future professionals in the field of public service. Masami Nishishiba wishes to dedicate this book to her loving parents, Tetsuo and Akiko Kawai, and to the memory of her late brother, Takeshi Kawai. Mariah Kraner wishes to dedicate this book to her supportive husband, Josh, and loving children, Kennedy and Logan. Research Methods and Statistics for Public and Nonprofit Administrators A Practical Guide Masami Nishishiba Matthew Jones Mariah Kraner Portland State University FOR INFORMATION: Copyright 2014 by SAGE Publications, Inc. 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. 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, California 91320 E-mail:
[email protected] SAGE Publications Ltd. 1 Oliver’s Yard 55 City Road London EC1Y 1SP All character cartoon images © Kyoko Hosoe-Corn Printed in the United States of America United Kingdom Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data SAGE Publications India Pvt. Ltd. Nishishiba, Masami. B 1/I 1 Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area Mathura Road, New Delhi 110 044 India SAGE Publications Asia-Pacific Pte. Ltd. 3 Church Street #10-04 Samsung Hub Singapore 049483 Research methods and statistics for public and nonprofit administrators : a practical guide / Masami Nishishiba, Matthew Jones, Mariah Kraner. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4522-0352-2 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-4833-0141-9 (web pdf) ISBN 978-1-4833-2146-2 (epub) 1. Public administration—Research Methodology. 2. Nonprofit organizations—Management. I. Title. Acquisitions Editor: Patricia Quinlin Associate Editor: Maggie Stanley JF1338.A2N57 2013 001.4′2024658—dc23 This book is printed on acid-free paper. Assistant Editor: Megan Koraly Editorial Assistant: Katie Guarino Production Editor: Brittany Bauhaus Copy Editor: Brenda White Typesetter: C&M Digitals (P) Ltd. Proofreader: Bonnie Moore Indexer: Kathy Paparchontis Cover Designer: Anupama Krishnan Marketing Manager: Liz Thornton 13 14 15 16 17 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Brief Contents ❖ Preface xvi Acknowledgments xx SECTION I. RESEARCH DESIGN AND DATA COLLECTION 1 Chapter 1 When a Practitioner Becomes a Researcher 2 Chapter 2 Research Alignment 13 Chapter 3 Identifying the Focus of the Research: Research Objective and Research Question 26 Chapter 4 Research Design 47 Chapter 5 Sample Selection 72 Chapter 6 Data Collection 87 SECTION II. DATA ANALYSIS 1