Neuman contends that quantitative methods are not about complicated statistics but simply about a concern for quantity. Quantitative methods are based upon the fundamental question -- how many of them are here? In itself that question is content free and value free, but the whole point is to apply it to data that are highly social and political in content. (Neuman, 1998, pp. 55-57)
Harrison, Lisa. (2001) Political and Social Research: An Introduction. London: Routledge
Harrison (2001) discussed the concept of reliability in her work Political and Social Research: an Introduction. Harrison argued that a reliable indicator or measure gives you the result each time the same thing is measured (as long as what you are measuring is not changing). Reliability means that the information provided by indicators (e.g. The questionnaire) does not vary as a result of characteristics of the indicator, instrument or measurement device itself. A measurement has high reliability if...
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now