Do it yourself social research: the bestselling practical guide to doing social research projects (3rd ed.)

Abstract

We have chances to teach research methods for both postgraduate and undergraduate social work students in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Ethiopia. It was difficult for us to find a useful textbook for our students as they thought the book we recommended was either too difficult or boring. When we read the book Do it Yourself Social Research (Third Edition) written by Yoland Wadsworth, we felt very excited as it was very interesting, easy and practical. We decided to write the book review and recommend this book to social work students who have no confidence or are losing interest in doing social research. We hope social work students can regain their confidence and interest in learning research methods. The main purpose of the book is to provide methodological guidelines for novice researchers to guide them through a social research process with no or little support from experienced researchers. Along this line, the book’s primary audiences are individuals with high research interests but little or no previous research experience. Once Wadsworth established the primary audience for the book in the first chapter, she defined what it means to social research and its ten golden rules that range from asking genuine questions to conducting field research and communicating research findings. Then, she discussed the strategies for managing resources (people, money and time) at the researcher’s disposal. Discussions on designs, methods and techniques are followed. The book also guides how to analyse the collected data and inform human action. The latter is at the centre of the book, in which she recommended participatory action research over others. She noted, “Action research . . . places the research in a timeframe whereby, instead of a one-off, linear inquiry that ‘starts’ with questions and ‘ends’ with answers . . . it may instead be thought of as a process or series of cycles that ‘begin’ with ‘old’ action and ‘ends’ with ‘new’ action, incorporating research continuously as feedback from and to action” (113). The stress on action research might be because the author co-founded and led the Action Research Issues Centre in Melbourne, Australia. We echo her view not only because we are also action researcher but also this research approach well connects to social work professional values. To put it simply, the author takes the reader through the basics of research, including why, where and how to start; how to conduct and manage a research project; and how to communicate findings and inform human action. The book concludes by suggesting some further readings. The book has many strengths and a few limitations from our perspective. Let us begin with the strengths. From the outset, the author identified that “scientific jargons” (not science), often from the quantitative category, are among the core factors that push novice researchers away from the world of inquiry. She argued,