"Whether one is conducting an intimate one-on-one interview or a large-scale examination of an entire society, human imagination and scientific principles go hand in hand. To that end, this book emphasizes scientific method but also acknowledges its critics. It covers a wide variety of data collection techniques but presents them as reinforcing, rather than competing with, one another, thus striking a balance between qualitative and quantitative methods. It is designed for students and instructors who want a comprehensive treatment of a variety of research techniques with special emphasis on qualitative approaches."--Jacket.