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Qualitative Methods for Family Studies and Human Development serves as a step-by-step, interdisciplinary, qualitative methods text for those working in the areas of family studies, human development, family therapy, and family social work. Providing a systematic outline for carrying out qualitative projects from start to finish, author Kerry J. Daly uniquely combines epistemology, theory, and methodology into a comprehensive package illustrated specifically with examples from family relations and human development research.

The Sourcebook of Family Theory and Research is the definitive reference work on theory and methods for family scholars and students worldwide. This volume provides a diverse, eclectic, and paradoxically mature approach to theorizing, and demonstrates how the development of theory is crucial to the future of family research.

A nontechnical discussion of logistic regression is presented, with comparisons to better-known methods. Logistic regression is a way of showing the relationships between a set of predictor variables of any level (nominal, ordinal, or interval) & a dependent, nominal-level variable. The odds-ratio as a measure of association as well as the closely related probit model are explained. Because of the predominance of nominal-level variables in family studies, & the extensive availability of software that can estimate logistic-regression models, the use of the technique will probably expand. 5 Tables, 35 References. A. Waters

This article is part of a series on Primary Care Research in the African context and focuses on programme evaluation. Different types of programme evaluation are outlined: developmental, process, outcome and impact. Eight steps to follow in designing your programme evaluation are then described in some detail: engage stakeholders; establish what is known; describe the programme; define the evaluation and select a study design; define the indicators; planand manage data collection and analysis; make judgements and recommendations; and disseminate the findings. Other articles in the series cover related topics such as writing your research proposal, performing a literature review, conducting surveys with questionnaires, qualitative interviewing and approaches to quantitative and qualitative data analysis.

The growing interest among social scientists in testing multivariate theoretical models is addressed. An analysis of covariance structure analysis in family studies reveals problems and prospects in the interplay between theory and method.

After reviewing the sources of controversy about causal modeling, the elements of effective implementation of a causal model strategy are delineated & compared with the strategy's actual use in several recent studies of the family. Thorough knowledge of the threats to valid causal inference is necessary so that they can be systematically ruled out. Causal modeling is seen by many as superior to other approaches because it enables drawing the soundest possible causal inferences. 1 Figure, 43 References. A. Waters

IntroductionScaling the Peaks is a cross-disciplinary research study that draws on medical ethnography, human geography and Geospatial Information Science (GIS) to address the issues surrounding the design and delivery of dementia-friendly services in rural communities. The research question seeks to understand the barriers and drivers to the development of relevant, robust, reliable and accessible services that make a difference among older rural families affected by dementia.Methods and analysisThis mixed methods study recruits both families affected by dementia who reside within the Peak District National Park, Derbyshire, and their service providers. The study explores the expectations and experiences of rural dementia by adopting a three-part approach 1 : longitudinal ethnographic enquiry with up to 32 families affected by dementia (aged 70 years plus) who identify themselves as rural residents 2 ; ethnographic semistructured interviews and systematic observations of a range of statutory, third sector, private and local community initiatives that seek to support older people living with dementia 3 ; and geospatial visual mapping of the qualitative and quantitative data. The ethnographic data will be used to explore the ideas of belonging in a community, perceptions of place and identity to determine the factors that influence everyday decisions about living well with dementia and, for the providers, working in a rural community. The geospatial component of the study seeks to incorporate quantitative and qualitative data, such as types, locations and allocation of services to produce an interactive web-based map for local communities to determine the future design and delivery of services when considering dementia-friendly services.Ethics and disseminationThe study is approved by the Leeds and Humberside Health Research Authority 16/YH/0163. The study is also approved by other participating organisations as required by their own governance procedures. The study includes people with dementia and as such adheres to the ethical considerations when including people with dementia. A publicly available interactive visual map of the findings will be produced in relation to current services related to location and, by default, identify gaps in provision. Formal reports and dissemination activities will be undertaken in collaboration with the study advisory group members.Study progressThe recruitment began in September 2016. The data analysis commenced June 2017, using 59 provider interviews and 27 family participants. Data collection will be completed June 2018.Note on terminologyPlease note that the term ‘families affected by dementia’ is the preferred term of usage by the family members of the Scaling the Peaks Study Advisory Group. The group wish to emphasise that they consider this term to be more representative of their lives than the term living with dementia.Trial registration numberNIHR IRAS 188103; Pre-results.

The effectiveness of panel analysis is gauged. The increased use of log-linear and logistic regression models in family studies has made it easier for family research to work with the odds ratios and probabilities that are a crucial part of event history analysis.

Background Navigating the world of qualitative thematic analysis can be challenging. This is compounded by the fact that detailed descriptions of methods are often omitted from qualitative discussions. While qualitative research methodologies are now mature, there often remains a lack of fine detail in their description both at submitted peer reviewed article level and in textbooks. As one of research’s aims is to determine the relationship between knowledge and practice through the demonstration of rigour, more detailed descriptions of methods could prove useful. Rigour in quantitative research is often determined through detailed explanation allowing replication, but the ability to replicate is often not considered appropriate in qualitative research. However, a well described qualitative methodology could demonstrate and ensure the same effect. Methods This article details the codebook development which contributed to thematic analysis of qualitative data. This analysis formed part of a mixed methods multiphase design research project, with both qualitative and quantitative inquiry and involving the convergence of data and analyses. This design consisted of three distinct phases: quantitative, qualitative and implementation phases. Results and conclusions This article is aimed at researchers and doctoral students new to thematic analysis by describing a framework to assist their processes. The detailed description of the methods used supports attempts to utilise the thematic analysis process and to determine rigour to support the establishment of credibility. This process will assist practitioners to be confident that the knowledge and claims contained within research are transferable to their practice. The approach described within this article builds on, and enhances, current accepted models.