research methods

This in-depth study explores the motivations for ‘planned’ teenage pregnancy in England. The findings have important implications for the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy and the increasing political agenda on young people and health. The report is based on 51 in-depth interviews, undertaken among teenagers in six relatively disadvantaged locations who reported their pregnancy as 'planned' (41 women and 10 men).

Report of a research project in which 'audience insight' research with practitioners of children’s commissioning was carried out to establish an evidence base for the design, planning and delivery of a Commissioning Support Programme. Six local authority areas were used as case studies to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of commissioning, particularly those pertaining to leadership, partnership and locality working.

This remarkable collection of material has been put together by Professor Trochim of the Department of Policy Analysis and Management, Cornell University. In his own words 'this website is for people involved in applied social research and evaluation'.

Paper examining the ways in which personal budgets will affect the social and health care market. It considers what prospective budget holders know and think about personal budgets, how they would spend it and what difficulties they foresee. It also suggests the likely challenges local authorities and other providers will face in delivering the personalisation agenda and makes recommendations on how to make the transition successfully.

The JRF's recent public consultation revealed a strong sense of unease about some of the changes shaping British society. This Viewpoint continues the discussion about modern 'social evils' on the theme of 'inequality'. Chris Creegan argues that until we can reconcile the problems of excessive individualism, consumerism and greed at the heart of contemporary society, life opportunities will continue to be lost, limited and wasted.

Review providing a synthesis of recent youth research with a specific bearing on the housing transitions of young people in the UK and highlighting some of the most important concerns of young people in connection with housing.

Podcast of a talk given by Ken Laidlaw, consultant clinical psychologist, NHS Lothian at Edinburgh City Chambers, 29/01/2009. He discusses findings from research about ageing across the world.

Project MATCH was the largest and most expensive alcoholism treatment trial ever conducted. The results were disappointing. There were essentially no patient-treatment matches, and three very different treatments produced nearly identical outcomes. These results were interpreted post hoc as evidence that all three treatments were quite effective. We re-analyzed the data in order to estimate effectiveness in relation to quantity of treatment.

This website, run by the publishers SAGE, aims to provide support for "researchers, students and university teachers who are interested in learning more about anything to do with research methods". It covers both qualitative and quantitative approaches and tailors the resources available according to the needs of each type of user. The website lists journals, organisations, software, mailing lists, conferences and websites that may be of interest, as well as books.

This report asks what contribution research can make to transform the experiences of black and minority ethnic older people. Uniquely, it engages black and minority ethnic older people in informed discussion about research and how it can bring about change in their lived experiences.