Books about Naturalistic from Amazon.com

One of the most significant books on Landscaping!

This is one of the most comprehensive books on Planting Design. It fills in the blank in this field and introduces poetry, painting and symbolism into Planting Design. It covers in detail the two major systems in Planting Design: Formal Planting Design and Naturalistic Planting Design. It has numerous line drawings and photos to illustrate the Planting Design concepts and principles. Through in-depth discussions of historical precedents and practical case studies, it uncovers the fundamental design principles and concepts as well as underpinning philosophy for Planting Design. It is an indispensable reference book for Landscape Architecture students, designers, architects, urban planners and ordinary garden lovers..
Price: $32.35 [Notify me when price goes down.]

"An interesting, well written, fascinating critique of positivism I wish this would be sufficient to put the nails in the coffin of positivism once and for all."

--Ian I. Mitroff, University of Southern California

"This book provides a clear discussion of the essential elements of positivism and post-positivism. It also provides a useful set of guidelines for conducting research within the framework of naturalism. Lincoln and Guba reveal the chinks in the armor of conventional methodological ideas. Their writing draws on a vast array of examples and provides a new vocabulary for thinking about method."

--Shulamit Reinharz, Brandeis University

"This book will interest graduate students and educational researchers as well as social scientists struggling with qualitative and quantitative methodologies. A breath of fresh air."

--Choice

"Overall, this volume serves as a good introductory text in naturalistic inquiry and field research courses."

--International Journal of Intercultural Relations

"The book itself is a good illustration of our inclination towards and our need of more general descriptions. . . . If one wants to inform oneself about the paradigmatic discussion and the development of research methodology within the area of studies of social fields, it is a very interesting book."

--Instructional Science

Showing how science is limited by its dominant mode of investigation, Lincoln and Guba propose an alternative paradigm--a "naturalistic" rather than "rationalistic" method of inquiry--in which the investigator avoids manipulating research outcomes. A "paradigm shift" is under way in many fields, they contend, and go on to describe the different assumptions of the two approaches regarding the nature of reality, subject-object interaction, the possibility of generalization, the concept of causality, and the role of values. The authors also offer guidance for research in the field (where, they say, naturalistic inquiry always takes place). Useful tips are given, for example, on "designing" a study as it unfolds, establishing "trustworthiness," and writing a case report. This book helps researchers "both to understand and to do naturalistic inquiry." Of particular interest to educational researchers, it is valuable for all social scientists involved with questions of qualitative and quantitative methodology.

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Price: $72.98 [Notify me when price goes down.]

During the last year of his life, Arthur Peacocke raced against time to formulate a final comprehensive overview of his "emergentist - naturalist - panentheist" perspective A group of ten specialists in science-and-religion then composed commentaries and critiques of Peacocke's new "Essay in Interpretation." In the last weeks and months of his life, Peacocke drew together a final set of reflections on and replies to their chapters. Peacocke's "Nunc Dimittis," his final theological reflections in the days before his death, completes this volume.

Peacocke's brief sketch of how God and nature and humanity interrelate will prove a nascent classic in the field and a touchstone for further reflection. Led by editor Philip Clayton, respondents include: Nancey Murphy, Ann Pederson, Philip Hefner, John Polkinghorne, Karl E. Peters, Donald M. Braxton, Robert John Russell, Keith Ward, Christopher C. Knight, and Willem B. Drees..
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While much has been written on alternative paradigm research, there is little concrete advice on how to effectively use the theoretical notions of naturalistic inquiry in practice. Doing Naturalistic Inquiry is the practical guide designed to help beginning researchers apply the constructivist paradigm. Based upon the theoretical work of Lincoln and Guba in developing the naturalistic--or constructivist--paradigm, Erlandson and his colleagues show readers how these ideas shape the practice of conducting alternative paradigm research. The book covers the research process from design through data collection analysis and presentation and examines important issues generally minimized in positivist research texts--ethics, trustworthiness, and authenticity. Cases from a wide variety of disciplines demonstrate the efficacy of the methods described.

Doing Naturalistic Inquiry is a highly useful teaching tool for anyone using a constructivist lens on research.

"This book is as good a practical guide to naturalistic inquiry as one could hope for at this time. It is clear, it is practical, it is stimulating, it leads, it guides, it inspires. The authors provide action-based legitimation for naturalistic inquiry. If the question, 'It all sounds good, but does it work? is a reasonable one to pose, this book demonstrates that naturalistic inquiry works. The authors are to be congratulated for a splendid contribution."

--from the Foreword by Egon G. Guba

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Price: $56.65 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Researchers have revealed that real expertise, while applied to well-defined tasks with highly circumscribed contexts, often stretches beyond its routine boundaries. For example, a medical doctor may be called upon to diagnose a rare disease or perform emergency surgery outside his or her area of specialization because other experts are not available. Moreover, in some cases, the context for expertise is in a constant state of flux, such that no one case is identical. Expertise Out of Context is a culmination of some of the most insightful studies conducted by researchers in the fields of cognitive systems engineering and naturalistic decision making in the effort to better understand expertise and its development.

Born out of the Sixth International Conference on Naturalistic Decision Making, a conference that gathers researchers who study cognition, perception, and reasoning outside of the traditional laboratory, this book is organized in five parts, the first of which provides anoverview of the topic and presents varied perspectives. Consequent sections cover how to make sense of things, tools for thinking out of context, how to cope with uncertainty in a changing workplace, and teams operating out of context.

As researchers in naturalistic decision making have investigated such areas as the knowledge and decision-making skills of expert firefighters, critical care nurses, military commanders, and aircraft pilots, this volume is of importance to an expansive audience, including individuals in business, government, industry, and society at large..
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This book contains selected papers presented at the 1998 conference on Naturalistic Decision Making (NDM). The objectives of the conference were to:
*make American researchers more aware of NDM research being conducted abroad, particularly in Europe;
*connect NDM research with work in management and industry, to stretch beyond the military and paramilitary focus; and
*formulate a more explicit connection between NDM and expertise.
These objectives are reflected in the chapters of this volume.
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Price: $124.91 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The last quarter of the twentieth-century witnessed a burgeoning of interest in ecological or naturally inspired use of vegetation in the designed landscape. More recently a strong aesthetic element has been added to what was formerly a movement aimed at creating nature-like landscapes. The book advances a fusion of scientific and ecological planting design philosophy that can address the need for more sustainable designed landscapes. It is a major statement on the design, implementation and management of ecologically inspired landscape vegetation. With contributions from people at the forefront of developments in this field, in both Europe and North America, it provides a valuable synthesis of current thinking..
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