The ERiK Methodological Report I provides information on the methodological concepts of seven ERiK-Surveys on the quality of child day-care in Germany. These surveys include the five ERiK-Surveys 2020 and the parent survey, which was implemented in 2019 as part of the KiBS project, as well as the survey of children in day-care, set to be conducted in 2022. This method report introduces the seven distinct target populations of these surveys: youth welfare offices, family day-care workers, providers of childcare, directors of day-care centres, pedagogical staff in these centres, parents and children aged 4 to 6 attending day-care centres. Sampling frames for these target populations and their coverage in relation to the population are discussed. In addition, the sampling designs for the different target populations are introduced. The ERiK-Surveys 2020 of youth welfare offices and providers of childcare were complete population surveys. Stratified random samples (for directors) and stratified two-stage cluster samples were developed for the populations to which direct access was not possible (pedagogical staff and family day-care workers). Furthermore, the fieldwork results and response rate are included for the parents survey as part of the long-running DJI project KiBS, which included ERiK-specific questions for the first time in 2019. The ERiK-Surveys at the German Youth Institute (DJI) provide the basis for the introduction of a new monitoring system for early childhood education and care in Germany. The monitoring of the development of framework conditions in the day care system (in German: Entwicklung von Rahmenbedingungen in der Kindertagesbetreuung (ERiK)) is anchored in the "Act on the Further Development of Quality and the Improvement of Participation in Day-Care Facilities and in Child Day-Care (KiQuTG)".

The ERiK-Methodological Report II is the second methodological report in the study 'Entwicklung von Rahmenbedingungen in der Kindertagesbetreuung - indikatorengestützte Qualitätsbeobachtung (ERiK)'. The report introduces the implementation of the sample and survey designs, evaluates the data quality and introduces the datasets of the ERiK-Surveys 2020. Together with the ERiK-Methodological Report I, it contains all background information on the ERiK-Surveys 2020.

The ERiK-Methodological Report III is the third in a series of methodological reports related to the 'Entwicklung von Rahmenbedingungen in der Kindertagesbetreuung -indikatorengestützte Qualitätsbeobachtung (ERiK)' study. The report focuses on the conception, sample selection, and survey designs of the ERiK-Surveys 2022. Together with the ERiK-Methodological Report I and II, that cover the ERiK Surveys 2020, it provides comprehensive background information on the ERiK-Surveys conducted in 2022 and describes their progression until December 31, 2021. The subsequent steps, such as implementing the ERiK-Surveys 2022, will be described in a later report.

Bringing together leading authorities, this unique handbook reviews the breadth of current approaches for studying how people think, feel, and behave in everyday environments, rather than in the laboratory. The volume thoroughly describes experience sampling methods, diary methods, physiological measures, and other self-report and non-self-report tools that allow for repeated, real-time measurement in natural settings. Practical guidance is provided to help the reader design a high-quality study, select and implement appropriate methods, and analyze the resulting data using cutting-edge statistical techniques. Applications across a wide range of psychological subfields and research areas are discussed in detail.

Interviews are a frequent and important part of empirical research in political science, but graduate programs rarely offer discipline-specific training in selecting interviewees, conducting interviews, and using the data thus collected. Interview Research in Political Science addresses this vital need, offering hard-won advice for both graduate students and faculty members. The contributors to this book have worked in a variety of field locations and settings and have interviewed a wide array of informants, from government officials to members of rebel movements and victims of wartime violence, from lobbyists and corporate executives to workers and trade unionists. The authors encourage scholars from all subfields of political science to use interviews in their research, and they provide a set of lessons and tools for doing so. The book addresses how to construct a sample of interviewees; how to collect and report interview data; and how to address ethical considerations and the Institutional Review Board process. Other chapters discuss how to link interview-based evidence with causal claims; how to use proxy interviews or an interpreter to improve access; and how to structure interview questions. A useful appendix contains examples of consent documents, semistructured interview prompts, and interview protocols.

How can the United States avoid a future surprise attack on the scale of 9/11 or Pearl Harbor, in an era when such devastating attacks can come not only from nation states, but also from terrorist groups or cyber enemies? Intelligence and Surprise Attack examines why surprise attacks often succeed even though, in most cases, warnings had been available beforehand. Erik J. Dahl challenges the conventional wisdom about intelligence failure, which holds that attacks succeed because important warnings get lost amid noise or because intelligence officials lack the imagination and collaboration to “connect the dots” of available information. Comparing cases of intelligence failure with intelligence success, Dahl finds that the key to success is not more imagination or better analysis, but better acquisition of precise, tactical-level intelligence combined with the presence of decision makers who are willing to listen to and act on the warnings they receive from their intelligence staff. The book offers a new understanding of classic cases of conventional and terrorist attacks such as Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Midway, and the bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The book also presents a comprehensive analysis of the intelligence picture before the 9/11 attacks, making use of new information available since the publication of the 9/11 Commission Report and challenging some of that report’s findings.

This book is an introductory text on design science, intended to support both graduate students and researchers in structuring, undertaking and presenting design science work. It builds on established design science methods as well as recent work on presenting design science studies and ethical principles for design science, and also offers novel instruments for visualizing the results, both in the form of process diagrams and through a canvas format. While the book does not presume any prior knowledge of design science, it provides readers with a thorough understanding of the subject and enables them to delve into much deeper detail, thanks to extensive sections on further reading. Design science in information systems and technology aims to create novel artifacts in the form of models, methods, and systems that support people in developing, using and maintaining IT solutions. This work focuses on design science as applied to information systems and technology, but it also includes examples from, and perspectives of, other fields of human practice. Chapter 1 provides an overview of design science and outlines its ties with empirical research. Chapter 2 discusses the various types and forms of knowledge that can be used and produced by design science research, while Chapter 3 presents a brief overview of common empirical research strategies and methods. Chapter 4 introduces a methodological framework for supporting researchers in doing design science research as well as in presenting their results. This framework includes five core activities, which are described in detail in Chapters 5 to 9. Chapter 10 discusses how to communicate design science results, while Chapter 11 compares the proposed methodological framework with methods for systems development and shows how they can be combined. Chapter 12 discusses how design science relates to research paradigms, in particular to positivism and interpretivism, and Chapter 13 discusses ethical issues and principles for design science research. The new Chapter 14 showcases a study on digital health consultations and illustrates the whole process in one comprehensive example. Also added to this 2nd edition are a number of sections on practical guidelines for carrying out basic design science tasks, a discussion on design thinking and its relationship to design science, and the description of artefact classifications. Eventually, both the references in each chapter and the companion web site were updated to reflect recent findings.