2.2 Stages in the Sociological Research Process
- Choosing a Research Topic. The first step in the research process is choosing a topic. ...
- Formulating a Hypothesis
- Measuring Variables and Gathering Data. After the literature review has been completed, it is time to formulate the hypothesis that will guide the study.
- Analyzing Data. After the hypothesis has been formulated, the sociologist is now ready to begin the actual research.
- Drawing a Conclusion. After all data have been gathered, the next stage is to analyze the data. ...
What are the 8 steps of the research process?
The Research Process in 8 Simple Steps
- Select a Topic Select a topic that is interesting to you. State your topic as a question. ...
- Find Background Information A Reference Source is a book or database that gives brief information or an introduction to a topic. ...
- Use the Online Catalog to Find Books Books are a great source for background reading or historical information. ...
What are the basic steps in the research process?
The Research Process
- Identify a Research Problem. ...
- Review the Literature. ...
- Determine Research Question. ...
- Develop Research Methods. ...
- Collect & Analyze Data. ...
- Document the Work. ...
- Communicate Your Research. ...
- Refine/Expand, Pioneer. ...
- Refine/Expand, Pioneer. ...
What are the stages of research?
- Abstract. ...
- Introduction. ...
- Materials and methods. ...
- Results. ...
- Discussion. ...
- Acknowledgements. ...
- Funding. ...
- Author information. ...
- Ethics declarations. ...
- Additional information. ...
What is the process of Social Research?
The few definitions are as follows:
- Prof. ...
- Rummel defined it as “it is devoted to a study to mankind in his social environment and is concerned with improving his understanding of social orders, groups, institutes and ethics”.
- M.H. ...
What are the 7 methods of sociological research?
Sociologists generally choose from widely used methods of social investigation: primary source data collection such as survey, participant observation, ethnography, case study, unobtrusive observations, experiment, and secondary data analysis, or use of existing sources.
What are 3 methods of sociological research?
The main methods sociologists use to generate primary data include social surveys (normally using questionnaire), interviews, experiments and observations.
What is basic sociological research?
Social Research is a method used by social scientists and researchers to learn about people and societies so that they can design products/services that cater to various needs of the people. Different socio-economic groups belonging to different parts of a county think differently.
What are research methods in sociology?
Types of research methods in sociologySurveys. A survey is a structured questionnaire used to gather data from a select group of people. ... Participant observation. ... Secondary analysis. ... Experimental. ... Structured interviews. ... Unstructured interviews. ... Semi-structured interviews. ... Case studies.More items...•
What are the 4 types of research methods?
Data may be grouped into four main types based on methods for collection: observational, experimental, simulation, and derived.
What are the research methods?
Examples of data collection methodsResearch methodPrimary or secondary?Qualitative or quantitative?ExperimentPrimaryQuantitativeSurveyPrimaryQuantitativeInterview/focus groupPrimaryQualitativeObservationPrimaryEither2 more rows
What is basic research method?
Basic research is a type of research approach that is aimed at gaining a better understanding of a subject, phenomenon or basic law of nature. This type of research is primarily focused on the advancement of knowledge rather than solving a specific problem.
What is the purpose of basic social research?
It is used to gather information on the social world, in order to come up with a course of action or simply to develop new knowledge. The objective of social research is to identify the cause-and-effect relationship between social problems so that these problems can be solved to enhance societal welfare.
Is the first step in social research?
Several stages compose the sociological research process. These stages include (a) choosing a research topic, (b) conducting a literature review, (c) measuring variables and gathering data, (d) analyzing data, and (e) drawing a conclusion.
What is the best research method in sociology?
Social SurveysSocial Surveys: This is the most commonly used research technique in sociology. It involves the use of a structured questionnaire that is designed to gather information from a large number of people from a certain population.
Which of the following is the most commonly used method in sociological research?
The survey, in which people are asked to answer a series of questions, is the most widely used research method among sociolo- gists. It is ideal for studying large numbers of people. The survey is the most widely used research method for collecting data in sociology.
What is the goal of sociological research?
A goal of sociological research is to discover the similarities, differences, patterns, and trends of a given population. Members of a population who participate in a study are subjects or respondents.
What is qualitative research?
In qualitative research, information collected from respondents takes the form of verbal descriptions or direct observations of events. Although verbal descriptions and observations are useful, many scientists prefer quantitative data for purposes of analysis.
Why do researchers devise a hypothesis?
Because a theory is too general to test, the investigator devises a hypothesis, or testable prediction, from the theory, and tests this instead. The results of the research study either disprove or do not disprove the hypothesis.
What is the purpose of statistics in science?
To analyze data, scientists use statistics, which is a collection of mathematical procedures for describing and drawing inferences from the data. Two types of statistics are most common: inferential, used for making predictions about the population, and descriptive, used for describing the characteristics of the population and respondents.
Choosing a Research Topic
The first step in the research process is choosing a topic. There are countless topics from which to choose, so how does a researcher go about choosing one? Many sociologists choose a topic based on a theoretical interest they may have.
Formulating a Hypothesis
After the literature review has been completed, it is time to formulate the hypothesis that will guide the study. In sociology, the hypothesis will often predict how one form of human behavior influences another.
Measuring Variables and Gathering Data
After the hypothesis has been formulated, the sociologist is now ready to begin the actual research. Data must be gathered via one or more of the research designs examined later in this chapter, and variables must be measured. Data can either be quantitative (numerical) or qualitative (nonnumerical).
Sampling
After any measurement issues have been resolved, it is time to gather the data. For the sake of simplicity, let’s assume the unit of analysis is the person. A researcher who is doing a study “from scratch” must decide which people to study.
Analyzing Data
After all data have been gathered, the next stage is to analyze the data. If the data are quantitative, the analysis will almost certainly use highly sophisticated statistical techniques beyond the scope of this discussion.
Criteria of Causality
As researchers analyze their data, they naturally try to determine whether their analysis supports their hypothesis. As noted above, when we test a hypothesis, we want to be able to conclude that an independent variable affects a dependent variable.
Drawing a Conclusion
Once the data are analyzed, the researcher finally determines whether the data analysis supports the hypothesis that has been tested, taking into account the criteria of causality just discussed.
What is sociological research?
Whatever unit of analysis is being studied, sociological research aims to test relationships between variables or, more precisely, to test whether one variable affects another variable, and a hypothesis outlines the nature of the relationship that is to be tested.
How do sociologists choose a topic?
There are countless topics from which to choose, so how does a researcher go about choosing one? Many sociologists choose a topic based on a theoretical interest they may have. For example, Émile Durkheim’s interest in the importance of social integration motivated his monumental study of suicide. Many sociologists since the 1970s have had a theoretical interest in gender, and this interest has motivated a huge volume of research on the difference that gender makes for behavior, attitudes, and life chances. The link between theory and research lies at the heart of the sociological research process, as it does for other social, natural, and physical sciences. Accordingly, this book discusses many examples of studies motivated by sociologists’ varied theoretical interests.
What is a hypothesis in sociology?
After the literature review has been completed, it is time to formulate the hypothesis that will guide the study. As you might remember from a science class, a#N#hypothesis#N#is a statement of the relationship between two variables concerning the units of analysis the researcher is studying. To understand this definition, we must next define variables and units of analysis. Let’s start with#N#units of analysis#N#, which refers to the type of entity a researcher is studying. As we discuss further in a moment, the most common unit of analysis in sociology is a person, but other units of analysis include organizations and geographical locations. A is any feature or factor that may differ among the units of analysis that a researcher is studying. Key variables in sociological studies of people as the units of analysis include gender, race and ethnicity, social class, age, and any number of attitudes and behaviors. Whatever unit of analysis is being studied, sociological research aims to test relationships between variables or, more precisely, to test whether one variable affects another variable, and a hypothesis outlines the nature of the relationship that is to be tested.
What is the third source of inspiration for research topics?
A third source of inspiration for research topics is personal experience. Like other social scientists (and probably also natural and physical scientists), many sociologists have had various experiences during childhood, adolescence, or adulthood that lead them to study a topic from a sociological standpoint.
What is the most common unit of analysis in sociology?
As we discuss further in a moment, the most common unit of analysis in sociology is a person, but other units of analysis include organizations and geographical locations. A is any feature or factor that may differ among the units of analysis that a researcher is studying.
What is the next step in the research process?
Whatever topic is chosen, the next stage in the research process is a review of the literature. A researcher who begins a new project typically reads a good number of studies that have already been published on the topic that the researcher wants to investigate.
Why is random sampling important?
This means that we can be fairly sure of the attitudes of the whole U.S. population by knowing the attitudes of just 400 people randomly chosen from that population.
Surveys
A survey is a structured questionnaire used to gather data from a select group of people. Researchers pre-write surveys with a limited number of questions that may be close-ended or open-ended depending on the information the researcher wants to collect.
Participant observation
Participant observation is a type of field research. It's a research method in which the sociologist actively participates in the research group and records their observations. Some researchers perform overt participant observation, in which the population for the study is aware of the researcher and the study.
Secondary analysis
A secondary analysis examines data collected by other researchers. Researchers may use this method if they have limited resources to conduct another kind of study, or when compiling a cross-study called a meta-analysis that examines an extensive collection of previous research.
Experimental
An experimental study typically takes place in a controlled environment, such as a laboratory. Since researchers minimize the influence of outside forces within the environment, this research method may help them identify causal relationships between the experimental groups.
Structured interviews
A structured interview is similar to a survey. The researcher prepares a list of questions ahead of the interview and verbally asks the participant questions. The researcher typically standardizes this type of interview to ask the same questions across multiple participants so they can gather quantitative data on a topic.
Unstructured interviews
An unstructured interview is a less formal style of interview. This style of interview may be respondent-led, meaning that the participant drives much of the conversation with minimal prompting from the researcher. This research method may be effective for collecting qualitative information.
Semi-structured interviews
A semi-structured interview includes both structured and unstructured portions. The interviewer may prepare some questions before the interview but expects to ask follow-up questions based on the respondent's answers. This style of interviewing may allow the researcher to collect quantitative and qualitative data.
What are the steps of a sociological study?
1.) The five steps in the scientific method used by sociologist are, Define the problem, review the literature, Formulate a testable hypotheses, develop a research design/ collect and analyze data, and develop a conclusion. These steps all contain an intricacy of work that has to perform in a number of creative manners. When a sociologist defines a problem they are either looking from a functionalist or conflict perspective, the problem can be about a number of topics regarding society as a whole. Depending on the view point and problem defined, the entire method can experience a variation in steps. After the sociologist has defined a problem they deem notable to study they move onto the next step, review the literature/ conduct background …show more content…
How do social scientists use the scientific method?
ABSTRACT: (1) The social sciences make use of scientific method, experimental repetition, and peer review to help account for the complexity of their subject matter. (2) The scientific method helps organize research and form testable claims about subject mater. (3) Experimental repetition helps ensure findings in an experiment are attributable in other cases (or at least, to what degree). (4) Peer review helps preserve soundness of method in interpreting and handling of data. (5) All of these aid the social scientist in dealing with their subject; and whatever the social phenomena.…
What are ethical principles in social work?
Ethical principles of social work such as competence and integrity, encourage the strength of honesty for professional use. To be able to use competence, a social worker must be able to be honest about what he can or not do. As a competent social worker I will work within my scope of knowledge.
Why is ethics important in research?
Ethics in research is the use of standards in research that is a guide between acceptable and unacceptable behaviors and encompasses proper techniques to avoid fabrication of data and ensure that the researcher will be honest and objective. Being objective helps create an warm and welcoming environment and helps make the participant feel at ease and not as if he/she is being judged by their responses. Furthermore a trusting environment, helps create the atmosphere needed to work collaboratively such as in a professional learning community, PLC. In a PLC environment, there is the need for fairness, mutual respect, accountability, trust, and sharing of ideas, all of which are reasons why ethics in research is important. Being objective in the gathering of data is also critical because it encourages the participant to be honest and not feel that they need to seek the approval of the research, which could skew the responses providing an inaccurate result.…
Should sociologists be professional?
Sociologist should not knowingly mislead others or try to take advantage of them for their own gain. Professional and scientific responsibility, this principles defines how sociologists should always be professional and show respect to other sociologists, while at the same time maintaining integrity.
What is the research process in the form of a circle?
The research process is in the form of a circle. After the researcher completes stage 5, and the study is found to be unsuccessful or partially successful, the researcher has to return to the early stages of the investigation, and repeat all the stages beginning with the faulty stage.
What is social research?
by Sabnam. Social research is the act of gathering data that can help a person to answer questions about the various aspects of society. These questions can be generalized, or very specific in terms of the problems. The research methods, such as surveys and experiments have a major impact on society through their findings.
What is the other study by Griffith and Veitch (1971)?
The other study by Griffith and Veitch (1971) is “hot and crowded: influence of population density and temperature on interpersonal affective behavior”. There is a comparison made on these studies through the five stages of research.
What is the most important question in social science?
A crucial question in social sciences concerns the nature of social phenomena and how they can best be understood. Different sociologists had a different perspective on it. Wilhelm Dilthey, a nineteenth-century sociologist, believed that no one can generalize or predict their actions of humans.
How does research affect society?
The research methods, such as surveys and experiments have a major impact on society through their findings. They are increasingly being used outside of the social sciences, in the other sectors of the society. For example – surveys being conducted to determine proper voting hours in presidential elections.
Why do researchers re-analyze their research?
Once the research is completed and proved successful, the researcher must re-analyze all the stages of his research to ensure better accuracy of the hypothesis. But due to lack of money and funding, it usually repeats the hypothesis with few modifications.
How many stages of sociology are there?
There are five stages of research, as discussed below. Each of the stages is dependent on the other.
