Sociological Research Methods Pair up with one person next to you ONE half sheet of paper per group Do you agree or disagree with this cartoon and why? KOBE

Research Methods Goal: To provide objective answers to Sociological Questions (ex. does social class have an impact on who gets married?)

Methods of Research Sociologists rely on two methods of research: Qualitative Quantitative

Quantitative Research Using NUMBERS (numerical data) (Quant)itative=Quantity Quantity= the amount or number of something Can be measured and shown by some form of graph.

LOOK IN YOUR PACKETS IDENTIFY WHICH QUESTIONS WOULD BE CONSIDERED QUANTITATIVE. Mark those questions with a # Likert scale

Fun Fact 90% of research published is from surveys. Survey research is the most widely used method of sociologists. Researchers describe the people surveyed in terms of populations and samples.

Effective Survey Research Population- all those people with the characteristics a researcher wants to study. Sample- limited number of cases drawn from the larger population. A sample must be collected carefully if it is to have the same basic characteristics as the general population. (representative sample)

LOOK IN YOUR PACKETS How many responses were collected? How many people are in our class? Does this make my survey one of the Per. 3 Sociology w/ Graeber population or a sample? If it is a sample, do you think it is a fair representative sample?

Gathering Survey Information Information is gathered through questionnaire or interview. Questionnaire vs. interview

LOOK AT YOUR PACKETS Questionnaire or Interview? What are the differences in how they are given? What are the possible differences in how they are answered? AKA how might you have responded if I sat you down and asked you to answer those questions with me 1 on 1? How about a group setting?

Gathering Survey Info Questionnaires & interviews include: Closed-ended Questions: Q’s with limited, pre-determined responses. Open-ended Questions: Q’s with the person answering in his/her own words.

LOOK IN YOUR PACKETS List the Closed-Ended questions in my survey with a C List the Open-Ended questions in my survey with an O (as in Obi Wan)

Take my camo pants survey! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9K9F9HD

Secondary Analysis (Pre-collected Data) Types of pre-collected data include: Govt. reports Crime reports, prison records Company records Voting lists Major sources are: U.S. Census Bureau, F.B.I. Crime Reports, U.S. Dept. of Labor

LOOK IN YOUR PACKETS Do you have pre-collected data? Did you have to harvest this data yourself or was it given to you? Which part of the packet could be considered pre-collected data that you could do a secondary analysis on? (which pages) What conclusions can you come to from this data?

Qualitative- Field Research Qualitative research uses narrative or descriptive data (cant really be measured on a graph). Field Research- looks closely at aspects of social life that cannot be measured quantitatively.

Qualitative- Field Research Two types of field research: Case Study- intensive study of a group, incident, or community Participant Observation- case study where researcher becomes a member of the group being studied.

THINK ABOUT OUR CLASS I am constantly taking notes, evaluating, and assessing your class. Am I conducting a case study or am I in the midst of a participant observation?

Causation In Science Scientists assume that an event occurs for a reason. The concept of causation believes that events occur in predictable, non-random ways. Multiple causation states that an event occurs as a result of several factors working in combination.

Variables Variables can be quantitative, qualitative, independent or dependent Quantitative- can be measured or given a numerical value Qualitative- identified by membership of a category, “either/or” “yes/no” Independent- causes something to occur Dependent- reflects a change Intervening variable- influences the relationship between an independent & dependent variable

Correlations A measure of how things are related to one another. Correlations may be positive or negative. Positive- exists if both variables change in the same direction. Negative- exists if the variables change in opposite directions.

3 Standards for showing Causation Standard 1- Two variables must be correlated Standard 2- All other possible factors must be taken into account Standard 3- A change in the independent variable must occur before a change in the dependent variable.

Procedures in Research Follow the research model of the Scientific Method: Identify the Problem Review the Literature Formulate Hypotheses Develop a Research Design Collect Data Analyze Data State Findings & Conclusions

Ethics in Social Research At times the ethics of researchers is not honored. However, sociologists routinely protect the rights of research subjects and avoid deceiving or harming them. Research can and should be done ethically.

Sociologist’s Code of Ethics Showing objectivity Using superior research standards Reporting findings & methods truthfully Protecting the rights, privacy, integrity, dignity and freedom of research subjects Goal of sociologists: Getting the greatest possible benefit with the least possible harm