SOCIOLOGY RESEARCH METHODS
Selecting a Sample Population- the target group of people that you are going to study Sample- individuals from among your target population Random Sample- a sample in which everyone in the target population has the same chance of being included in the study Stratified Random Sample- a sample of specific subgroups of the target population
Asking Neutral Questions Respondents- the people who answer your questions (must be able to formulate their own opinions)
Surveys (Questionnaires and Interviews) Questionnaires- a list of questions Self-administered questionnaires- respondents fill out answers by themselves Advantage: Disadvantage:
Surveys (Questionnaires and Interviews) Interviews- direct questioning of respondents, usually face to face, but also by email or phone Advantage: Disadvantage: Interviewer bias: the presence of interviewer can effect what people say
Interviews Structured Interviews- interviews that use closed-ended questions (multiple choice) Unstructured Interviews- interviews that use open-ended questions (people’s own words) (The results of unstructured interview are sometimes difficult to compare) Establishing rapport- a feeling of trust between researchers and subjects (When rapport is gained, respondents are much more likely to talk about sensitive issues.)
Other Research Methods Participant Observation (Fieldwork)- Research in which the researcher participates in a research setting while observing what is happening in that setting Secondary Analysis- The analysis of data that have been collected by other researchers This works well if you have a lack of resources, but generally researchers like to do their own data collection
Other Research Methods Documents- Written Sources to investigate social life (newspapers, diaries, bank records)
Experiments Experiments- The use of control and experimental groups and dependent and independent variables to test causation Control group- the group of subjects not exposed to the independent variable Experimental group- the group of subjects exposed to the independent variable Independent variable- a factor that causes a change in another variable, called the dependent variable Dependent variable- a factor that is changed by an independent variable
For Example… Mrs. Waller has a chemistry lab in her basement. She has developed a new doggie vitamin for her dog Oliver. Hypothesis: If dogs take the vitamin, then their coats will have increased shininess. Fill in the Parts to the experiment…
Which method is best? 1. Resources- do sociologists have enough money to conduct the survey, etc…. 2. Access to subjects- do sociologists have easy access to gain information from respondents? 3. Purpose for research- sociologists must consider their research question before choosing a method 4. Experience- sociologists tend to use the methods they have the most experience with
Research Results Quantitative Research Results- Results in which the emphasis is placed on precise measurement, the use of statistics and numbers. Qualitative Research Results- Results in which the emphasis is placed on observing, describing, and interpreting people’s behavior.
Ethics in Research 1. Protecting the subjects- information gathered should be confidential 2. Misleading Subjects- researchers should not misrepresent themselves