1. SOCIOLOGY
RESEARCH METHODS

2. 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

3. Asking Neutral Questions
Respondents- the people who answer your questions (must be able to formulate their own opinions)

4. Surveys (Questionnaires and Interviews)
Questionnaires- a list of questions
Self-administered questionnaires- respondents fill out answers by themselves
Advantage:
Disadvantage:

5. Surveys (Questionnaires and Interviews)
Interviews- direct questioning of respondents, usually face to face, but also by or phone
Advantage:
Disadvantage:
Interviewer bias: the presence of interviewer can effect what people say

6. 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.)

7. 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

8. Other Research Methods
Documents- Written Sources to investigate social life
(newspapers, diaries, bank records)

9. 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

10. 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…

11. 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

12. 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.

13. Ethics in Research
1. Protecting the subjects- information gathered should be confidential
2. Misleading Subjects- researchers should not misrepresent themselves