1. What Do Sociologists Do? Chapter 2

2. Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada 2-2 What Is a Valid Sociological Topic? Any kind of human behaviour & social interaction Macro & micro level analyses The Difference Between “Common Sense” & Sociological Research Testing vs. assuming or guessing

3. Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada 2-3 How Not to Do Research Choose a biased sample Ask biased questions List biased choices Discard undesirable results

4. Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada 2-4 Six Research Methods Surveys Participant Observation Qualitative Interviews Secondary Analysis Documents Unobtrusive Measures

5. Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada 2-5 Surveys Samples Population Random Samples Strategies for Asking Questions Questionnaires & interviews: Self-administered Structured interviews Closed-ended questions Establishing rapport

6. Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada 2-6 Participant Observation (Fieldwork) Participating in the research setting Observation & recording The problem of “generalizability” vs. rich specific description

7. Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada 2-7 Qualitative Interviews ‘Structured conversation’ Interview schedule Feminist perspectives Highly descriptive analysis, but not always viewed as objective by more conventional researchers

8. Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada 2-8 Secondary Analysis Analyze data already collected by others Data Liberation Initiative Excellent source of information, but one can not be sure of how systematically the original data were gathered

9. Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada 2-9 Documents Examine books, newspapers, diaries, bank records, police reports, household accounts, immigration files, etc. Usually best to utilize multiple sources or types of sources Access to source material can pose a problem

10. Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada 2-10 Unobtrusive Methods Subjects do not know they are being or the things they leave behind will be studied Trash Graffiti Graveyards

11. Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada 2-11 Deciding Which Method to Use Quantitative Research Methods Measurement, numbers, statistics Structured questionnaires or surveys Qualitative Research Methods Observation, description, & interpretation Participant observation or qualitative interviews

12. Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada 2-12 Deciding Which Method to Use

13. Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada 2-13 A Research Model: Eight Basic Steps 1. Selecting a Topic 2. Defining the Problem 3. Reviewing the Literature 4. Formulating a Hypothesis or Research Question Hypothesis Variables Operational definitions

14. Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada 2-14 A Research Model: Eight Basic Steps (continued) 5. Choosing a Research Method 6. Collecting the Data 1. Validity 2. Reliability 7. Analyzing the Results 8. Sharing the Results

15. Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada 2-15 The Research Model

16. Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada 2-16 Ethics in Sociological Research Three Cases The Brajuha Research (1986) Arson & an ethical double bind The Scarce Research (1991) Animal Liberation Front & confidentiality The Humphreys Research (1970, 1971, 1975) Tearoom Trade & sociological snooping

17. Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada 2-17 How Research & Theory Work Together Interdependent Theory stimulates research Research stimulates the development of theory