Lesson 2: Sociological Research


Attention

Yes...they are being watched!

What type of research method would this be? How effective is this method and how reliable are the conclusions?


Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

  • TBA

Teaching

The Scientific Method

The social sciences have long tried to emulate the natural sciences in terms of precision and method of inquiry. However, there is a limit to this...we are not studying something with static properties...the social sciences change, as do the people who we are studying.

 

Methodology in Sociology focuses on the following steps:

  1. Make observations to formulate concepts
  2. Background research (what do we already know)
  3. Identify the variables involved
    • Independent variables (generally the "causes")
    • Dependent variables (generally the "effects")
    • Control variables
  4. Hypotheses
  5. Sampling
  6. Collect data
  7. Analyze

Quantitative methods focus on numerical data, while qualitative methods focus on experiential data.

Check out this slideshow on the difference between Correlation and Causation!

 

Reliability and Validity

In all aspects of study we have to question our methods in regard to "reliability" and "validity".

Reliability is the degree to which our methods are done according to standards and are described accurately enough for someone else to replicate them and come to the same conclusions (or different conclusions)

Validity refers to the degree that our methods are REALLY measuring what we SAY they are measuring. If, for instance we SAY that a test we are using in a study measures the degree of Introversion a person has, we have to ask "Is the test really measuring Introversion?"

Research Methods

One of the most salient topics to bring up in this course in regard to Research Methods is the Hawthorn Effect.

 

The Hawthorn Effect was observed when researchers were trying to measure OTHER factors associated with productivity. What we found out is that productivity (and potentially lots of other behaviors) change when people know they are being watched.

How might this impact the way Sociologists study human subjects?

Types of Research Methods

Collecting data (part of the scientific method) requires that Sociologists use methods that are both reliable and valid in order to "trust" the data that is being collected. Entire college courses exist on EACH ONE of these methods.

  • Surveys
  • Field Research
  • Ethnography
  • Case Study
  • Experiments
  • Secondary Data Analysis

Typical topics of research in Sociology cover the range of human experience. Click HERE to view "Great Sociological Research Topics" a list of different types of issues that can be a part of sociological research


Assessment

Lesson 2 Discussion

Review any newspaper story that reports out statistics of some sort. How do we know if the data is "trustworthy" or not? How do you think the data to produce those statistics was gathered and how does this influence our trust?

Each of you has to post data from an article and provide a reference to that article (tell us where the article is...or provide a direct link to it). In addition to the article, explain the statistics and then answer the prompt. Others can contribute by providing other critique to the data.

Lesson 2 Quiz

Select a single research topic in the "Great Sociological Research Topics" list. Provide TWO different methods as to how you would construct a study on that topic. Your description of the methods should include the terms from the Lesson and the text.

  1. Name your research topic.
  2. Method #1
  3. Method #2