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    Chapter 4

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    Eebbisaa Charuu
    This document discusses sociological research methods. It begins by defining research and its goals, which include identifying patterns, testing theories, making predictions, and understanding phenomena. The document then describes different types of research, such as pure research, action research, and evaluative research. It also distinguishes between qualitative and quantitative research methods. The rest of the document outlines the typical steps in sociological research and describes common methods like surveys, interviews, observation, and focus groups.

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    Chapter 4

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    Eebbisaa Charuu
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    This document discusses sociological research methods. It begins by defining research and its goals, which include identifying patterns, testing theories, making predictions, and understanding phenomena. The document then describes different types of research, such as pure research, action research, and evaluative research. It also distinguishes between qualitative and quantitative research methods. The rest of the document outlines the typical steps in sociological research and describes common methods like surveys, interviews, observation, and focus groups.

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    This document discusses sociological research methods. It begins by defining research and its goals, which include identifying patterns, testing theories, making predictions, and understanding phenomena. The document then describes different types of research, such as pure research, action research, and evaluative research. It also distinguishes between qualitative and quantitative research methods. The rest of the document outlines the typical steps in sociological research and describes common methods like surveys, interviews, observation, and focus groups.

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    20 views26 pages

    Chapter 4

    Uploaded by

    Eebbisaa Charuu
    This document discusses sociological research methods. It begins by defining research and its goals, which include identifying patterns, testing theories, making predictions, and understanding phenomena. The document then describes different types of research, such as pure research, action research, and evaluative research. It also distinguishes between qualitative and quantitative research methods. The rest of the document outlines the typical steps in sociological research and describes common methods like surveys, interviews, observation, and focus groups.

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    of 26

    Chapter 4

    Sociological Research/Investigation
    What is Research?
    • Research can be defined as
    the search for knowledge,
     systematic investigation to solve new or existing problems
    Prove/ or disprove new ideas, or
    develop new theories, usually using a scientific method.
    Research is the systematic process of collecting and analysing
    information (data) in order to increase our understanding of the
    phenomenon
    * Common sense and the need for sociological research
    - Common sense vs research?
    Ex. Rape. Different people have different forms of common sense which is
    why we need sociological research to test the theories .
    The Goals of Social Research
    1. Identifying general patterns and relationships
    2. Testing and refining theories
    3. Making Predictions
    4. Interpreting culturally or historically significant phenomena
    5. Exploring Diversity
    6. Giving Voice
    7. Advancing New Theories
    Types of research
    • On the basis of reason behind research
    1. Pure research or Basic is concerned with increasing our
    knowledge of how societies work, and explain patterns of social
    behavior. It may have implications for social policy, but this is not the
    prime purpose.
    • The objective of basic Research / pure research is:-
    • Advancement of knowledge
    • Understanding of theoretical relationship between variables

    2. Action research: solves specific, practical questions.


    • Investigation directed “to discovering new scientific knowledge that
    has specific commercial objectives with respect to products,
    processes or services.
    • the researcher is actively involved in planning and introducing some
    changes in policy, and then in using his/ her research expertise to
    monitor its effects.
    3. Evaluative research: is a research carried out with the purpose of
    learning about the outcome of a policy, project or a change agency’s
    intervention.

     On the basis of the how deep they go in their investigative power,


    one can identify 3 types of research.
    A. Descriptive research
    B. Explanatory research
    C. Exploratory research: the purpose of this research is to collect
    basic information on a certain hitherto unknown phenomenon or issue,
    on the basis of which to articulate and design descriptive and/ or
    explanatory research to be conducted at a later date.
    • On the basis of the research method used research may be divided
    into two broad categories:
    A. Qualitative research
    • The objective of qualitative research is to gather in-depth
    understanding of human behavior, in order to find out the reasons
    which make the person to behave in that particular way.
    • It emphasizes on the understanding of social phenomena through
    direct observation, communication with participants, or analysis of
    texts, and may stress contextual and subjective accuracy over
    generality.
    • It seeks to understand a given research problem or topic from the
    perspectives of the local population it involves.
    B. Quantitative research
    • The objective of quantitative research, on the other hand, is to
    develop mathematical models and formulate theories.
    • This form of research relies more on quantity and numbers, than
    on quality and details.
    • The results in this case are derived from numerical analysis and
    statistics.
    • Quantitative research focuses on numbers or quantities.
    • Quantitative studies have results that are based on numeric
    analysis and statistics.
    The Research Procedure
    Steps in conducting a Sociological Research
    • Though the steps in social research may vary at specific level, the
    research process generally involves :
    1. Selecting a Research Topic
    2. Identification of Research Problem ( Defining the Problem),
    3. Reviewing the Literature
    4. Choosing a Research Method
    5. Collecting the Data
    6. Analyzing the data, and
    7. Sharing the Results
    1. Selecting a topic
    * Selection of research topic might be influenced by factors like:
    a. Interests and values of the researcher
    b. Current debates in the academic world (current politics in our
    country, women rights issue, social unrest etc.)
    c. Funding
    d. the cooperation vs resistance of the research subjects (rape
    victims, studies about suicide, etc.)
    2. Defining the problem (to specify exactly what you want to learn
    about the topic)
    • It is about specifying exactly what you want to learn about the
    topic.
    Once a research topic comes to the researcher’s mind, he should
    ask the following questions.
    • Is it researchable?
    • socially significant?
    • What gap will it fill?
    • Is manageable in terms of time, money, expertise and other
    resources (availability of the needed resources).
    * Identifying the research issue using these 3 forms:
    - Formulating specific objectives in the form of statements
    - Formulating research questions
    - Formulating testable hypothesis
    3. Reviewing the literature
    - This is a critical understanding of earlier works in the areas of your research
    topic.
    - Checking if the question we’re trying to answer has already been answered. What
    papers, researches have been done on the topic at hand.
    4. Choosing a research method
    - The means by which social researchers collect data. There are 6 research methods.
    i.e. survey, interview, participant observation, FGD, secondary analysis and
    experiments.
    5. Collecting the data
    • This is the step in which the researcher engages in collecting the needed data using the various
    methods and instruments.
    • Data collected may be primary or secondary.
    • Primary data are first hand and original information collected by the researcher.
    • Where as secondary data are those which are already collected by some one else found in various
    sources as documents or archives.
    • They include official statistical documents, mass media (electronic and print media).
    - Concerned with validity (extent to which operation definitions measure what they are intended to
    measure) and reliability (is the extent to which studies yield consistent results)

    6. Analyzing the results


    Analyzing the data collected. Statistical test? or content analysis (examining the content of
    something in order to identify its themes). Ex. SPSS

    7. Sharing the results


    The final step is reporting the findings, which includes a review of the proceeding steps to help
    others judge the research.
    Common sociological Research Methods
    • Social researchers use six major research methods for gathering
    data:
    I. Surveys,
    II. interviews
    III. participant observations,
    IV. FGD
    V. secondary analysis and
    VI. experiments.
    1. Survey
    is a method of data collection based on structured questionnaires, scientific
    sampling and large samples of respondents.
    • Selecting sample: researchers are interested in the xcs of a large number of
    people and due to the massive number studying a representative sample (the
    selected are similar with the whole population).
    • Asking neutral questions
    • Using questionnaires: list of questions, self administered vs researcher
    administered. They are either sent, or given directly in interviews, to a selected
    sample of respondents. There are two types of questionnaires: open ended and
    close ended questionnaires.
    • In close ended questions all the possible answers are provided in a type of
    multiple choices. Where as, in open ended questionnaires respondents will
    freely respond to questions using their own words.
    2. Observation
    • As the term implies, observation involves watching, listening to, and
    recording behavior and conversation as they happen.
    • Observation techniques are especially useful for three purposes:
    (1) studying behaviors as it occurs,
    (2) learning things that can not be easily surveyed, and
    (3) acquiring the viewpoint of the persons under observation.
     Observation can take two forms:
     participant and
     non-participant.

    • Non-participant Observation: consists of detached watching and


    listening, in which the researcher merely observes but does not
    interact or become involved in the daily life of the study subjects.
    • Participant Observation (field work): observation, the researcher
    participates in a research setting while observing what is happening
    in that setting.
    Advantages and disadvantages of PO
    Advantages
    1. Rich source of high quality information
    2. Flexible approach (decide on the relevance of new information as
    they go)
    3. Able to formulate and test hypothesis
    4. Produces a depth of detailed information about all aspects of a
    groups behavior.
    Disadvantages
    5. The researcher has to learn the culture of a group if they are to
    participate and this may not always be easy or possible.
    6. It takes a great deal of commitment and skill and the data
    gathered cant be representative to other social groups.
    3. Interview
    - In reference to in-depth or extended interviews. Which is a formal or
    controlled.
    - Objective is to develop in depth information.

    Advantage
    - richer material than surveys
    Disadvantages
    A. The interviewer might influence the results
    B. More difficult to compare responses. Since it doesn’t have close
    ended questions and respondents answer may be all over the place.
    4. Focus group discussion (FGD)
    - Is a method of gathering a group of people to discuss about a certain
    issue for the sake of research.
    - Typically has 6-12 members, plus a moderator. 8 is the common number.
    - The group should be more or less homogenous.
    Advantages
    1. Researcher has less control over the subject so the data is more reliable
    2. The participants can take control of the discussion process, moving the
    conversation to topics that are relevant to them.
    3. As compared to survey the participants have more control, since they can
    respond in greater depth and probe awkward and sensitive issues.
    4. Less time consuming and inexpensive than individual interviews.
    Disadvantages of FGD
    1. Peer pressure or maybe be affected by group thinking.
    2. Data gathered cant be generalized
    3. The presence of the mediator can be restricting.
    4. Maybe difficult for sensitive or intimate topics
    5. Maybe dominated by dominant speakers.
    5. Secondary Analysis
    • In secondary analysis, the researcher analyzes data that have
    already been collected by others.
    • It is a data gathering strategy which relies on secondary sources
    or archival data.
    • kind of secondary data source consists of materials that people
    have written, recorded, or created for reasons other than
    research.
    6. Experiments
    • An experiment is defined as an attempt, within artificial conditions
    established by an investigator, to test the influence of one or more
    variables upon others.
    • Experiment as a mode of scientific observation involves two major
    steps:
     taking action and observing the consequences of that action.
    • The most conventional type of experiment, involves three major pairs
    of components:
    A. Independent and Dependent variable
    B. Experimental and Control group
    C. Pre-testing and post-testing
    A. Independent and Dependent Variables
    • An experiment examines the effect of independent variable on a
    dependent variable.
    • independent variable takes the form of an experimental stimulus,
    which is either present or absent.
    • For instance, concerning increases in awareness about urban poverty
    reduction strategy, awareness is the dependent variable, and
    exposure to urban education is the independent variable.
    • The researcher’s hypothesis suggests that awareness depends, in part
    on the introduction of urban education.
    B. Experimental and Control Group
    • Researchers begin by establishing at least two groups to be
    studied.
    experimental group.
     control group,
    • Control group is not subjected to the same special treatment.
    • The control group serves as a baseline of comparison to the
    experimental group.
    • An experimental/stimulus/testing/treatment group is a group to
    which a stimulus is administered but a control group is a group
    form which a stimulus is withheld.
    C. Pre-testing and Post-testing
    • In the simplest experimental design, subjects are measured in
    terms of a dependent variable ( pre-tested), exposed to a stimulus
    representing an independent variable and then re-measured in
    terms of the dependent variable ( post –test).
    • Differences noted the first and last measurements on the
    dependent variable are then attributed to the influence of the
    independent variable.
    Deciding which method to use
    There are 4 factors that underlie a researchers choice of method
    1. Resources: match methods to available resources.
    2. Access to subjects: difficult location, sensitive topic
    3. Purpose of research: different methods answer different
    questions. Ex. Experiment (studies cause and effect), PO is
    more for understanding people directly in their environment.
    4. Researchers background or training: practice some more than
    others or prefers certain methods.

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