Research Methods in Sociology Midterm- Ch.1

What is applied research?

-Applied research has clear and practical results. -Sometimes done quickly. -It is putting the science into practice.

Alternatives to Social Research

-Authority. ~Media distortion. -Tradition. ~Common sense. ~Personal experience (overgeneralization, selective observation, premature closure, halo effect).

Purpose of a study- Describe

-Descriptive research. -You have basic info. but you want to describe the phenomena in more depth. -Focuses on the "how" and the "who" question. -Uses most data gathering techniques. -Includes surveys, content analysis, existing statistics,field research, historical comparative research, and in depth interviewing.

What is the scientific community bound by?

-Ethical principals. -Scientific method. -Conferences. -Peer review (journals). -Replication (often quantitate).

What are types of applied research?

-Evaluation research ("does it work?"). -Intended to be useful in the immediate future and suggest action. ~Most widely used type of applied research. ~Decision makers define the scope and purpose of the research as they are also the audience. ~Ethical conflicts. ~Rarely go through with peer reviews. -Action research (knowledge is power). ~Actively involves research participants. ~Examines issues of exploration, oppression, power, and inequality in the study. ~Raises consciousness. ~Linked to a plan or program of social-political action.

Time- Longitudinal Research

-Examines features of people or other units at more than one time. ~Time Series Study: Gathers same type of info across two or more time periods (individuals may change). ~Panel Study: Observes the same people, group, or organization across multiple time points. ~Cohort Study: Category of people who share similar life experiences in a specified time period. ~Case Studies: One or a handful of cases (detailed) over a period of time (qualitative).

Purpose of a study- Explain

-Exploratory research. -Explains social phenomena. -Looks for causes and reasons. -Focuses on the "why" question. -Often tests theories. -Often quantitative. -Includes content analysis, existing stats, and historical comparative.

Purpose of a study- Explore

-Exploratory research. -New area of research, sometimes intended to formulate questions for a later or larger project for the future. -Addresses the "what" question. -"Understanding". -Relies more on qualitative data. -Includes experiments, content analysis, surveys, existing statistics, field research, and historical comparative research.

Qualitative Data Collection

-Field research: Case studies examining a small group of people over a length of time. ~Natural setting, observe in detail, interviewing, exploratory and descriptive. -Historical comparative research: examines aspects of social life in a past historical era or across different cultures (exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory). -In depth interviewing: qualitative interviewing (life history interview, can be exploratory and descriptive).

What questions should you ask yourself when planning a research study?

-How will you use the study results? -What is the primary purpose of your study? -How will you incorporate time into your study? -What data collection techniques and study design will you use?

What is basic research?

-It is the scientific community. -Has methodological standards. -Designed to add to our fundamental understanding of the world regardless of the implications. -Knowledge for knowledge sake.

Time- Cross-Sectional Research

-Researcher examines phenomena at a single point in time.

Quantitative Data Collection

-Used for a larger number of cases. -Experiments (exploratory research). -Surveys (written or by interview, can be descriptive or exploratory). -Content analysis examines content info can be written or symbolic (is exploratory or explanatory but mostly descriptive). -Existing statistics (secondary data that can be exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory).