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Chapter 2-AskingAnswering Sociological Qs

This document outlines the sociological research process and methods. It discusses the 7 steps of the research process: defining the problem, reviewing literature, formulating hypotheses, selecting a research design, carrying out research, interpreting results, and reporting findings. It also describes common quantitative and qualitative research methods like surveys, experiments, ethnography, and comparative research. Finally, it explains how sociology uses the scientific method to study human social life, while acknowledging its differences from the natural sciences.

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33 views

Chapter 2-AskingAnswering Sociological Qs

This document outlines the sociological research process and methods. It discusses the 7 steps of the research process: defining the problem, reviewing literature, formulating hypotheses, selecting a research design, carrying out research, interpreting results, and reporting findings. It also describes common quantitative and qualitative research methods like surveys, experiments, ethnography, and comparative research. Finally, it explains how sociology uses the scientific method to study human social life, while acknowledging its differences from the natural sciences.

Uploaded by

tala.al.achi
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Sociology

Instructor: Dr. Mariam Al Hasbani


Fall Semester
2023-2024
Chapter 2
Asking and Answering Sociological Questions

1. Steps of the Sociological Research Process


2. Research Methods
• Quantitative and Qualitative research methods
• Ethnography
• Survey
• Experiments
• Comparative Research
3. Scientific Research: Sociology versus Natural Sciences
• Standards for Scientific Research
Steps of the Sociological Research Process

Conducting sociological research is a process which includes seven main steps:

1. Define the Research Problem: Select a topic for research & state the problem that
you want to investigate and your main research question.
2. Review the Literature: Review related research works to familiarize yourself with
existing studies on the topic.
3. Make the Problem Precise & Formulate Hypotheses: State how to approach the
problem (theoretically), and put forward ideas/guesses to test empirically.
4. Select a Research Design: Decide how to collect the research data, which research
method(s) to use. Decision depends on the type of research question addressed.
5. Carry out the Research: Collect data based on the research methods you selected.
6. Interpret the Results: analyze the collected data and test your hypotheses.
7. Report the Research Findings: Write and disseminate the findings.
Research Methods

• Remember step 4 in research process- Selecting a Research Design


QUANTITATIVE QUALITATIVE
research design/ methods research design/methods
Use objective and statistical data Use data derived from interviews, accounts or
observations
Survey -most commonly used method Ethnography or Fieldwork - most commonly
used method
Use of large samples Use of few cases

Focus on documenting trends, comparing Offer great depth and rich details on a topic.
subgroups, or exploring correlations.
Can’t offer great depth and detail on a topic.

We can use a qualitative or a quantitative method (or both sometimes) to study the same topic/issue.
Ethnography
• A qualitative method widely used in sociological research.
• Def. : A firsthand study of people using observations, interviews, or both. Also called
fieldwork.
• Ethnographers, when studying a group, organization, or community, may choose to observe at
a distance and not participate directly in the activities under observation, OR choose
• Participant observation method - researcher participates directly in the activities of the
group or community being studied.
 Changes in Ethnographic work:
o Problems encountered in conducting research were excluded now mentioned.
o Objective reports were expected from ethnographers now more open info about the
observers/ethnographers & their link to the people under study.
• Strengths: Produces richer and more in-depth information than other methods on peoples’
behavior; & better understanding of broader social processes.
• Limitations: Study only small groups or communities; findings not easy to generalize; &
researchers may lose the objective perspective.
Surveys

• Most commonly used method in quantitative research.


• Def.: A method of sociological research in which questionnaires are administered to the population
being studied.
• Survey research produces information that is less detailed but can be generalized to the population as a
whole.
• Two types of questions are used in surveys: Standardized (fixed- choice) questions and Open-ended
questions. (A questionnaire’s terminology must be understandable)
• Most surveys are preceded by pilot studies, which reveal problems with the survey not anticipated by
the investigator.
• Sampling: “Studying a proportion of individuals or cases from a larger population as representative of
that population as a whole”
- Selecting a Sample that is Representative (statistically typical of the larger population) is important so
the survey results can be generalized to the total population.
- One important procedure that ensure that a sample is representative is: Random Sampling.
• Advantages: large numbers of people studied, responses easily quantified, compared and analyzed.
• Disadvantages: High nonresponse levels, findings accuracy may be doubtful due to shallow nature of
Experiments and Comparative Research

Experiment:
“A research method by which variables can be analyzed in a controlled and systematic way, either in an
artificial situation constructed by the researcher or in a naturally occurring setting.”
• In a typical experiment, people are randomly assigned to two groups: The Experimental group
(receives some special attention based on the researcher’s theory) and the Control group. Examples…
• Advantages: Easier for researchers to repeat, test a hypothesis under highly controlled conditions.
• Disadvantages: Artificial -not real-life situations, human behavior affected by the experimental situation,
difficult to generalize results as only small groups studied.
Comparative Research:
“Research that compares one set of findings on one society with the same type of findings on other
societies”.
• It enables researchers to document whether social behavior varies across time and place, and by one’s
social group membership.
• Most comparative work is quantitative (but could be qualitative) .
• Most influential way of doing comparative research is through historical research. Ex: Skocpol’s ‘States
and Social Revolutions’ (1979) and Wimmer’s ‘Waves of War’ (2012) comparative historical studies.
Scientific Research: Sociology versus Natural Sciences

• Q: Can we study human social life in a scientific way?


• Science: is the use of systematic methods of empirical investigation, the analysis of data,
theoretical thinking, and the logical assessment of arguments to develop a body of knowledge
about specific subject matter.
According to this definition, sociology is a scientific endeavor.
• The organized series of steps of research process we explained … is the scientific method that
sociologists use in studying society/human social life.
• Sociology is not equivalent to a natural science… We cannot study human beings in the same
way as we can study objects in nature.
• However, there are common values or basic standards for any research to be scientific -in
both the natural sciences and the social sciences.
• Three basic standards that sociological research tries to meet to be scientific: 1) Inference - to
be able to generalize or to make broader claims about phenomena. 2) Procedure of collecting
and analyzing data should be public. 3) all sources of uncertainty in a study should be specified.

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