Chapter 2 - Research Methods

Social research methods

techniques and approach to learning about social world, follows plan/research design, old and new approaches, production of knowledge (explain systematically how society operates)

5 main goals of sociological research

Enumeration and description, Prediction, Explanation, Debunking (prove stereotypes wrong), Social justice (why marginalization and make society better)

Quantitative methods

association + statistics, rely numerical values, deductive → prove hypothesis/informed by theories, based survey data

Social research process

Identify area of study, literature review, research question + hypothesis, research design

literature review

research area of study, types of studies already done, what has/hasn’t (Gaps) been done

Research question

well defined question about interest, answerable through research process, Clarity/specificity/Feasibility

Hypothesis

informed assumption about relationship between 2+ variables

Research design

blueprint, study type, research question, hypotheses, variables, data collection methods, statistical analysis plan

Operationalization

process of measuring and comparing abstract concepts, need to be clear about process so repeatable, make variables into something measurable, can use from other research

Variable

measurable attribute or character

Correlation

statistical technique, how strong associated 2 variables are, positive or negative

Reliability

extent to which finding can be replicated, consistently across comparable situation

Validity

extent that concept/idea accurately represent the real world

Standardized

identical process, comparable, same way/same data

Population

larger pool of individual who share relevant characteristic

sample

subset of population, manageable size

self administered survey

independently done, ex: census

researcher adminstered

asked by researcher, allows clarification for more accuracy but also for bias

Strength of quantitative research

measurable result, generalizable, reduce potential bias, allows for prediction

weakness of quantitative research

unable to explain subjective meaning behind action

Qualitative methods

focus on meaning of action, interviewing and field research, descriptive data

Triangulation

technique, determine validity in studies, gathering data from multiple sources

Saturation

confirm sufficient and valuable data collected, when no longer gaining new insight

Reactivity

people under observation changing their usual behaviour because know they’re being watched

Field research

observation, ethnography (immerse themself), photovoice (send people from population to collect), problem with reactivity

Interviews

unstructures (in depth) or semi structured), no standardized, looking for unique insights

strength of qualitative research

contextual data, insight into social processes, contribute to developing theories, meaning behind social action

weakness of qualitative research

not generalizable beyond group studied, take long time to conduct

Mixed Methods

Gold standard bc combines strengths, combination of quantitative and qualitative research, expensive and time consuming, require expertise in both research methods

Secondary data analysis

using already collected data for analysis, Insitutional or digital data

Bias

systematic error in process of drawing conclusion → inaccurate or imprecise knowledge

Decolonizing Methodologies

stress importance of hsitorical trauma and cultural sensitivity (research is dirty word to indigenous people)

Ethical standards

protection from harm, informed consent, voluntary participation, Indigenous data sovereignty, Research ethic board (ensure studies follow ethical practices) → Tri-Council Policy statement