Research Methods

Research Methods

Systematic strategies used to study the social world.

Quantitative Research

Focuses on numbers and math. It is used to count things, see how often they happen, or find patterns in data like charts and graphs

Qualitative Research

Focuses on words and stories. It is used to understand people's feelings, deep meanings, and the "why" behind what they do

Population

The entire big group you want to learn about (for example, "all students in Canada")

Sample

Group of people actually chosen from the big group to take part in the study.

Generalizability

Being able to say, "Because this happened in my small sample, it is likely true for the whole population."

Probability Sampling

Picking people for a study completely at random (like pulling names from a hat) so the group is fair and representative.

Non-probability Sampling

Picking people for a study based on a specific reason or purpose rather than at random.

Survey

When a researcher reads the questions out loud to a person and writes down their answers.

Questionnaire

When the person being studied reads and fills out the questions themselves

Official Statistics

Data that has already been collected by the government (like census data)

Experiment

Controlled test to see if one thing causes another to change.

Causal Relationship

A "cause and effect" link; when one thing happens, it directly makes something else change.

Treatment

The "thing" the researcher changes or introduces to see what happens.

Experimental Group

The group of people who actually get the treatment or the new thing being tested.

Control Group

The group that does not get the treatment, used as a comparison to see if the treatment actually worked.

Random Assignment

Sorting people into the Experimental or Control groups by total luck (like a coin flip) to keep the test fair.

Informed Consent

Making sure people agree to be in your study and understand exactly what will happen to them

Privacy

Keeping the names and personal details of the people in your study a secret