Chapter 2: Research Methods
- Bias = any researcher’s opinion, characteristic, or attitude that may influence the research process.
- Computational social sciences = use different approaches to collect and analyze research data with unprecedented breadth, depth, and scale.
- Social research methods = sociologist’s toolkit to learn, understand and contribute to social life.
- 5 Goals of social research = describe, predict, explain, debunk, and seek.
- 1st goal = description and enumeration of the basic characteristics of our society.
- 2nd goal = prediction the effectiveness of strategies and compares them.
- 3rd goal = explaining the connection of concepts with the goal of creating theories about the world.
- 4th goal = debunking popular beliefs and common-sense assumptions.
- 5th goal = Seeking social justice through the understanding of marginalized and oppressed social groups.
The process of research = is conformed of 7 stages that complete a cycle.
Stage 1 = Identify the research area
Stage 2 = Literature review
Stage 3 = Formulate the research question following the three guiding principles
Three guiding principles = clarity, specificity, and feasibility.
Research design = the blueprint or plan of the study.
5 Elements of research design = Study type, research question, variables, data collection methods, and analysis plan.
Stage 4 = Data collection and analysis
Quantitative method = Method of data collection and analysis characterized by reliance on numerical values.
Correlation = statistical technique that assesses the association between variables as positive or negative.
Reliability = degree to which findings can be replicated. Quantitative method.
Validity = degree to which findings are an accurate reflection of the world. Quantitative method.
Statistics = branch of mathematics that collects, analyses, interprets and represents numerical data.
Qualitative method = Method of data collection and analysis characterized by reliance on different kinds of data.
Saturation = method that affirms that, when no new insights are gained from further data analysis, the researcher has collected sufficient and valuable data to support the findings of a study. Qualitative method.
Triangulation = technique that determines validity in studies by comparing and contrasting data gathered from multiple sources.
Stage 5 = Write-up and dissemination
Stage 6 = Critical reflection
Conflict theory and its research methods = methods that uncover and clarify inequalities and conflict among social groups and social classes.
3 Key features of conflict theory research = the position of the researcher, the topic of inequality, and critical reflection.
Feminist theory and its research methods = methods that uncover inequalities among social groups and that describe the experience of minorities.
Standpoint theory = individuals view reality differently depending on their ethnic background, social status, class, and other demographics.
Institutional ethnography = engaging as an insider in the inquiry of an organization.
Functionalism theory and its research methods = methods that examine the organization of a society, the role of institutions, and the changes these generate. Relies on quantitative data.
Symbolic Interactionism theory and its research methods = methods that examine people’s understanding of reality, their interactions, and the meaning they create for these interactions. Relies on qualitative data.
Indigenous theory and its research methods = methods that examine how settler colonial states exclude or minimize Indigenous peoples.
Population = the general number of individuals to which the findings of the study apply.
Sample = the selected number of individuals from the population that participate in the study.
Survey = method of social research whose goal is to gather systematic information on a topic to describe, explain, or influence a social phenomenon. Quantitative.
Self-administered questionnaires = a method of social research in which the researcher is not involved.
Researcher-administered questionnaires = method of social research in which the researcher is involved.
Interview = method of social research that involves a conversation. Qualitative.
Field research = method of social research done outside the laboratory, in the participant’s natural settings.
Participant observation and reactivity = while under observation, people change their usual behaviour.
Ethnography = method of social research in which the researchers fully immersed themselves in the setting of analysis.
Participatory Action Research (PAR) = method of social research typically used for research on the marginalized or oppressed. they actively participate in the research design.
4 R’s of Indigenous research methods = Respect, responsibility, reciprocity, and reverence.
Photovoice = method of social research that aims to understand the lived experiences of marginalized groups through their own expressions. Qualitative.
Secondary data analysis = method of social research that analyses and interprets existing data.
Institutional data = existing data that can provide insight into the operations of institutions and their relation to social life.
Big Data = existing data that has been created by individuals on the internet.