2206 Flashcards
What is theory?
Ideas used to explain causes and/or consequences of social phenomena
a mixture of both observations and interpretations
Research
. Theory
* 2. Hypothesis – testable statements about your theory * 3. Data collection
* 4. Findings
* 5. Hypotheses confirmed or rejected
* 6. Possible revision of theory
Relationship between Theory and Research
deductive research
- Gather data – often ‘loose’ in subject and very detailed
- Make statements or generalizations about data
- Derive explanatory theory from these statements
Inductive
What is the nature of being? Of reality? Of existence?
ontology
– Mostly use numbers as description/evidence
– Deductive approach most common
* Theory testing and observation important
– Natural science/positivist model
– Social reality is external to the people in it
Quantitative approach
Mostly uses words as description/evidence
– Inductive approach most common
– Try to determine how people interpret their social world
– See social reality as an ‘emergent’ property of peoples’ social constructions
qualitative approach
Values
Personal beliefs and morals, feelings, preconceptions
3 main types of validity
- Measurement
- Internal 3. External
Case Study Design
- A basic case study involves an in-depth study of a
single case.
– Can be a person, family, organization, event, etc.
– Examples: - Oscar Lewis ‘The Culture of Poverty’ (Sanchez family: Mexico)
- Rinehart ‘The Tyranny of Work’ (Auto Factory)
- White ‘Street Corner Society’ (Italian immigrant community)
Cross-Sectional Designs
- Observations made at only one point in time
- No manipulation of the independent variable (no ‘treatment’ is given)
- Two or more variables are measured in order to detect patterns of association
– Examples: questionnaires, structured interviews
Cross sectional cont
- Can be used to examine the effect of variables that cannot be manipulated in experiments
– Ex. age, gender, ethnicity, culture, social class, etc. - Examples:
- Obesity and social stigma
- Alcohol consumption and depression
Cross-Sectional Designs * Often weak in internal validity and high in external validity
- Two basic types:
- Panel study:
– Cases are examined at a particular time (T1), and again at a
later time or times (T2, T3, etc.)
– Ex. National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) - Large sample of children aged 0-11 years old in 1994
- Exact children found again in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006,
2008 - Time series analysis (cohort study):
– different people are studied at each time - Sample 1 (S1) at T1, S2 at T2, S3 at T3
– Ex. ‘Canadian Labour Force Survey’ (LFS) new random sample of Canadians each month
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longitudinal design
Sampling
- Probablility (scientific) sampling
- Non-probability (non-scientific) sampling
Only qualitative differences between categories
Nominal level of measurement
