Data collection methods
SURVEY INTERVIEWS & FOCUS GROUPS FIELD RESEARCH ANALYSIS OF EXISTING SOURCES EXPERIMENTS
What is the research process?
Procedure used for solving problems and finding facts in an organized way
- Choose and explore a topic
- identify a specific research question
- design the research study
- consider ethical dimensions or the research
- collect and analyze data
- report the results
What is scientific method?
A way of trying to determine what is true or not true through a systematic set of steps. It is a way of making sure that sociologists are truly making legitimate discoveries about their fields of study.
- Observation
- Hypothesis
- Research and Predict
- Preform Experiment
- Analyze and confirm predictions
- Conclusion
interviews & focus groups
(qualitative interview/in-depth interview) uses open-ended questions during somewhat lengthy face-to-face sessions
survey
involves asking someone a series of questions
experiments
researchers use controlled manipulation of social conditions to test hypotheses
analysis of existing sources
quantitative data are reanalyzed/existing materials, content, or historical records are used
What are the ethical considerations of doing research?
- Informed consent
- Beneficence = Do not harm
- Respect the dignity and diversity
- Respect for privacy = anonymity and confidentiality
field research
(ethnography/fieldwork) researcher systematically observes some aspect of social life in its natural setting
Why is social research important?
- illuminate aspects of society that would otherwise remain unnoticed
- help us avoid common pitfalls in everyday thinking
- creates new knowledge
- exposes myths
- affect social policies
- sharpens critical thinking skills
- helps us make informed decisions
How do sociologist do research?
Sociologist use a variety of research methods:
- surveys
- interviews and focus groups
- field research
- analysis of existing sources
- experiments
