Week 2, Theory Flashcards
The research question is the ____ for the whole project.
The research question is the foundation for the whole project.
2 main quantitative research designs
Survey and experiment
Induction
Avoid assumptions about what findings may look like before data is collected.
Quantitative
Numerical data, concrete representations.
Involves deductive reasoning, meaning you start with a conclusion.
Surveys and experiments.
Surveys
Describe particular social phenomenon
Experiments
Evaluate the effects of intervention on behaviour with a control group and an intervention group.
Qualitative
In person, people to people, observations on behaviour.
Induction, meaning a general broad question, avoiding assumptions. There is less of a conclusive statement to be tested.
Broken into sub questions.
Can be classified according to researcher’s orientation towards data. 2 divergent ways of looking at reality: naturalism and social constructionism.
Functionalism
looks at functions of social institutions
Behaviourism
Defines all behaviour in terms of stimulus and response.
Symbolic Interactionism
How we attach symbolic meanings to social interactions
In qualitative, hypothesis might be induced through research, this process called
iterative.
Levels of analysis
models
concepts
theories
hypothesis
methodology
methods
findings
back to hypothesis
Hawthorne effect
As soon as researcher is present, behaviour changes.
Social problems
General factors that affect and damage society.
Problems that affect real life.
Not usually research topics as they are big and unwieldy.
Research problem
Definite or clear expression about an area of concern, a condition to be improved upon.
Does not state how to do something.
Sensitivities can be used to generate research topics, what kinds are there?
Historical sensitivity: Understanding the history of the issue
Political sensitivity: Seeks to question official definitions
Contextual sensitivity: See how terms or concepts have different meanings depending on the contexts themselves.
Scholar
Research need never to have any relations to public debates about social policy.
Construction of knowledge.
Partisan
Likes public debates but might bring too many preconceptions to them, researchers might side with a particular group.
Research process
Develop initial question
Find out what others have said about the topic
Refining research question
Answering research question
