Research Methods for Sociology

Research Methods for Sociology

Research Methods for Sociology

SOCI 331 Discussion Research Methods for Sociology

SOCI 331 Discussion Research Methods for Sociology

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Forum Question:

This Forum includes several steps:

Develop three research questions on a topic for which you
are most interest.

Access the “Types of Research Design” site.

Select the appropriate research design for your research questions.

In your own words, explain the purpose of the design, what
these type of studies tell you and what they don’t tell you and.

Finally, explain why this design is appropriate for the
respective research questions.

A research question is a…

clear

focused

concise

complex

arguable

Instructions for all Forums:

Each week, learners will post one initial post per
week. This post must demonstrate
comprehension of the course materials, the ability to apply that knowledge in
the real world. Learners will engage
with the instructor and peers throughout the learning week. To motivate engaged discussion, posts are
expected to be on time with

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SOCI 331 Discussion Research Methods for Sociology
SOCI 331 Discussion Research Methods for Sociology

Sociologists examine the world, see a problem or interesting pattern, and set out to study it. They use research methods to design a study—perhaps a detailed, systematic, scientific method for conducting research and obtaining data, or perhaps an ethnographic study utilizing an interpretive framework. Planning the research design is a key step in any sociological study.

When entering a particular social environment, a researcher must be careful. There are times to remain anonymous and times to be overt. There are times to conduct interviews and times to simply observe. Some participants need to be thoroughly informed; others should not know they are being observed. A researcher wouldn’t stroll into a crime-ridden neighborhood at midnight, calling out, “Any gang members around?” And if a researcher walked into a coffee shop and told the employees they would be observed as part of a study on work efficiency, the self-conscious, intimidated baristas might not behave naturally. This is called the Hawthorne effect—where people change their behavior because they know they are being watched as part of a study. The Hawthorne effect is unavoidable in some research. In many cases, sociologists have to make the purpose of the study known. Subjects must be aware that they are being observed, and a certain amount of artificiality may result (Sonnenfeld 1985).

Making sociologists’ presence invisible is not always realistic for other reasons. That option is not available to a researcher studying prison behaviors, early education, or the Ku Klux Klan. Researchers can’t just stroll into prisons, kindergarten classrooms, or Klan meetings and unobtrusively observe behaviors. In situations like these, other methods are needed. All studies shape the research design, while research design simultaneously shapes the study. Researchers choose methods that best suit their study topics and that fit with their overall approaches to research.

In planning studies’ designs, sociologists generally choose from four widely used methods of social investigation: survey, field research, experiment, and secondary data analysis, or use of existing sources. Every research method comes with plusses and minuses, and the topic of study strongly influences which method or methods are put to use.

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