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Sociological research

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Research - the process of systematic

observation

The basic goal of sociological research is to

understand the social world in its many

forms.

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Principles of social research

Objectivity

Fairness

Lack of prejudice

Ethical enquiry

Employ stated method

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The two main types of social research andanalysis are quantitative methods and

qualitative methods. Sociologists often use quantitative methods --

such as statistical data - to investigate the

structure of a social process or describepatterns in social relationships.

Sociologists also often use qualitative methods- such as focused interviews, group

discussions, etc - to investigate socialprocesses.

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Sociologists use four major approaches to

research:

literature review

experiments

Surveys and field observation

data classification and Analysis of existing

data

Key Research Methods

in Sociology

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Literature review

A literature search involves reviewing all readily

available materials. These materials can includeinternal company information, relevant trade

publications, newspapers, magazines, annual reports,company literature, on-line data bases, and any other

published materials. This is a very inexpensive method of gathering

information, although it often does not yield timelyinformation. Literature searches over the web are the

fastest, while library literature searches can takebetween one and eight weeks

literature reviewofficial and unofficial documents,library references, publication etc.

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Experiment An experiment is research that is carried out in a

situation, such as a laboratory or classroom, that isunder the control of the researcher.

In an experiment, the researcher changes or

manipulates the independent variable, tries to keep

everything else constant, and measures the dependentvariable before and after the change in the

independent variable.

In the scientific method, an experiment is a set of

observations performed in the context of solving a

particular problem or question, to support or falsify a

hypothesis or research concerning phenomena.

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Experiments

Suppose, for example, that a researcher wanted tofind out if seeing a movie advocating tolerance wouldreduce peoples levels of racial prejudice.

The researcher could give a group of people aquestionnaire measuring prejudice, show them themovie, then give them the scale again to see if theirattitudes had changed. If they had, there would beevidence both of correlation between seeing themovie and prejudice score and of correct time order.

The experiment is a cornerstone in the empiricalapproach to acquiring deeper knowledge about the

physical world

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Field survey

Survey research, which is the most widely

used type of research design in sociology.

Survey research is any research in which apopulation or a sample of a population is

asked a set of questions that are worked out

in advance by the researcher. In surveyresearch, the variables are constructed from

peoples responses to the survey questions.

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Data classification and Analysis

Documentation

Classification

Appropriate analytical Tools

Statistical Tools

Observation tools