Sociological Research Process

How do sociologists carry out their research? The table below summarizes the research process.

Steps The Research ProcessStep 1 Choose and Define the problem to be

studiedStep 2 Review the research literature to

learn about the findings of other researchers who have studied this problem

Step 3 Design the studyStep 4 Collect the DataStep 5 Analyze the dataStep 6 Share the research with others by

reporting the findings and conclusions

1. Choosing a Research Problem

The first step in research is deciding what you want to study. How do sociologists choose research topics? Often, when you ask a sociologist that question, the reply will be “I’ve been interested in…” In other words, research problems frequently reflect the personal interest and experiences of the researcher. For example, when one of the researchers friend was raped and witnessing the friend’s trauma and her treatment by police and others caused the researcher to wonder not only why rape occurs, but also how services for rape victims could be improved.

A researcher must define the problem as clearly as possible. It is not sufficient, for example, to say you want to study juvenile delinquency. You must state what is about juvenile delinquency that you want to study.

2. Reviewing the Literature

A thorough literature review is important for a good research project. Reading others’ work help the researcher refine her or his research problem and clarify ideas; suggest ways of carrying out the study; highlights issues that have been overlooked in previous studies; and helps the researcher to avoid pitfalls that others have encountered.

Now, reviewing the literature on a topic is much easier than it used to be, thanks to the widespread availability of online computer searches in the libraries.

3. Designing the Project The third step in research process is research design. Designing a research project is in many ways no different from designing anything else. The researcher develops a plan for finding answers to the research problem. A sound research design is one that addresses several issues having to do with measurement and time.

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4. Collecting DataWhen the research project is being designed, the researcher also has to select a method for collecting data. There are variety of methods to choose from, including survey, field research, experiments, and content analysis.

A researcher cannot study every person or thing to which a particular topic applies. As a result, sociologist faces a dilemma: Although some sociological studies are limited in their applicability to relatively small groups of people with unique characteristics or interests, most sociological research involves a topic of relevance to large numbers of people or to all members of society. Limited time and other resources also usually constrain the number of people that can be included in a study. How do sociologists handle this problem?The answer is sampling: the process of selecting a sub group for study from the entire group of interest to the researcher. First, the researcher identifies the population of interest. In the context of research, a population is all the cases to which the researcher seeks to draw conclusion. ( cases because although sociologists most often study population of people, they may study things foe example, television programs, laws, speeches etc) From the population, the researcher then selects a subgroup or sample, from which data will be collected.

Research Method - is a technique or procedure used to collect data. Sociologist use a variety of research methods. With each method, the researcher collects different types of data; thus each method suits particular types of research questions.a. Survey If you are interested in people’s attitudes, opinions or experiences , the best data collection method is survey. In a survey, the researcher selects sample of respondents and ask them questions about specific topics. This maybe done in two ways: questionnaires or interviews

b. Questionnaires

Most questionnaires are self administered, that is respondents are expected to complete them without the researches present to provide instructions or clarify the meaning of particular questions. Most self administered questionnaires are distributed and returned by mail. Consequently, the questionnaires must be accompanied by a cover letter that introduces the researcher and explains the purpose of the study and how the respondents were selected. The questions must be worded in such a way that they neither confuse respondents nor bias their answers.

The self administered questionnaire is one of the most popular data collection technique used by sociologist. It permits the researcher to collect extensive information from large numbers of people in a relatively quick and inexpensive manner. However, a disadvantage is it allows respondents little opportunity to explain their answers.

c. Interviews

In an interview, the researcher personally asks respondents the question they want answered. This maybe done over the telephone, which has the advantage of allowing researchers to reach respondents geographically

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dispersed, just as they would with a self administered questionnaires. However, many potential respondents are wary of answering questions posed by a stranger over the telephone, which means that researchers must contact a much larger sample of respondents in order to complete a sufficient number of interviews for analysis.

Alternatively, researcher may arrange to meet with respondents to ask them survey questions in person. Researchers can ask follow up questions for additional information. Respondents can provide greater detail in their answers and put their answers in context. If questions are confusing , both researcher and respondents can ask each other for clarification. There are also disadvantages of I person interview. For one thing, few researchers have the funding needed to conduct in person interviews with a large sample that is widely dispersed geographically. As a result, most studies involving in person interview are limited geographically. In person interview is also time consuming than other type of survey research.

d. Field Observation

One of the best method for studying behavior and social interaction is field observation. In field observation, the researcher watches a social phenomenon unfold in its natural setting. For example, if you are interested in learning about how police typically respond to domestic violence calls, you would learn more by accompanying them on such calls and watching what they do, rather than simply sending them a questionnaires or talking to them about what they do.

There are two types of field observation:

1. Participant observation - the researcher becomes actively involved in what he or she is studying.

2. Non participant Observation – the researcher simply watches the social interact on taking place, making no attempt to become personally involved in it.

In any event, both participant and non participant observers must decide whether they will make their identities as researchers known to the people they are studying. On the other hand, it maybe argued that by concealing her or his identity as a researcher and trying to pass as a member of the group being studied, the researcher is likely to get more valid data. If individuals know they are being studied, they may behave less naturally, or they may try to change their behavior to win the researcher’s or other’s approval. This problem is known as HAWTHORNE EFFECT. The Hawthorne effect occurs when the participants in a study change their behavior to conform to what they perceive are the researcher’s expectations of them.

e. Experiments

A less frequently used method of research. It seeks to test a hypothesis: a statement of the expected relationship between two variables

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f. Content Analysis

• This is common to historical research. • It involves analyzing the content of some forms of communication. In

historical research, written documents such as diaries. Letters, speeches. Laws, newspaper and magazines are frequently used but virtually any form of communication can be examined including photographs, recordings, videotapes even greeting cards.

This is highly economical. It is also efficient in terms of time expenditures. Often, no special equipment is needed and expenses are minimal.

5. Analyzing Data

• Once data have been collected, they must be analyzed• There are two broad types of data analysis1. Quantitative Analysis2. Qualitative Analysis

The type of analysis used depends to a large extent on how the data were collected.

Quantitative- data are reduced to numbers and analyzed using various statistical techniques, usually with the help of a computer.Studies that use questionnaires to ask people about their attitudes or behavior are particularly well suited to quantitative analysis. Each respondent’s answer to a particular question is translated into a numerical code, and the coded data are entered into a computer. The answers are then tallied to see how many people responded to specific questions in a particular way. Responses to two or more questions can be compared to determine how many members of one group (for example women) answered another question a certain way. This comparison, in turn, maybe subjected to statistical tests to determine if there is a relationship between two or more variables.Data analyzed quantitatively are often presented in tabular form.

Qualitative analysis- is more appropriate for analyzing data not easily reduced to numbers. For example asking respondents to tell their stories, generates data very different from that generated from questions allowing only a limited number of choices

6. Reporting the findings and Conclusions

Reporting research is important for several reasons:

1. It gives the researcher the opportunity to tell others what has been learned from the study.

2. It may inspire others to undertake additional studies of the topic3. It encourages replication of the research. That is others repeat the

study to see if they get the same results. 4. Researchers have opportunity to discuss the policy implications of

their research, fulfilling the goal of producing usable knowledge

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