The Uses of Social Research Chapter 1 Introduction Research question A question about one or more topics or concepts that can be answered through research Example: Is almost everyone in the country married with children or are they living alone? Revised example: Are more young people planning to marry without having children, to marry and have children, or to live alone? Introduction STOP AND THINK Can you think of a better way of finding how young people plan to live in the future than with the Census data about the year 2006? Introduction Unit of analysis The unit about which information is collected Introduction STOP AND THINK Identify the units of analysis for each of the following studies Southgate and Roscigno’s (2009) study that found that involvement in music is associated academic performance for both young children and adolescents Cooney and Burt’s (2008) finding that in American counties where a particular crime occurs frequently the average punishment for that crime will be less severe than in counties where it occurs rarely Research versus Other Ways of Knowing Research is a way of knowing How do we “know” things? We collect data in a number of ways Research versus Other Ways of Knowing Knowledge from authorities Socially defined sources of knowledge Mom, Census Bureau, social institutions (religion, schools, news media) When we rely on physicians, clergy members, and elected officials for information, we are putting our faith in their knowledge in those positions of authority. Problems Inappropriate Misleading Incorrect Research versus Other Ways of Knowing Knowledge from personal inquiry Inquiry that employs the senses’ evidence for arriving at knowledge Example If the flu has been going around and your friends and family have been ill and you begin to feel sick, observing them to see what they are doing to get better and what is working is an example of personal inquiry Problems Overgeneralize Perceive Selectively Premature Closure Research versus Other Ways of Knowing The Scientific Method A way of conducting empirical research following rules that specify objectivity, logic, and communication among a community of knowledge seekers, and the connection between research and theory Research versus Other Ways of Knowing The Scientific Method Positivist view of science A view that human knowledge must be based on what can be perceived Objectivity The ability to see the world as it really is Research versus Other Ways of Knowing The Scientific Method Post-positivist view of science A view that knowledge is not based on irrefutable observable grounds, that it is always somewhat speculative, but that science can provide relatively solid grounds for these speculations Intersubjectivity Agreements about reality that result from comparing the observations of more than one observer Research versus Other Ways of Knowing The Scientific Method Strengths The promotion of skepticism and intersubjectivity The extensive use of communication Teaching ideas factually The use of logic Theoretical explanation Research versus Other Ways of Knowing STOP AND THINK Suppose I submit a research report to a journal and the journal’s editor writes back that the journal won’t publish my findings because expert reviewers don’t find them persuasive. Which of the strengths of the scientific method is the editor relying on to make his or her judgment? Research versus Other Ways of Knowing The Scientific Method Theory An explanation about how and why something is as it is. The Uses and Purposes of Social Research Uses of social research Basic research Research designed to add to our fundamental understanding and knowledge about the social world The Uses and Purposes of Social Research Uses of social research Applied research Research intended to be useful in the immediate future and to suggest action or increase effectiveness in some area The Uses and Purposes of Social Research Purposes of social research Exploratory research Ground-breaking research on a relatively unstudied topic or in a new area Tends to be inductive The researcher starts with observations about the subject and tries to develop tentative generalizations about it The Uses and Purposes of Social Research Purposes of social research Qualitative data analysis Analysis that tends to involve the interpretation of actions or the representations of meanings in words The Uses and Purposes of Social Research Purposes of social research Descriptive research Descriptive study Research designed to describe groups, activities, situations, or events The Uses and Purposes of Social Research Purposes of social research Quantitative data analysis Analysis based on the statistical summary of data The Uses and Purposes of Social Research Purposes of social research Explanatory research Research designed to explain why subjects vary in one way or another Tends to be deductive Often uses preexisting theories to decide what kinds of data should be collected The Uses and Purposes of Social Research Purposes of social research Evaluation research Research designed to assess the impacts of programs, policies, or legal changes The Uses and Purposes of Social Research STOP AND THINK Suppose you’ve been asked to learn something about the new kinds of communities that have arisen out of people’s use of tweets and twitter. Of the four kinds of research outlined above (exploratory, descriptive, explanatory, evaluation), what kind of study have you been asked to do? Summary Professional and practical benefits Creation of usable theories about our social world Social research methods can help us explore, describe, and explain aspects of the social world, as well as evaluate whether particular programs or policies actually work. Quiz – Question 1 Which of the following is an example of applied research? a. b. c. A researcher wanted to know how many college students planned to go to graduate school. A researcher wanted to improve the services offered to students by asking them what services they wanted. A researcher wanted to understand the decision-making process of education majors. Quiz – Question 2 Which of the following is NOT a unit of analysis? a. b. c. d. Households Students Swedes World War II Quiz – Question 3 Which of the following statements is factually testable? a. b. c. d. All extra-terrestrials have large skulls. Individuals with more education earn more than less educated individuals. The death penalty is less moral than firstdegree murder. War should be outlawed.
