MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY OF NEWFOUNDLAND
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY
Sociology 3041
Theory and Practice of Sociological Research
Fall 2013
Section 1 with Anton Oleneik meets on Tuesdays from 12 – 3 in C2003.
Section 2 with Paul Ripley meets on Thursdays from 12 – 3 in C2003.
Instructors:
Anton Oleinik (A-4071)
Section 1
Paul Ripley (A-4078)
Section 2
Office hours:
Tuesdays and Thursdays
from 3 - 4
Mondays 11:15 – 1:15
Thursdays 10:30 – 11:30
The major aim of this course is to extend and expand upon the material covered in
Sociology 3040 and to provide hands on skills development of many of the elements of
“doing” social research introduced in Sociology 3040. The course takes place in a
seminar/computer room intended to provide an open, interactive and more experiential based
approach to research methods. This course is very much integrated with Sociology 3040:
doing the courses concurrently means we can have a more seamless flow among the
processes of learning about and engaging with methodology.
A number of the activities and sessions in this course deal with foundational issues
that are basic to any approach to social research. Other sessions deal specifically with
approaches to qualitative or quantitative research design and analysis.
Required text:
Bryman, Alan, Edward Bell and James Teevan, and (2012), Social Research Methods, 3rd
Canadian edition, Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.
Oleinik, Anton and Paul Ripley (2012). Sociology 3041, Student Learning Guide. Memorial
University of Newfoundland.
Course website:
This course has a D2L web page you will need to access throughout the term. The website is
integrated with the Sociology 3040 website. Log in via online.mun.ca. You will find
assignments, guides, and other course information there as well as class announcements.
Check the website on a regular basis.
Evaluation
Continuity project part 1, due noon, Sept. 20
Continuity project part 2, due Oct. 31
Continuity project part 3, due Dec. 3
Lab/seminar assignments, due at the end of each
session
10%
25%
25%
40%
Sociology 3041
Theory and Practice of Sociological Research
Continuity project
In an effort to have you directly experience the research process, much of your
evaluated work will be based on developing, carrying out and writing up modest/limited
student research, i.e. a ‘pilot’ study. It can be carried out individually or in groups of 2
students. Your project will involve refining a research problem and then carrying out
both qualitative and quantitative research strategies. Your qualitative research will
emphasize exploration of your selected area of social life and will provide the basis for
the generation of hypotheses which will be tested during the quantitative phase. Data
collection for this project is primarily in-class based – all qualitative and quantitative data
is to be collected from fellow Sociology 3040 students. However, if you wish to
undertake a more challenging project with an outside focus you may do so in close
consultation with the course instructors. You must meet with us if you are interested in
this option.
Some of the work for the project will take place during class sessions but much of
it must be completed outside of class time. Detailed assignment descriptions for each
part of the continuity project are available.
Please note: Unless a valid and documented (medical note, etc.) reason is provided,
late submissions of parts 1, 2 and 3 of the continuity project will be penalized at a rate of
1 mark per day.
You are responsible for familiarity with the University policy regarding plagiarism and
cheating: http://www.mun.ca/regoff/calendar/sectionNo=REGS-0748.
Lab/seminar assignments
On a regular basis you will have to complete relatively short, focused assignments that
will provide you with feedback on how well you are developing your hands-on skills and
understanding of the topics covered in the course.
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Sociology 3041
Theory and Practice of Sociological Research
Session topics and reading assignments
Class Date
1
Sept. 10
and 12
Topic
1. Searching for a research problem and formulating research
questions
2. Literature searches: how to use the Web of Knowledge and other
databases
 2% assignment
Handout
2
Sept. 17
and 19
1. Defining concepts: building a dictionary for the Continuity project
2. Addressing the issues of ethics in your research proposal
 4% assignment
1. TEXT, Chapter 1 and 2
2. TEXT, Chapter 11
and
“Memorial's Policy on Ethics of Research Involving Human
Participants” and “Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for
Research Involving Humans” available at:
http://www.mun.ca/research/researchers/ethics.php
Sept. 20
3
Project part 1 is due by 12pm today. It can be submitted at one of our
offices.
1. Peer-review: basic rules and their application. Review of research
Sept. 24
and 26
proposals (Part I of project)
 4% assignment
2. Drafting an interview guide for Part 2 of the continuity project
TEXT, Chapter 10
4
1. Conducting participant observation
Oct. 1
and Oct. 2. Conducting qualitative interviews
3
 4% assignment
1. TEXT, Chapter 9 and handout
2. TEXT, Chapter 10 and handout
5
Oct. 8
and 10
1. Conducting qualitative interviews
2. Content analysis: how to create a project, list of variables and code
book using QDA Miner
1. TEXT chapter 10
2. TEXT chapters 16, 14 and STUDENT LEARNING GUIDE section I
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Oct. 15
and 17
Midterm break: no 3041 classes scheduled for this week.
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Sociology 3041
Theory and Practice of Sociological Research
7
Oct. 22
and 24
1. Content analysis: how to code transcripts of your interview, to
retrieve coded fragments and perform other type of analysis (cooccurrence of codes, code sequences etc.)
2. Visual content analysis: how to code visual records
 6% assignment
TEXT, Chapter 14 and 16
STUDENT LEARNING GUIDE sections II and III
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Oct. 29
and 31
1. Secondary sources of quantitative data.
2. Distributions and levels of measurement.
3. Drafting a questionnaire for Part 3 of the project
 4% assignment
1. & 2. TEXT, Chapter 13, appendix A
STUDENT LEARNING GUIDE section IV
3.
Chapter 5.
Oct. 31
Project part 2 is due today. It can be submitted at the 3040 class.
Nov. 5
and 7
1. Recoding variables from one format to the other
2. Production and interpretation of visual representations and
descriptive statistics: Graphs, bar charts, scatter plots.
3. Screening of the data for outliers.
 4% assignment
9
1. TEXT Chapter 13 and appendix A
2. STUDENT LEARNING GUIDE, sections IV and V
10
Nov. 12
and 14
1. Sampling. Creating random samples using SPSS
2. Drawing a model of measurement for the Continuity project.
3. Entering data in SPSS
 4% assignment
1. TEXT Chapter 12 and section VI
2. Handout
3. TEXT chapter 13 and STUDENT LEARNING GUIDE section VII
11
1. Cross-tabs, chi square and making sense of statistical significance
2. Cross-tabs, measures of association (Lambda, Gamma, etc.)
 4% assignment
TEXT, Chapter 13 and appendix A
STUDENT LEARNING GUIDE, section VIII
12
1. Correlation, coefficients of correlation
Nov. 26
2. Linear regression
and 28
 4% assignment
TEXT chapter 13, appendix A
STUDENT LEARNING GUIDE section IX and section X
Project Part 3 is due today. It can be submitted at the 3040 class or
Dec. 3
our offices. No 3041 class is scheduled for today.
This outline is subject to revision.
Nov. 19
and 21
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Sociology 3041
Theory and Practice of Sociological Research
Guide to the continuity project
In this term-length, three part project you will be carrying out two types of social
research: qualitative, in-depth interviews and quantitative survey based data collection.
The intent of the project is to provide you with some hands on experience of the process
of data collection, analysis and interpretation, and to give you a sense of the difference
between qualitative and quantitative approaches to research.
Unless you are undertaking an outside project in consultation with us, all data
collection for the project is to take place within the confines of the class/lab. Your
fellow students are your study population. You will be interviewing each other and filling
out each other’s survey questionnaires.
Each student or team of 2 students is to select one of the following topics:
 Rural/urban students and adjustment to life at MUN
 Volunteerism among MUN students
 Dating: how students find partners?
 Does education pay: a study of students’ expectations in regard of their
prospective jobs.
 Why do students sit where they do in class?
 The social causes of the support of, or opposition to, the war in Afghanistan
 The social causes of the support of, or opposition to, decriminalization (or
legalization) of marijuana use
 Penetration and use of computer/internet technologies among MUN students
 Financial survival while attending MUN
 The meaning of plagiarism among MUN students
We strongly encourage you to meet with us if you are having difficulties at any point of
the project.
Chapters 17, 18 and Appendix B in the text may be of use to you in
orienting your thinking for the project
Note that each step of the project has a length guide and an organizational
structure based on headings. Be careful to adhere to this as you write each part.
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Sociology 3041
Theory and Practice of Sociological Research
Part 1: Preparing inquiry [10% of the final mark, due Sept. 20, ~700 words
maximum]
In this part of the project you will be identifying your topic and developing some
preliminary plans for carrying out the research. Your goal should be to convince us that
you have a clear sense of what you intend to study and a reasonable sense of how you
are going to carry out a qualitative investigation for Part 2 and a quantitative
investigation for Part 3. But remember, your specific methods have been set for you –
you must do qualitative interviews for Part 2 and a survey for Part 3. Moreover, you will
not have to deal with deciding on how to select your sample as you will be simply
recruiting a set number of fellow students (a convenience sample).
In your submission please clearly identify whether you will be doing the project
individually or in a group of 2. If you choose to work in a group please list both your
names on all work submitted.
At this point you will need to do a preliminary literature review to help familiarize
yourself with the area of study you have chosen. Be sure to look at concepts and
theory; substantive findings; and methods used. The review need not be extensive. At
this point at least three useful pieces of academic literature will suffice. Draw on your
literature wherever appropriate throughout your submission.
You will need to identify clearly and specifically what you intend to study by
formulating a research question. Be as specific as you can. Identify the goal in terms of
exploration, description and explanation and purpose in terms of theoretical and
practical relevance. Remember that in Part 2 of the project you will be conducting
qualitative (in-depth) interviews and in Part 3 you will be conducting a piece of survey
research. You should also identify key concepts and their use in your study.
You should identify key relationships/patterns that you think may be important for
your investigation. At this point you need not state formal hypotheses as these will be
developed following Part 2 of the project.
Do a preliminary consideration of ethical dilemmas and state ethical issues
associated with your research. To get an idea about ethical issues you can refer to the
following web-page: http://www.mun.ca/research/researchers/ethics.php.
Do not write a free flowing essay.
Your submission should be
structured/organized according to the following headings:
1. Statement of the problem: include a clear statement of the research problem and
the goals and purpose of the research. Literature review shall be a done in this part
of your submission (5 marks out of 10)
2. Key relationships/hypotheses: make clear what key patterns and relationships
you expect to be of importance (3 marks out of 10)
3. Concepts: make clear your use of key concepts and any theoretical elements you
may be working with (1 mark out of 10)
4. Ethics statement (1 mark out of 10)
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Sociology 3041
Theory and Practice of Sociological Research
Part 2: Qualitative research [25% of the final mark, due Oct. 31, ~1200 words
maximum excluding the appendix]
In this part of the project you will largely be doing systematic ‘exploratory’ work
aimed at becoming empirically familiar with your area of study, identifying possible
patterns, and providing the basis for the development of formal hypotheses for testing in
Part III.
Most qualitative methods are difficult to learn in a lecture, nothing can substitute for
learning by doing. In this part of the project you will be conducting interviews with three,
or more, people from the class. During lab three you will be preparing an interview
guide. During lab four you will conduct your interviews and act as
respondent/interlocutor for three other interviewers. Afterwards, you will transcribe at
least one of those interviews. If you are working with a partner each of you is
responsible for doing three interviews.
Qualitative research typically implies the use of induction. Your work should aim at
beginning to build an understanding of the issues/questions you are studying. Social
patterns, ideas about relationships, etc. should emerge from your work. Once you have
completed your interviews you will need to prepare your transcripts and notes. Contentanalyze using the same computer program (QDA) that we introduced in the lab. Based
on this you will develop an analysis/interpretation of your data and identify specific
patterns and relationships for hypothesis testing in Part 3.
Do not write a free flowing essay. Your submission should be
structured/organized according to the following headings:
1. Introduction & procedures: reintroduce your research question and briefly
discuss your interview procedure. (2 marks out of 25)
2. Interpretation: clearly discuss the results of your qualitative research including
any patterns and contradictions that emerge and your interpretation (draw fully
on your data and use quotations when useful). This should be the major focus of
your write-up. (11 marks out of 25)
3. Problems/limitations of the research: include some discussion of the process
and results in terms of your effectiveness as an interviewer, problems you ran
into and how you were able, or not able, to deal with them. (4 marks out of 15)
4. An Appendix: the appendix should include at least one coded transcript (QDA
output)/set of notes/covering sheet per partner for the case study as well as a
copy of your interview guide. You can refer to the materials put in the Appendix
while discussing and interpreting results. (8 marks out of 15)
TEXT, Chapter 17 may be of use to you in preparing your write-up
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Sociology 3041
Theory and Practice of Sociological Research
Part 3: Quantitative research [25% of the final mark, due Dec. 3, ~1200 words
excluding the appendix]
In this part of the project you will be systematically studying patterns across your
population of interest – numerical based description and hypothesis testing will be
emphasized. You will be conducting a survey of at least 25 fellow students from the
course (your sample). You will need to operationalize your concepts, setting up and
defining variables, and prepare the survey (design questions, organize and format the
questionnaire). When finalized, you will need to make copies of your questionnaire and
then administer it during class time on Mar. 7. Once you have your survey data in hand
you will need to enter it in SPSS (and generate a code book). You are then ready to
process your results, using SPSS to generate appropriate statistics, visual output, etc.
in order to analyze your date. At this point your task is to make sense/interpret your
results in terms of the research question and hypotheses (hypothesis testing).
Do not write a free flowing essay. Your submission should be
structured/organized according to the following headings:
1. Introduction: Be sure to include a restatement of your research question
(indicating if it has changed in any way as a result of your exploratory qualitative
interviews in Part 2) and briefly comment on the procedure followed in this part of
the project. (2 mark out of 25)
2. Hypotheses: Include a clear statement and explanation (rationales) of your
research and null hypotheses. You should include a model of measurement as a
‘road map’ of your analysis (4 marks out of 25)
3. Analysis and interpretation: What are your findings? Provide an analysis in
which you offer a general overview of the data and an evaluation of your
hypotheses (be sure to make appropriate reference to your SPSS output). This
should include consideration of alternative explanations in light of the
relationships you examine. Include a general discussion in which you offer some
interpretation of your findings in the context of your research question – what
have you found that challenges, adds to or reinforces your understanding of the
research question/problem. (11 marks out of 25)
4. Problems and commentary:
discuss problems/limitations in terms of
measurement issues, questionnaire design, data analysis, etc. Provide some
comparative commentary on your experience and sense of both the qualitative
and quantitative projects (3 marks out of 25)
5. An Appendix: the appendix should include a copy of your questionnaire, a copy
of your code book and all annotated SPSS output used for the analysis (you will
refer to the SPSS output as you interpret your results). Do not print out all
possible bar charts, frequencies and crosstabs (there would be dozens). Do
include those procedures that have provided you with “evidence” or helped you
make sense of the data. (5 marks out of 25)
You must also submit, by course dropbox, a copy of your SPSS .sav file.
TEXT, Chapter 17 may be of use to you in preparing your write-up
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