Making Sense of
the Social World
th
4 Edition
Chapter 12, Reviewing, Proposing, and Reporting Research
Typical Proposal Components
•
An introductory statement of the research
problem
•
A literature review
•
A methodological plan
•
A budget
•
An ethics statement
•
A statement of limitations
Chambliss/Schutt, Making Sense of the Social World 4th edition
© 2012 SAGE Publications

Follow along on the example of a research
proposal to study the effectiveness of using
episodes of The Simpsons to teach about
ageism in an introductory sociology class.
Chambliss/Schutt, Making Sense of the Social World 4th edition
© 2012 SAGE Publications
An introductory statement of the
research problem . . .
. . . is where you clarify what it is that you are
interested in studying.
Chambliss/Schutt, Making Sense of the Social World 4th edition
© 2012 SAGE Publications
Example: Using The Simpsons in the Classroom
Statement of the Problem/Significance of the Project:
INTRODUCTION:
This is where you present your research questions and introduce the
importance of your research.
For example:
Discussions of controversial topics, such as homophobia,
ageism, sexism, and racism, are often difficult to generate
in the classroom because students fear negative
repercussions for expressing viewpoints that might not be
deemed politically correct (Lusk & Weinberg 1994). It is
very difficult to discuss the problems resulting from
stereotyping certain groups if students are unwilling to
admit that such stereotypes exist or to discuss them
among their peers.
Chambliss/Schutt, Making Sense of the Social World 4th edition
© 2012 SAGE Publications
A literature review . . .
. . . is where you explain how your problem and
plans build on what has already been reported in
the literature on this topic.
Chambliss/Schutt, Making Sense of the Social World 4th edition
© 2012 SAGE Publications
For example . . .
By dealing centrally with the family, The Simpsons takes up real human
issues everybody can recognize and thus ends up in many respects less
“cartooonish” than other television programs (Cantor 1999:735). Numerous
episodes are appropriate for use in a sociology course. Scanlon and
Feinberg (2000) reference nearly 50 episodes covering 13 core concepts in
sociology. In many episodes, Homer Simpson, the father of the cartoon
family, learns valuable moral lessons about the consequences of ignorance
and selfishness. Yet, “for all his stupidity, bigotry, and self-centered quality,
we cannot hate Homer” (Cantor 1999: 739), and that allows the audience to
learn the lessons with him. Also, since Homer is the one using stereotypes
of homosexuality, gender, race, and age, students are “off the hook.” They
are allowed to laugh at the stereotypes, knowing that they are wrong, but
since Homer is the one using them, they are not seen by other classmates
as guilty of using or believing them themselves. Also, the storyline of the
episodes of The Simpsons point out the negative affects of such
stereotypes and portray a moral lesson in which Homer, himself, learns the
consequences of sexism, ageism, and homophobia.
Chambliss/Schutt, Making Sense of the Social World 4th edition
© 2012 SAGE Publications
A methodological plan . . .
. . . details just how you will respond to the
particular mix of opportunities and
constraints you face.
Chambliss/Schutt, Making Sense of the Social World 4th edition
© 2012 SAGE Publications
Methodology
To test for the effectiveness of using an episode of
The Simpsons to facilitate difficult dialogues in the
classroom, we will employ a quasi-experimental
design. For the fall 2006 semester, we will have an
experimental group and a control group, with the
experimental group receiving the “treatment” by
viewing The Simpsons episode “Old Money”. We
will administer a pre- and post-test of students’
knowledge and attitudes about the existence and
consequences of ageism and ageist stereotypes
using a questionnaire.
Chambliss/Schutt, Making Sense of the Social World 4th edition
© 2012 SAGE Publications
A budget . . .
. . . is where you present a careful listing of
the anticipated costs.
Chambliss/Schutt, Making Sense of the Social World 4th edition
© 2012 SAGE Publications
Estimated Budget
1.
2.
3.
Supplies
 DVD of The Simpsons Season 2……………….$ 29.99
Expenses
 Copying/Printing Questionnaires………………$250.00
Student help conducting data entry/analyses…$500.00
Total Requested………………………………………$779.99
Chambliss/Schutt, Making Sense of the Social World 4th edition
© 2012 SAGE Publications
An ethics statement . . .
. . . identifies human subjects issues in the
research and how you will respond to them in an
ethical fashion.
Chambliss/Schutt, Making Sense of the Social World 4th edition
© 2012 SAGE Publications
Ethical Statement
Students will not be required to participate in the study,
and they have the option of choosing not to have their
information included in any publications, presentations, or
discussions in which any data from this study are
included. With each questionnaire, students will be given
a sheet explaining the purpose of the study and their
options. They will be informed that they must keep all
identifying information off of the questionnaire, so their
information will be kept completely anonymous and
confidential. The researchers will read the informed
consent statement out loud at the start of class, ask if
there are any questions, and ask everyone who is willing
to participate in the study to sign and return the informed
consent statements.
Chambliss/Schutt, Making Sense of the Social World 4th edition
© 2012 SAGE Publications
A statement of limitations . . .
. . . is where you review weaknesses of the
proposed research and present plans for
minimizing their consequences.
Chambliss/Schutt, Making Sense of the Social World 4th edition
© 2012 SAGE Publications
Statement of Limitation
The proposal’s primary weakness is its
generalizability. Because this study is
conducted on a availability/convenience
sample of students at a Midwestern
comprehensive university, the results may
not be relevant to other populations.
Chambliss/Schutt, Making Sense of the Social World 4th edition
© 2012 SAGE Publications
A good research proposal helps you plan your
study and . . .
can get your study funded!
Chambliss/Schutt, Making Sense of the Social World 4th edition
© 2012 SAGE Publications