Homework: Your Worldview
 What is your ontology and epistemology?*
 Ontology: How do you see the world? Is there Social order or
radical change? Is reality something you experience (separate
from you) or something you help to create?
 Epistemology: Can we be objective in our study of the world?
Or does our subjectivity persist and interfere?
 Theory: What is your theory of change? How does change occur
in the world? Is it controlled or uncontrolled?
 *Some info from Burrell, G., & Morgan, G. Sociological
Paradigms and Organizational Analysis, Heinemann, 1979, 1-37
Homework Revisited
 Ontology: Social Order vs.
Radical/constant change
 Epistemology: Objective vs.
Subjective
 Functionalism: Social Order + Objectivity
 Interpretivism: Social Order + Subjectivity
 Radical Structuralism: Constant change + Objectivity
 Radical Humanism: Constant change + Subjectivity
The Research Process &
Types of Research
Fall 2015
Research Methods
Class 3
The Research Process
Observation (exploration+question)
2. Rationalization (design+method)
3. Validation (data + analysis)
1.
Observation:
Exploration
 Experience
 Curiousity, life experiences, interests, choosing a topic
 Literature Review
 Find articles about topics of interest – focus on specific aspect
 “What has already been written on my topic?”
 Research Question
 Begin to formulate a research question
 “What do I want to know?”
Rationalization: Research Design
 Define concepts/variables: operationalization
 What concepts are part of my topic?
 How do I define these concepts so they can be measured?
 Research Question
 Refine question with operational definitions
 Choose a method + sample
 How do you collect data? Who are you asking?
 Methods: Surveys, interviews, focus groups, ethnography, case study,
participatory action research, secondary data analysis, (experiments)
 Research Proposal*
 Now you know what you want to do, write it up, get approved ($)
Validation: Data & Analysis
 Collect data
 Quantitative or Qualitative? Mixed Methods?
 Data Analysis
 Depends on types of data collected
 Research Report*
 Conclusion and findings
The Research Process
Observation (exploration+question)
2. Rationalization (design+method)
3. Validation (data + analysis)
1.
Research Type
Types of Research
 Descriptive
 Making careful observations and detailed documentation of a phenomenon
 What, Where, When
 What amount of formerly incarcerated individuals have trouble finding a job?
 Exploratory
 Conducted in new areas of inquiry to scope out the magnitude or extent of a
particular problem or to generate some initial ideas
 Do formerly incarcerated individuals face barriers to employment?
 Explanatory
 Most academic research is explanatory – tries to ‘connect the dots’
 Why do formerly incarcerated individuals have trouble finding a job?
 How are formerly incarcerated individuals treated by employers?
 Evaluative
 Does Program X helped formerly incarcerated individuals find and keep a job?
Discuss
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Criminal justice system: Sentencing, plea bargaining
Prison: Reform, Recidivism, Mass incarceration, overcrowding
Economic inequality
NYPD/Law Enforcement: Hiring process, Racial bias
Drugs: Abuse, Legalization, Decriminalization
Immigration/Human trafficking
Gentrification
Social/Political Movements
1.
Criminal justice system
Prison
2. Economic inequality
3. NYPD/Law Enforcement
1.
Drugs
2. Immigration/Human trafficking
3. Gentrification
4. Social/Political Movements
1.
Reading…
 Chapter 2: Thinking Like a Researcher (p. 9-15)
 In Social Science Research- Principles Methods and Practices
 Sections 2.1-2.2: Basic Concepts & Generating Good Research
Questions (p. 23-38)
 In Research Methods in Psychology
 Pay attention to:






Unit of Analysis
Concept
Variable
Independent vs. dependent variable
Operational definition
Correlation vs. Causation
Dialectics of Social Research
• There are many ways and methods to conduct social research
• Idiographic and Nomothetic Explanation
• How do we explain a situation, group of people?
• Inductive and Deductive Theory
• What is your reasoning method?
• Quantitative and Qualitative Data
• What type of data are you collecting?
• Pure and Applied Research
• What is the type and purpose of the research you are
conducting?