David K. Shipler 's A Sociological Study

The method has 5 phases: asking the question, researching existing sources, formulating a hypothesis, designing and conducting the study, and drawing conclusions. There are a few ways sociologist could gather information about the education system. One too could be surveying students and faculty. Sociologists also could use field research or participant observation to observe first hand in classrooms and schools. Ethnography could be used to observe the school system in a county or

Linda Tirado, author of Hand to Mouth Living in Bootstrap America, tells her story of what it’s like to be working poor in America, as well as what poverty is truly like on many levels. With a thought-provoking voice, Tirado discusses her journey from lower class, to sometimes middle class, to poor, and everything in between. Throughout the read, Tirado goes on to reveal why poor people make the decisions they do in a very powerful way.

Sociologists develop theories to explain and analyze society at different levels and from different perspectives. Sociologists study everything from the micro level of analysis of small social patterns to the “big picture” which is the macro level of analysis of large social patterns.

In David K. Shipler’s book, The Working Poor Invisible in America the reader is provided a peek into the personal stories of the inner lives of eight families struggling inside the vicious cycle of poverty. Shipler’s method of interviews, narratives of personal stories and observation represents an innovative study investigating the working poor in an attempt to understand “how people in real communities devise collective responses to their problems (Segal, 2010).”

The Working Poor Invisible in America by David K. Shipler revolves around the underprivileged men and women living in America. It is a set of life stories told by the poor individuals mentioned and interviewed by Shipler throughout the book. They tell their life stories including the environment in which they grew up, the hardships they have faced since leaving home including the difficulty of sticking with a job for more than six months, and how they survive making minute annual incomes. Out of the people featured in the book there were numerous categories for different people and their ways they became deprived of financial stability; these include individuals whose bad luck developed when they grew up being physically, emotionally, or sexually

In The Missing Class: Portraits of the Near Poor in America (2007), Katherine Newman and Victor Tan Chen explore the lives of several urban, working families who live above the official poverty line, but who are one catastrophe away from it. Entrenched within the stories of these families’ lives, the authors explore themes and key issues which permeate many discussions of poverty, including gentrification of neighborhoods, credit card debt, lack of health care, childcare and education challenges, and the complex web of family relationships which serve as a support system for those who need it most. Yet, this book also tells the story of how we, as a society, ignore the near poor, preferring to focus on those living below the poverty line

The first type of research that is used in the field of sociology is experiment research. Experiment research involves creating an experiment based off an hypothesis to answer an question. The scientific method is used to keep the experiment on track and follow a set of guidelines. This experiment is done in a controlled setting in which the design of the experiment is to answer the hypothesis. Data is gathered based on what the participants do or act during the experiment. The data gathered is quantitative, in which the data gathered is expressed in numbers. There are both benefits and limitations of

Whether it be at the Hearthside or Walmart, it is important “not to ‘know too much’” or do what is not necessary (pg. 195, Ehrenreich). There is a negative connotation on over exertion at these establishments, as is understood, given the amount they are payed at both of these locations, which is hardly enough for one person to survive off of, let alone a whole family. Some of the co-worker’s she meets along the way are examples of poverty in the United States, many of whom share apartments with others, and one coworker, Joan, lives behind the hearthside in her car and showers in a coworkers motel room. The article “Poverty in the United States: An Overview” by Cliff Brown, is a great example of poverty in America and its characteristics. Those living in poverty have more health and educational issues, and individuals who fall below the poverty level are among the most vulnerable and distressed in the United States. Factors such as: race, ethnicity, family structure, sex, age, and geography are linked to poverty.(p. 89) In regards to the hearthside, or Jerrys, or the Maid Service, there is no one significant race or sex, there are many different representations of poverty, from the nineteen year old George who lives with other Czech immigrants in hope of garnering the American dream, to Caroline, the aunt of a friend who lived through what Ehrenreich is

Research is a primary component of sociology. Valid and relevant sociological research is dependent upon a commitment to applying the scientific method in a systematic and organized way in order to ensure maximum objectivity and consistency in research. Complete the following matrix based on a social problem of your choice. The matrix will serve as a guide for creating a preliminary plan for the basic steps of the scientific method.

A strength of this approach was her ability to live, not just research the topics since she was fully immersed. Since she actually works low-wage jobs and lives in low budget places, such as trailer parks, she gains a unique perspective to her research topic. When she compares her fellow workers' living conditions at Hearthside, for example, with her own "$500 efficiency," she exemplifies America's socioeconomic gap with a personal flair, not just merely research scope. Her Introduction directly confronts this issue: "Unlike many low wage workers, I have the further advantages of being white and a native English speaker." Since her data derives from case studies of real people, their narratives make the book more authentic and connect me on emotional, not just academic levels.

David K. Shipler went on a journey trying to reveal the truth about Americas working poor. It was a little difficult trying to find different ways of getting enough information about the life of the poor, and getting them to feel comfortable explaining the stressful life that they lived in America the great. There were many different aspects and situations about people that were struggling to make it in America. David K. Shipler used many different research methods on this project, and went through a lot of steps getting the information that he needed. All of the methods that were used were pretty clear and defined; he covered many different topics as well. The process started with defining questions on the working poor, and formulating a hypothesis for each subject that he came across. David did an excellent job with carrying out the research by thoroughly exploring the lifestyle of the poor. All of the results were analyzed and detailed in a way that we can have more of an understanding of every situation. Every chapter describes a different story from someone or a working family. The conclusion of the research method included David presenting his findings in studying and scrutinizing the life of people who lived in poverty.

In Neil Postman’s short essay, “Social Science as Moral Theology,” he describes the social sciences, such as sociology and psychology, not as sciences, but rather as “moral theology” and as “storytelling.” The authors of the textbook Sociology the Essentials would dispute these claims by arguing that social scientists are doing science with their work. In the third chapter labeled, “Doing Sociological Research” there is a section called “The Tools of Sociological Research” that goes into detail of all the different ways sociologists can gather research.

In The Working Poor, David Shipler relates the plight of the invisible poor in America, sharing the stories of laborers across the nation who work but cannot get a firm grip on the slippery surface of the American dream. Shipler also touches on, but does not fully explore, the even thornier path of the disabled, impoverished individual in America. Although a relatively large segment of the population (10-20 percent of the United States population is disabled), the disabled poor encounter setbacks in their struggle to succeed in a world where one’s worth is often judged by one’s economic and educational attainment. A blind and impoverished woman from Eastern Europe directly states that the disabled poor "depend on everyone; no one wants us.

The Working Poor: Invisible in America gives an accurate depiction of the social problems and social policies that are designed to keep the poor, poorer. Shipler uses a variety of stories to depict social welfare programs like the minimum wage act, immigration, Social Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability (SSD), healthcare act, Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), drug addiction, sexual abuse, Individual Education Plans (IEP), and the gender pay gap along with many others. The overarching theme throughout the book was that the working poor never make enough money to cover their expenses and the wage never goes up enough over the span of their lifetime.

“So, it will be the nature of the question to which you want to find answers that determines your choice of method.” (McIntyre p. 81) Research methods come in a number of styles including literary review, observation, surveys, and unobtrusive methods. No one-way is better then the other not to mention strength and weaknesses come with each research method. Ideally a sociologist will use a number of research methods known as triangulation, “When methods are combined so that the strengths of one method overcome the weaknesses of another method, we speak of triangulating research methods.” (McIntyre p. 95)