Jennifer Wilson
Intro to Sociology
Professor Hartley
Essay #2
Essay#2 Sociological exploration or research is a complex process. At what time a scientist attempts to figure out the way the natural world works, he will utilize experiments to search for the cause and effect. In other words, they construct an experiment so they can observe or evaluate any change in one entity and cause another to vary in a repetitive way. When things change within an experiment they are called variables. A “variable” is a characteristic that can change in value or magnitude under different conditions. With experiments, there are three types of variables, independent variable, dependent variable and control variable. The independent variable is a
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Step four you will collect data, this is a critical step in the research process. It provides information needed to solve or explain the research questions. Step five involves analyzing results. In this step, all the information that has been collected to answer the question is compared to the variables to determine the difference. Step six involves presenting the finding of the research. This is where you will validate or confirm your theory by the data collected and analyzed finally presenting your findings or your theory. No matter what approach that is used in research, the researchers want to maximize the study’s reliability which is the consistency with which the same measure produces similar results time after time. Researchers also strive for validity which is the degree to which a measure is accurate and really measures what it claims to measure. The six steps of the scientific method in research and the relationship with between cause and correlation can be explained by saying that correlation merely occur when we detect change in two simultaneously; causation exist when we can demonstrate in one influence that causes the researchers need to establish correlation and time order and rule out alternative explanations. A survey is a widely-used research methods, a survey can be defined as a valuable research
The philosophical justification for survey research is cost containment with a large volume of research. It is also one of the most efficient and quick methods to gather large amounts of information. Data analysis can be completed in a short period of time and generalization is better, particularly when the representative sample is of a population. It also helps elimination of bias in result interpretation as subjects have the ability to remain anonymous.
The next step is to form a testable hypothesis, or educated guess. A hypothesis must phrased in a way that in which another person can test the same hypothesis to verify or discredit it. After the hypothesis is formed, the experimenter must choose and appropriate research study. For example, if a scientist want to do a study about the behaviors of a particular person, like in the case Phineas Gage and the psychological affects of the iron rod that shot through his head, than the scientist may want to conduct a case study. Once the research method is established and the study has been planned out, then it is time to conduct the experiment and collect the data. The final step is to analyze the data to see if it supports or rejects the hypothesis. If the results do not support the hypothesis, then one should revise their hypothesis. If the results do support the hypothesis, then the study should be replicated to validate this study. Sharing the results of the experiment with other members of the scientific community is also an important part is advancing one’s understanding of the particular
The use of research in the field of sociology has led to many breakthroughs in us as humans understanding both ourselves and our culture around us. As we as society continue working to develop a better understanding of how and why we act and interact with our surroundings we need to continue completing research to answer these questions. Research in sociology has created a better understanding of society and will continue to provide clues into the human mind. However, research must be completed properly and ethically along with proper research methods. Without proper procedures of completing research we as society may receive wrong information or biased answers about questions we want answered. There are four types of research that sociology uses to give us answers about our society and careful consideration must be taken to follow the rules of these research types.
Step 1: During this step of hypothesis testing, the query is stated again as a research theory and a null theory regarding the populations. The null and research hypothesizes are the opposites of each other. This step is necessary because it explains the theory and recognizes the populations, which will be worked throughout the study.
The scientific methods of research has five different steps, which are: Objectives, Hypotheses, Methods, Conduct, Synthesize.
Data collection methods- the researcher needs to pick how the information for this subject can be collected (observation, questionnaires, interviews) and so forth. Analysis and presentation of findings- the researcher needs to use reports and other information gathering it into one to present the hypothesis. Conclusion- what does the studies say about this topic, this is based on all the information that was gathered together to get the correct conclusion.
The first step is to locate and define the problem or desired research issue. The second step is to formulate a hypothesis and decide which method of hypothesis testing should be conducted such as exploratory research, descriptive research, or causal research. The third step is to collect data as primary of secondary such as surveys, observations or rely on other methods such as the census. The forth step is to
Primarily, a survey is a beneficial tactic because it asks respondents very specific and direct questions. This means that the information being investigated will be discovered. By this, it also ensures that all respondents are answering the same questions, therefore; resulting in reliable data. In addition to this, surveys seem to be of low cost since they do not require a lot of materials. Results can also be complied quickly and efficiently due to technology. If necessary, a survey could allow for a sampling of certain regions or specific sports in order to compare and contrast the salaries that men and women acquire of equivalent athletic professions. Surveys act as a simple method of capturing the most precise opinions which means that utilizing surveys could result in high representativeness for the concept being
research is observational in nature and a type of correlational research, and is often contrasted with
Survey: a form of research that gathers information about attitudes or behaviors through the answers that people give to questions.
One known research method is the Scientific Method which is a uniform way of creating observations, assembly data, establishing concepts, testing predictions, and understanding outcomes. These observations are made in order to observe and define behaviors. The first step to take in using a scientific method is to develop an issue or question. Next step is to perform a research and observation on the issue or question that was developed. Then a hypothesis needs to be formulated after these steps have been made.
In Psychology 101 we learned that research methods are used in order to understand our mental and behavioral processes by making observations in a systematic way, following strict rules of evidence and thinking critically about that evidence. This scientific research is based on theories (tentative explanations of observations in science), hypotheses (predictions based on a theory) and replication (testing a hypothesis in more than one study). Some of the different research methods are firstly, descriptive studies. Descriptive studies are studies that use survey methods, naturalistic observation and clinical methods. Another research method is correlational studies. Correlational studies are studies that help one to determine if a relationship exists between two or more variables and if so it tells one how strongly those two variables relate to one another. With in correlational studies one can have positive correlation (as one variable increases or decreases so does the other), negative correlation (variables go in opposite directions) or zero correlation (no relationship between the variables). Another research method is formal experiments. Formal experiments are studies that allow us to draw conclusions about how one variable may cause or have an effect on another variable. With in formal experiments there are four elements, which are the independent variable (variable that is manipulated or controlled), the dependent variable (variable that is measured), the experimental
Scientific Method Scientific Method is considered a series of systematic steps and tools that leads to scientific knowledge. These steps allow us to carry out an investigation. Arises as a result of the experience that man has accumulated throughout its history such as the transformation that has been going on in the field of some experimental sciences. It is based on a series of steps and procedures organized for the entire cycle of an investigation. (Makafoosh, 1979)
First of all. I learned research methods from the video lecture. That is the first time I've heard about a detailed explanation of research methods. I was really interested in it because it is very important for us. The higher education level we are, the more research we need to do. As what I've learned, research has seven methods. The first step called: “defining the problem”. That means at the really first time when we do research, we should know what we want to know via this research. We need to come up some research question in our mind. The second step called: “reviewing the literature”. In this step, we should read some previous studies which are related to our topic. The literature must be trustable, and for journals, peer review is the better choice. The third step called: ” forming a hypothesis”. This step tells us after we are familiar with the previous research, maybe we can form a hypothesis in our mind. Actually, I have a little question about this step. Is this hypothesis based on the gap in the previous? The fourth step is choosing a research design. This is a step that organizes our research method. We need to think about who is the participants, when and how well we collect data. The fifth step is collecting the data. This step is kind of do your research plan what you prepared in the fourth step. There are many ways we can choose to collect data. Such as questionnaires, online survey etc. Next step is analyzing the data. This step is kind of tell the readers our research results. For here, we should determine if our hypothesis was true, false, or inconclusive. Also how the result similar to your thought. The final step is drawing conclusions. I think this is the most important part because you
In survey method research, participants answer questions administered through interviews or questionnaires. After participants answer the questions, researchers describe the responses given. In order for the survey to be both reliable and valid it is important that the questions are constructed properly. Questions should be written so they are clear and easy to comprehend.