Course Outline

This course is designed to give the learner in the social and behavioral sciences an exposure to the basic research tools and techniques of data collection and an opportunity to develop the essential skills in how best to:

Ask relevant research questions,

Structure a research project,

Choose among data collection strategies,

Master sampling techniques,

Use computer and computer software, and

Write about theory, and research methods.

The course seeks to engage the student in the scientific procedures of collecting, analyzing, and presenting social data so that he/she may further advance his/her knowledge through independent research in the field.

The student will be:

Exposed to basic concepts, methods, and issues involved in social science research,

Able to understand the link between social theory and the research process,

Helped to understand and utilize the computer tools, and

Able to assess and use different data collection techniques.

 

As we move through the semester, you will become increasingly aware that this course stresses those types of practical skills that any professional might be expected routinely to exercise during his/her career. The time to develop these skills is now, while you have access to essential resources. Your instructor will post office hours reserved especially for students enrolled in methods courses. If you find yourself having a little trouble with some of the assignments, you might be pleased to know that a short visit to the office can prove valuable. Very often, one of the most important resources that the needy student has is his/her fellow student. If you have problems with the content of this course, try discussing them with fellow students. A solid grasp of the course material may be facilitated by working closely with other students.

To demonstrate an understanding of the foundations of science and the scientific method, with special emphasis on the social sciences.

To demonstrate a holistic understanding of social issues by developing/implementing a research project.

To appreciate the importance of ethical considerations in the process of doing scientific research

To demonstrate knowledge of data collection techniques, with special emphasis on

a) field research

b) content analysis,

c) experimental design, and

d) survey research by conducting a research study that utilizes one or more of these data collection techniques.

Project .

Working in groups of no more than four, students will conduct a collaborative research involving group members, local agencies and community groups. It is required that students work together with community groups at all phases of the research. Since the research projects are shaped by the researcher (student groups) and community groups or practitioners, it is hoped that the end results are more likely to have relevance in addressing pressing social problems. Groups will design a project, make appropriate methodological decisions, collect the data, code the data, use SPSS to analyze the data, and write a report that covers the entire research process:

Problem Statement: research questions

Literature Review

Theoretical Perspectives/Hypotheses

Research Design: Method Selection, Data Collection &Analysis

Findings

Recommendation

Your final presentation will be taped NOTE: For Social Sciences majors only. This group project is one of the pieces to be included in your portfolio.

Assignments

There will be several individual and group assignments covering all aspects of the course. Assignments will be given in separate handouts.

Exams

This class builds on each topic so students must maintain a substantially high level of knowledge in order to be able to master the next topic. There will be a midterm exam, and a final exam. By its very nature, the final examination will be cumulative.

THEORY AND RESEARCH

Reasoning About the Social World

Questions and Answers About the Social World

Everyday Errors in Reasoning

Social Research in Practice

Method and Social Theory Construction

Structuring the Research Project

CONCEPTUALIZATION AND MEASUREMENT

Concepts and Variables

Measurement Operations

Evaluations of Measures

Validity

Reliability

Levels of Measurement

Using Available Data

Constructing Questions

Single Questions

Question Sets

Scales and Indexes

DATA COLLECTION STRATEGIES

Sampling

Define Sampling Components and the Population

Sampling Methods: Probability & Non Probability

Sampling Distributions

Data Collection

List of Variables

Using SPSS

CAUSATION AND RESEARCH DESIGN

Nomothetic Causes

Idiographic Causes

Synthetic Causal Explanations

Criteria for Causal Explanation

Association

Time Order

Non-Spuriousness

Mechanism

Context

Theory

Research Design to determine Causality

EXPERIMENTS

"True" Experiments

Quasi-Experiments

Evaluation Research

Validity in Experiments

Ethical Issues

SURVEY RESEARCH

Attractive Features

Questionnaire Development and Assessment

Survey Designs

Mailed

Telephone

In-person

Ethical Issues

QUALITATIVE METHODS

Origins

Participant Observation

Intensive Interviewing

Focus Groups

Unobtrusive Research

UNIVARIATE ANALYSIS

Bar Chart

Measuring Central Tendency

Using Crosstabs

BIVARIATE ANALYSIS

Sources of Religiosity

Measures of Association

Tests of Significance

MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS

Examining Religiosity in Greater Depth

Dissecting the Political Factor

Prediction of Attitudes toward Abortion

WRTIING A RESEARCH REPORT

The Title Page

Abstract

Acknowledgment

Table of Content

Introduction: Problem Statement, Organization of Study

Literature Review

Theoretical Perspectives/Hypotheses

Research Design: Method Selection, Data Collection &Analysis

Findings

Recommendation

Copyright, J.Cudjoe, 2000