1. Define the problem
At this step, you want to state what you want to study. What is the question that you are interested in? Select and clearly define the research topic. For example, if you are interested in strategies parents use in controlling their children in public, you might start with this research question: Do control strategies used by parents in public places vary by type of public place? Once you have identified the problem, the next step is to review the available evidence in the field.
2. Review the existing evidence
Review the literature (the published research dealing with your particular issue) to see what others have written about the topic. What have others in the past found out about the problem that you are interested in? It may be that previous research has already satisfactorily answered the problem. If not, by seeing how and what others have done in the past, you can better formulate a research question, develop a clearer research hypothesis, choose the best research design, get ideas on how carry out the research, and develop an effective method for analyzing your data.
A complete literature review is not required for this class. Try to find at least two research articles that relate to your research. Try using EBSCO and NetLibrary found on the Library channel in myCuesta. In the EBSCO database, there are only a few full text articles, however, for almost all research articles, the abstract is shown. You can learn a lot about the research simply by reading the abstract. Of course, you can use Google as well.
3. Formulate a hypothesis
A hypothesis is an educated guess about what is going on. Hypotheses can be based on theory or previous research. A hypothesis should be formulated in such a way so that the factual material gathered will provide evidence either supporting or disproving it. For example, your hypothesis might be, parents will use more coercive in situations where there is a stronger demand for good behavior. This hypothesis might have been developed as you did a review of the literature or based on your theoretical model. You may or may not need a hypothesis for the research that you are conducting. However, it is a useful exercise to formulate one, whether you end up including the hypothesis in your paper or not.
4. Develop a research design
Decide how the research materials are to be collected. Which research method is chosen should depend on the objectives of the study as well as the aspects of the behavior to be analyzed.
If you want to examine differences by groups, for example, differences between men and women, you might try the survey method. This method allows you to measure attitudes and behaviors of a large number of people.
If you want to do a close analysis, that is, detailed analysis of some social phenomena, you might try the in-depth interview method. Though your sample size will be smaller, you can get a more detailed sense of the issue you are interested in.
You might want to do content analysis if you are interested in patterns that exist in popular culture. For example, do a content analysis of news programs, song lyrics, or TV shows to show gendered attitudes embedded in popular media.
You might want to do an ethnography. Spend time examining a scene, your office where you work, a public place such as a library, your home, or anywhere else. Describe what you see. Interview people in that scene.
You might want to do a conversation analysis. Videotape people talking to each other and see what you can find. You will probably choose one of these four methods. Of course, there are more; you can choose whatever method you like.
5. Collect the data
Here you gather the data that will be used for your analysis. That is, conduct your research.
6. Analyze the data
The collected data is analyzed to determine whether the hypotheses are supported.
Collect and analyze the data.
7. Develop conclusions
Discuss how your findings relate to larger issues. For example, if your study was on the control of children in public places, you might want to talk about relationships between parents and children in the late modern world in general.
8. Present the findings
Write up the research and hand it in by the final exam. Also you are strongly encouraged to present your results in class for extra credit consideration.
Additional thoughts:
This ordering should be understood as a general recommendation, not as the definitive rule for doing sociological research.
Often steps may be skipped or the ordering may differ in actual practice. For example, you may not want to formulate a hypothesis when conducting an ethnography. Or, you may first define your problem and then while doing a review of the literature find that someone else has already solved that problem. You will then have to go back to step one. Or, you may have chosen a research design and are about the carry out the research but find out that you cannot gain access into the site that you wanted to observe. You will then have to go back to step 3 and formulate another hypothesis that can be answered using an alternative research method.