Research project -- trial run -- due day of third midterm
This trial run is worth 20 points.
I would like you to do a trial run of your research.
If you are doing a survey or interviews, make a list of about ten to twenty questions that you will ask. Ask one person those questions; it can even be yourself. See how they work. Turn in your list of questions as well as the responses. These do not have to be the questions you eventually will ask. You must ask at least a few open-ended questions that require the subject to write at least a sentence. You must analyze the open-ended responses in the analysis section of your research paper.
If you are doing a content analysis, make a list of things you might find. Analyze one case and turn in that analysis.
For example, if you are doing a content analysis of how racial and ethnic minorities are portrayed in Disney movies, make a list of how you think they might be portrayed: for example, lazy, devious, untrustworthy, honest, good friend, perfect, etc. Watch one movie and see what you find. Turn in your analysis of one movie.
If you are doing an experiment, do a one-case test run and turn in a description of the methods that you used and your results.
If you are doing an ethnographic analysis, write a list of things that you think you might find, do a short observation, and turn in that analysis.
If you are doing any other type of analysis, make sure you provide me a detailed discussion of the method that you will use a week prior to turning in the trial run. Email it to me. Your project must be approved before you start. This discussion of your methods that you will email me must be much more detailed than in your research proposal.
Frequently made comments from past courses:
I would have liked for you to discuss what you found after examining your data.
Comments specific to surveys:
Consider asking more questions that solicit their attitudes and opinions about this issue.
Try prompting your subjects to give more detail. The more detail you have, the more data you will have to analyze.
Consider asking open-ended questions that will get respondents talking in more depth about their feelings toward this subject.
Consider adding a place in your questions where the subject can explain why they chose a particular answer. For example, after the question, you might write, "In the space provided below, briefly explain why you chose your answer."
I see you have some open-ended questions. Consider converting a few more fixed-choice questions to open-ended ones, or supplement your fixed-choice question with open-ended ones. The reason I suggest this is because if you let your respondents use their own words, it will allow you to get richer data.
Comment specific to content analysis:
Try to have a systematic way of picking your songs (movies, TV shows, etc.). For example, all the billboard number one songs over a specified time period in the various genres.
Comment specific to ethnographies:
Try to be systematic in your observations. For example, think about how many observations you want to make for what length of time. Try to capture as much detail as possible. Try to have a sense of what you are looking at. For example, how do people do impression management?