INQUIRY 4010 & 4030

INQUIRY 4010 & 4030 Dr. Paul R. Carr Departments of Sociology, & InterdisciplinaryStudies LakeheadUniversity

Experiencing social research • Researchwasnotmeanttobeorderly, abstract, linear, and predictable • Thehumandynamic/conditioniscomplex • Strand/Weissbookbuild’sonGolden’swork in 1970s, focusedonhearingfromresearchersabouttheirresearch • Difficulties • Successes • Whatshouldhavegonedifferently • Whatwasgratifying • Howdidtheresearchcontributetothefield • Ethics • Personal implication

Explainingtheapproach • Thebookexposesstudentsto a range of concepts, approaches, techniques, ideas, and differentmethodologies • Severalfields are explored • Interviews withauthorsaftertheirarticles • Whatledyoutochoosethetopic? • What are theadvantages and disadvantages of themethodologyyouused? • Whatdoesyourresearchcontribute? • What, ifanything, wouldyou do differently? • Howdidyougainaccesstosites and samples? • Howdidyoubuild trust? • Howdidyoutake and organize notes and analysis? • Howdidyou relate tounexpectedoutcomes/results?

Chapter 1 – Experiencing social research (choices, challenges, constraints, and compromises) • Goal of social scienceresearch: toanswerquestionsaboutthe social world • Formal research training helpsusunderstandthe rules, procedures and protocolsthatgoverntheresearchprocess • Butitdoesn’thavethe final wordonhowto do research • Theabove are guidelinesforthechoicesthatresearchermustmake at eachstage of theresearch • Whattostudy? • howtostudyit? • Howtoanalyze, interpret and presentresults • Thesechoices are influencesbynumerousfactorsbeyondresearch’s control (training, experience, interests, preferences, goals, personal circumstances, accesstosites, resources…)

Choosing a topic • Choosing a method • Sample • Variables, data and approaches • Ethicalissues and considerations • Collecting, organizing and analyzing data

Seekingthetruth • Whatisthetruth? Epistemology Experience Identity (race, class, gender, religion, culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation…) • Social construction of… identity/reality/society • Howispowerimplicated in theproduction of power?

Whatisknowledge? • Whatisknowledge? Whoseknowledge? • Howisknowledgeproduced? Bywhom? • Whatis formal knowledge? Informal knowledge? • Whatisthe role of governments, corporations, universities and fundingbodies and the media in disseminatinginformation, data, knowledge, truth…? Whathaveyoulearnedsincebeing at universitythatyoudidn’tknowpreviously? How has italteredyourthinking (and actions)?

Doesourknowledgechangeover time? • Is Nelson Mandela a “terrorist” or a “”freedomfighter”? • Is corporal punishmentacceptable? • Is racial segregation a goodthing? • Shouldthereberightsforgays and lesbians? • Shouldweallowviolence in hockey? • IsCanada a charitable country basedonitsrelationshipwithAboriginalpeoples? • Whogoestoprivateschool, and why? What are theimplications? Why? How do weknow?How has researchinformedourviews?

Whatknowledgeisvalidated? • Where do wefindinformation? • How do weknowifitislegitimate? Internet Newspapers Peer-reviewedjournals • Informationchangesover time • Whatisknowledge? Whoseknowledge? • Howisknowledgeproduced? Bywhom? • Whatis formal knowledge? Informal knowledge? • Whatisthe role of governments, corporations, universities and fundingbodies and the media in disseminatinginformation, data, knowledge, truth…? Whathaveyoulearnedsincebeing at universitythatyoudidn’tknowpreviously? How has italteredyourthinking (and actions)?

Knowledge and bias • What do opinionsurveystellus? • Whatdoesthenewstellus? • Whatisbias? Iseverythingbiased? • Can therebemultipletruthsto a givenquestion? Isemploymentequity a good idea? Whatdoestheresearchsayaboutlearning non-mothertonguelanguages? Should inter-racial relationshipsbeprohibited?

Scientificresearch • Scientificresearchhelpsustounderstand, describe, and making more predictable, orcontrolling, thebehaviour of someaspect of theuniverse. • Sociologicalresearchfocusesonthe social universe • Researchis a process • Essentialfirststeps (clarifyissue, selectmethods) • Data collection (collectevidence) • Analysis and interpretation (analysis, conclusions, limitations)

Phase 1: Essentialfirststeps • select, narrow, and formulatethequestiostobestudied • Select a researchdesign • Design and devisemeasuresfor variables • Set up tablesforanalysis • Select a sample NOTE: THERE ARE MANY APPROACHES, PERSPECTIVES, CONSIDERATIONS RELATED TO HOW TO UNDERTAKE RESEARCH.

Research as a discipline • Askingtherightquestions • Limited in scopetocertain times, places, and conditions • A researchablequestionisusually a smallerfragment of a largerquestion • Resources, time, capacity, access… allaffecttheability of a researchto do thework • Framing a questionispivotal • A researchablequestionidentifiessomeobservable, tangible, countableevidenceor data that can begathered • Empiricalresearchonlyseekstoanserthosequestionsthat can beansweredbyreferencetosensory data (data that can beseen, heard, touched, recorded, measured, orcounted) pp.15-16

Honesty and accuracy (ethics) • discipline + accuracy= increasesreliability • How do weknowiftheresearchishonest and accurate? • Istheresearchvalidifthereislack of honesty? • Confict of interest • Non-disclosure of importantinformation • Objectivity/subjectivity

Record-keeping and limitations • Record-keeping: • 1) reliability of data; • 2) enhancesabilitytoanalyzethe data; • (facilitatesthecreation of categories of analysis) • Assessinglimitations: • 1) sample; • 2) conductingmethods, findings and researchquestion (causal linkage, triangulation, relevance)

Theory and data • Whatmotivatesustoresearch a question? • Whatarguments do weknow? Do weaccept? • Istheworld flat as was once believed? How do weknowthatitis round? Whatistheproof? • Theresearchprocessis a disciplinedprocessforansweringquestions; it relates theory and data • A theoryisan idea abouthowsomethingworks, orwhatitisliketobesomething, orwhatwillhappenif…; itmaybean idea aboutwhatdifferencewillbemadebydoingornotdoingsomething; theories are ideas abouthowthings relate toeachother • Data are factsproducedbyresearch; bythemselves are meaningless; data are empiricalfacts; twokinds of data in social science (qualitative [expressed in larnguage, images, feelings, perspectives] and quantitative [howmuch? Howmany? Howoften?]) • Data cannotbecollectedwthoutsometheoryabouttheanswertothequestion

Selecting a problem • Selecting and focuingon a probleminvolvesdecision-making, sorting, narrowing, and clarifying • Developskillsformovingfromstarting-pointstofocusedresearchablequestion • Literaturereview • Conceptualizationphase • Identifytheoretical and researchdesigns • Gaps in theliterature (what has beenasked and studied?) • Willassistyoutounderstandthecontext, focusyourinquiry, embed a researchquestion • Understandkeyfindings, themes, trends • Dialectical, permanentprocess (at thebeginning, middle and end of research)

Narrowing and clarifyingtheproblem • Produce a clearstatement of theproblemtobestudied (no rules orrecipeshere) • Unpacktheproblem • What are themajorconcepts? • Whatis happening here? • What are theissues? • Isonethingaffecting, causing, orproducing a change in somethingelse? • Whyisthis so? • What do weknowabout a subject? What can theliteraturetellusaboutwhatwe do notknow? • Whatotherissues, factors, questions, and concernstowehave? And how can thisassistus in furtherfocusingtheproblem?

Statingtheproblem: thehypothesis • A hypothesisis a statementthatasserts a relationshipbetweenconcepts • A conceptisan idea that stands forsomething, orthatrepresents a class of thingsor a general categorization of animpression of something. • Thekeyfeature of a hypothesisisthatitassertsthattwoconcepts are related in a specificway.

(Neuman) Chapter 1 – Doing social research • Social research: a process in which a researcher combines a set of principles, oultlooks, and ideas (i.e., methodology) with a collection of specificpractices, techniques, and strategies (i.e., a method of inquiry) to produce knowledge • Alternativesto social research (othersources of knowledge): • Authority • Tradition • Commonsense • Media myths • Personal experience • Overgeneralization • Selectiveobservation • Prematureclosure • Halo effect

The social sciences—such as anthropology, psychology, politicalscience, sociology, education—involvethestudy of people, theirbeliefs, behaviour, interaction, institutions, etc. • Scienceis a social institution and a means of producingknowledge • Data (quantitative and qualitative) • Empiricalevidence • Scientificcommunity • Scientificmethod

Steps in researchprocess • Select a topic • Focusquestion • Designstudy • Collect data • Analyze data • Interpret data • Informothers

Basic social research (seeTable 1.2) • Applied social research • EvaluationResearchStudy • ActionResearchStudy • Social ImpactResearchStudy • Purposes of research (see box 1.3) • Exploration • Descritpion • explanation • Time dimension in research • Cross-sectionalresearch • Longitudinal research • Time-series study • Panel study • Cohortstudy • Case study

Focus • Data-collectiontechniques • Quantitative • Experiments • Surveys • Content analysis • Existingstatistics • Qualitative • Interviews • Focusgroups • Fieldresearch • Historical-comparative • Content analysis

(Neuman) Chapter 2- Theory and social research • Social scientifictheories • Social theorieshelpexplainrecurringpatterns, notuniqueorone-time events; • Social theories are explanationsforaggregates, not particular individuals; • Social theoriesstate a probability, chance, ortendencyforeventstooccur, ratherthanstatingthatoneeventmustabsolutelyfollowanother. • Social theory can bedefined as a system of interconnectedabstractionsor ideas than condenses and organizesknowledgeaboutthe social world. • Classicaltheorists (Marx, Webcer, Durkheim, etc.) playanimportant role in generatinginnovative ideas abouttheworkings of social life (theyprovidedthefoundations) • Social theoristscreateexplanationsaroundtheworkings of society and theinteractionsbetweenmembers of social groups

Serious social theory has beencarefullybuilt, developed, debated, and tested • Fact vs theory • Thequestionisnot so muchwhetheryoushould use social theory as howyoushould use it • Anawareness of howtheoryfitsintotheresearchprocessproducessbetterdesigned, easiertounderstand, and betterconductedstudies • Alltheoriescontainconcepts, and concepts are thebuiling blocks of theory • Concept clusters • Variables and nonvariablephenomena • Classificationconcepts

Scope • Assumption • Theaspects of theory (can becategorizedby) • Thedirection of itsreasoning • Thelevel of social realitythatitexplains • Theforms of explanationitemploys • Theoverallframework of assumptions and concepts in whichitisembedded • Alllogicallypossiblecombinations of direction, level, explanation, and framework are notequally viable • Direction of theorizing • Deductiveapproach • Inductiveapproach

Levels of theory • Micro • Meso • macro • Forms of explanation • Prediction and explanation • Causal explanation • Structuralinterpretation • Interpretativeexplanation • Threemajorapproachesto social science • Positivist • Interpretive • Critical

INQUIRY 4010 & 4030