The methods of collecting data depend on many different things. The first thing that it depends on is what a researcher wants to know. There are numerous techniques of collecting date used in sociology which include but are not limited to: surveys, samples, intensive interviews, focus groups, field research, existing sources, and experiments.
The two that I have found that help the most and are used enormously are field research and experiments. Both are very different from each other but do a great deal in helping socialist with collecting data and understanding a group of people.
Field research is when the researcher observes an aspect of social life in the natural setting.
A simpler way to understand field research is that it is a collection of information that is done outside of a laboratory, library or workplace setting. Social scientists conducting field research may interview or observe people in their natural environments to learn their languages, folklore, and social structures.
A book that shows how felid research is used is Ain't No Makin' It: Aspirations & Attainment in a Low-Income Neighborhood by Jay MacLeod.
The reading addresses the replica of social inequality between low-income male teenagers. The examiner spent time studying two groups of teenagers in a housing project in a Northeastern city. The research found that different levels of exploration play a part in it, which was the: individual, the cultural, and the structural.
Most felid research is characterized as qualitative research exploring why people do what they did which includes: interviews and focus groups. But it can also include quantitative research including: surveys, analysis of existing research and sources.
Some researcher try to eliminate themselves from what they are studies while other will try to involve themselves into the observation. Most researchers have trouble gaining admission to the location and being acknowledged by who and what they are studying.
Another method of collecting data is an experiment which is when data is gathered and analyzed under carefully controlled conditions, usually within an artificial situation constructed by the researcher.
Experiments use independent variables, things that stand by themselves; controlled conditions, what the researchers’ controls; and dependent variables, the change; to establish a cause and effect of what they are trying to study.
During experiments there is a controlled group, which is where nothing changes; and a group that has a “treatment” down so that the researcher can compare the effects of the changed treatment.
Have you ever thought about the preparation and thought that goes into a research experiment? There are many things to consider when planning a study, such as the questions you are trying to answer, the variety of participants that will be studied, and the different variations in the experiment. An important part of the experiment that can have a significant impact on the results are the variables chosen. In doing this, the researcher can easily tell what factors have an effect on the topic under study.
Experimental research is the one type of research that allows psychologists to make causal statements. It is where the researcher changes one or more variables that may have an effect on some other variables (King, 2016). The hypothesis is a specific expectation about what is going to happen in the experiment (King, 2016). In the research, the hypothesis was that women would perceive fat talk to be more socially acceptable than men (Katrevich et al., 2014). The other elements of experimental method are dependent and independent variables. The independent variable (IV) is the cause of the results, and it is changed by the experimenter to find the effects, but the dependent vari...
In order to have a successful, reliable experiment you need sufficient data and evidence, reliable research, variables to test and a follow – up experiment. There are several types of variables you need to do an experiment. An independent variable is the manipulated experimental factor that is changed to see what the effects are. A dependent variable is the outcome. This factor can change in an experiment in reaction to the changes in the independent variable. An experimental group is the group of participants that are exposed to the change that the independent variable represents. The control group is participants who are treated in the same way as the experimental group except for the manipulated factor which is the independent variable (King 24). Proper data, evidence and research is also needed so the experiment turns out correctly and you know what you are testing. A follow – up experiment is not required, however it helps the validity of the conclusion of the experiment. Validity is “the soundness of the conclusions that a researcher draws from an experiment” (King 25). Conducting a follow – up experiment will help researchers and people alike see if the experiment worked properly, continues to help people and see how participants are doing after the experiment is over.
Scientists make progress by using the scientific method, a process of checking conclusions against nature. After observing something, a scientist tries to explain what has been seen. The explanation is called a hypothesis. There is always at least one alternative hypothesis. A part of nature is tested in a "controlled experiment" to see if the explanation matches reality. A controlled experiment is one in which all treatments are identical except that some are exposed to the hypothetical cause and some are not.
Human being spend much time observing the world in which they live in. observing the world is something were familiar with is just that we have not considered it as a way of doing formal research. Observation does not just involve vision, it includes interpretation of that same date, it’s not just recording of data from environment we observe, we are active our brains are engaged as well as our eyes and ears. In a social gathering where you don’t know people researcher can adopt participant observation where she has two roles to play that is being an observer and participant. In a hospital a nurse can pretend to be a patient in other to be admitted into the ward to enable her obtain adequate information because informant
Research can be quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative research is objective and involves measuring the phenomena under investigation. Qualitative research is subjective, explores experiences and feelings, and involves the recording of phenomena that cannot easily be quantified (Toates, 2010, pp. 5-6). Both are empirical since they involve data collection (OU, n.d.).
...es of the other participants, nor did it jeopardized the validity of the data collected and conclusions reached. This field experience certainly allowed the observer to begin to draw preliminary connections to her personal research interest based on what was learned about covert observation, note taking, ethnography study, and qualitative research.
The first method to be discussed and analysed are experimental methods. There is a variety of experimental methods including; laboratory, field and natural experiments. These methods are the most scientific method due to them being highly objective and systematic. In addition, this method is regarded as the most powerful research method used in psychology because of the potential to investigate the causes of events and therefore, identifying the cause and effect relationship. When carrying out an experiment the researcher intervenes directly in the situation being investigated. The researcher manipulates an independent variable (IV) in order to investigate whether there is a change in the dependent variable (DV). Any other variables that could have an
Independent variable (pg. 39) – a type of variable that is controlled by the experimenter, and comes before the dependent variable. An example of an independent variable in a study would be the amount of time played by a college football player.
Ethnographic fieldwork helps to define and distinguish cultural anthropology in certain ways. The definition per ethnographic studies helps to distinguish cultural anthropology from other disciplines and helps to understand it and how it is carried out. Field work ethnography defines cultural anthropology as holism, cross culture comparison and observation by participation. Ethnographic fieldwork has a lot of advantages.
In order for an experiment to be considered a true experimental design, the design must fit specific criteria. The researcher must have a hypothesis for a cause and effect relationship between variables, the treatment group, the control group, random selection for the treatment group, and random assignment for the control group. In a simple experiment, the researcher forms two groups that are similar or equivalent, through probability, to each other in every way possible appropriate to the concept of experiment. The treatment group receives the procedure for the experiment and the control group does not. Therefore, the only difference between the groups will be that one group receives the treatment for the experiment and one group does note. After the experiment is conducted the researcher analysis the results in both groups.
Creswell (2009), states that there are three types of designs, qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods. Smith and Davis (2010) states that qualitative research is a field of enquiry that is conducted in a natural setting by a researcher, who may be involved in, or may be part of the data collection process; as it utilizes the views of informants as the basis for the report. Qualitative research attempts to gain and in-depth, holistic picture of the phenomenon one wishes to study by interacting closely with the people being studied; the data collected are usually in the form of words or pictures.
Qualitative and quantitative research methods take different approaches to gathering and analysing information. Whether it is a qualitative or quantitative study, the research study begins with a question or series of questions. Both use rigorously designed studies to get the most accurate, detailed and complete results. Qualitative studies common methods are interviews, surveys and observation. A qualitative study aims to provide a detailed description of the study results, often using pictures and written descriptions to describe what the research revealed. A qualitative study looks at the big picture, helping researchers to narrow in on points of interest that then can be followed up on in a quantitative study. While a quantitative study has a narrower focus, it attempts to provide a detailed explanation of the study focus, along with this using numbers and statistics. And the results from a quantitative study can reveal bigger questions that call for qualitative study. Or vice versa a qualitative study may reveal at analysis that a more focus and direct approach may be needed. With both methods analysis is a key part of any study whether qualitative or quantitative.
Fieldwork is a term that refers to the “anthropologist’s personal, long-term experience with a specific group of people and their way of life” (LS:5). Fieldword is important in anthropological studies. Why? This is due to many reasons. First, the main advantage of fieldwork is it 's ability to get a more in- depth study of a culture. But within these studies, anthropologists face many challenges. Anthropologists must be cautious not to change the normal state of the society they are studying because any significant change in the regular everyday actions of that culture are less valuable in explaining the culture itself and how they work as a society. Second, anthropologists must make sure who they 're speaking with are reliable sources, and represent the population as a whole. If the data is not reliable, the population is not represented correctly, and their data is not completely true. One of the last main challenges is processing the data that anthropologists collect. Their facts must be organized, and must be allowable to be interpreted by others of the culture. Although fieldwork may seem more challenging than beneficial, fieldword is one of the best paths for studying culture and obtaining
...ve and quantitative methods to conduct a successful research. But, both qualitative and quantitative research is based on assumptions, and both when carried out accurately provide good research.