Summary

Summary Social Research - Research Methodology

1 purchase

Course

Institution
Tilburg University (UVT)

Book
Social Research

Summary + lecture notes of the book: social research appraoches and fundamentals. At the end is also a Q&A that my teacher answered, I wrote the answer by the question. Hopefully you can use this.

[Show more]

Preview 3 out of 26 pages

View example

Summarized whole book? Yes
Uploaded on December 4, 2023
Number of pages 26
Written in 2023/2024
Type Summary

empirical generalization
deduction
induction
qualitative research
quantitative research
scientific questions
hypothesis
variable
continuous statements
conditional statements
explanatory hypotheses
biv

Book Title:Social Research

Author(s):Bruce C. Straits, Royce A. Singleton, Jr.

Edition:Unknown
ISBN:9780190635107
Edition:Unknown

Institution
Tilburg University (UVT)
Education
Global Management of Social Issues
Course Unknown

$6.10

Add to cart

Save

100% satisfaction guarantee
Immediately available after payment
Both online and in PDF
No strings attached

Research Methodology
Table of content
Lecture 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 2
Lecture 2 Formulating hypotheses and types of relationships ............................................................... 3
Lecture 3 Measurement .......................................................................................................................... 6
Lecture 4 Qualitative Research ............................................................................................................... 9
Lecture 5 Sampling Designs (1) ............................................................................................................. 10
Lecture 6 Sampling Designs (2) ............................................................................................................. 13
Lecture 7 Survey Research (1) ............................................................................................................... 14
Lecture 8 Survey Research (2) ............................................................................................................... 17
Lecture 9 Experiment design (1) ........................................................................................................... 19
Lecture 10 Experimental design (2) ...................................................................................................... 22
Lecture 11 Evaluation Research ............................................................................................................ 23
Lecture 12 Existing Data ........................................................................................................................ 25

, Lecture 1 Introduction
The aim of science is to

Process Product
The methods through which scientific knowledge is created, A logical structure of knowledge that tells us something about
tested, and refined (for example, this course) how or why something is (for example, laws and theories)

The aim is to produce knowledge. First, we must describe
objects and events before we can understand the relationships
among them
You may be a consumer of research in several positions: a student reading research reports and
journal articles. In addition to being consumers, we are gathers and producers of research evidence.

There are various approaches:

1. Survey
2. Experiments
3. Field research
4. Available data

Empirical generalizations are when
terms are derived from observations
or hypotheses when they have been
proposed but not tested. To the extent
that the propositions have been
repeatedly verified and are accepted,
they may have become known as
scientific laws.

Qualitative research Quantitative research
• Observation/ available data leads to a theory developed • Testing theory/hypotheses through deduction
by induction • Possible adjust or even refute theory through induction
• Processes, events, experiences, perceptions, beliefs • Relationships and effects
• Emphasis on inductive process • Emphasis on deductive process
• No hypotheses, but possibly expectations • Testable hypotheses derived from theory or logic
• Theory development and adaptation • Testing hypotheses
• Interviews, field research, available data • Questionnaires (quantifiable), experiments, available data

Scientific research questions are those that are to be answered by means of empirical research.
Scientific asks about how and why certain phenomena occur, while not scientific asks about what
would be good or desirable

↪ Scientific research questions: describe a phenomenon, explain of why it occurs,
explore/investigate

To formulate a scientific question we need to know:

• What is interesting?
• What is a concept? → a general description of a phenomenon (weight, social cohesion)
o If a concepts has been developed for scientific purposes, we call it a construct
• What is scientific knowledge?

, Hypothesis is a supposition or conjecture put forth to account for known facts → In science it is a
tentative answer to a research question (phrased as a statement, not ambiguous, testable)

• An expected but unconfirmed relationship between variables (provides a prediction)
• We need to know what a variable is (characteristics that can vary, that are observable in the
real world)
o Categorical variables: the values they can
take are categories (single, married, etc)
o Continuous variables: the values can be
taken in numbers (weight, IQ)
• The purpose of a variable in a study
o Independent variables: is assumed to
influence the dependent variable, it is the
cause, it is the predictor, X
o Dependent variables: than one seeks to
explain, its variation is thought to be
influenced by de independent variables,
is the outcome/effect, Y

Lecture 2 Formulating hypotheses and types of relationships
To formulate hypotheses, we need to identify: variables of interest, the objective of the research
(descriptive/explanatory), measurement of the involved variable, the purpose of a variable in a study,
form of the relationship

• Descriptive hypotheses: for single variable
o To formulate this hypothesis we must state expectations about the value taken by a
variable of interest
o For example, Crime in the city of Paris in 2022 has increased by 10 % compared to
2019.
• Explanatory hypotheses: two or more variables this course we will focus on this one
o To formulate this hypothesis we must state the relationship between a dependent
and an independent variable, states the expected relationship between the variables
of interest
o For example, The higher the level of education (X), the lower the level of prejudice
towards ethnic minorities (Y)

Hypotheses about relationships between variables can be written as continuous, difference, or
conditional statements, depending on the measurement level of the variable of interest

• Continuous statements: for two continuous variables. Indicates that increases in one
variable (X) are associated (related) with increases/decreases in another variable Y)
• Difference statements: one continuous and one categorical variable. Indicate that one
variable differs in terms of the categories of another variable
o For example, People living in the southern region of the country have a higher level
of prejudice than people living in the north
• Conditional statement (If-then): when both variables would consist of discrete categories,
such as region (north vs south) and prejudice (categorised as high vs low)
o For example If individuals live in the southern region of the country, then their
prejudice will be high

The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.

Quick and easy check-out

You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.

Focus on what matters

Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!

Frequently asked questions

What do I get when I buy this document?

You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.

Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?

Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.

Who am I buying these notes from?

Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller willemijnslagboom1. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.

Will I be stuck with a subscription?

No, you only buy these notes for $6.10. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.

Can Stuvia be trusted?

4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)

66184 documents were sold in the last 30 days

Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 15 years now

Start selling

Summary

Summary Social Research - Research Methodology

Document information

Subjects

Connected book

Written for

Seller

Content preview