Exploring the research process:

• Objectives:

• Understand why research is important to sociologists

• Gain an overview of the main types of data collected

• Explore the research process – sampling, topics, operationalisation

Task!!• Work in pairs!

• What are your thoughts on gang violence among teenagers in the UK? Where have your ideas come from?

• What about the thoughts of; a). Police, b). Teenagers??

• If you were going to research gang violence in the UK what difficulties do you think you would need to overcome?

• Record answers for a class board storm

What’s the point in research??• The process of carrying out research and collecting evidence distinguishes

sociologists from those who make claims about society based on commonsense opinions, personal experiences, values and prejudices

• “All politicians are bent!” “Girls are cleverer than boys!”

• We hear commonsense views expressed all of the time – by parents, friends, the media

• They are important but without evidence based on research to support them they always remain simply commonsense views

• Research is not always value free (free from the biases of the researcher) – but most contemporary sociologists ‘come clean’ to readers of their study how they may have been influenced

Types of data:

• Quantitative Data:

• Based on numbers and statistics

• Mostly collected by positivists

• Research is carried out in a logical, systematic (planned) and objective way

• Using methods similar to those of the natural sciences

• Qualitative Data:

• In the form of words based on descriptions of events and social interactions (interaction between gang members)

• Collected by interpretivists

• Open ended approach – experience the world through the eyes/footsteps of those being researched – verstehen (Weber)

• Look at meanings attached to actions

Data collected may be quantitative or qualitative or a mixture of the two…

The research process…

• Whether a sociologist is a positivist or interpretivist or someone using an multi-method approach they will all follow a similar process…

• Choose a topic, research questions, operationalisation, target population, sampling, access, primary/secondary data collection, pilot studies, ethics, interpretation of data collected

Choice of topic

1. Different factors may influence this decision

2. The values and experiences of the sociologist – Hodkinson (2002) researched Goths because he had previous experience of the subculture

3. A sociologists theoretical position (view of the world) – Plummer (2000) studied wc girls as she was concerned why it had not been prioritised in the UK

4. The funding body – research will reflect their priorities (Government, charities etc.)5. Accessibility –

could be dangerous (gangs), secretive (sects) or generally difficult (young offenders institutes)

6. Practical issues: time, money

Research Questions...• After choosing a topic of study the next part of the process of research is

usually to identify a research question, an aim, or less commonly a hypothesis.

• A hypothesis = A claim about what might be the case and is phrased as a statement i.e.

• “girls do better than boy at coursework”

• Most sociologists start with some sort of question rather than a statement:

The New East End (Dench et al, 2006) – questions regarding the arivial of Banglesdeshis in the East End, whether thay are part of the East End

• Others can start with an aim – Hodkinson (to examine the Goth scene) - Jackson, 2006 (To understand the patterns

of behaviour labeled as ‘laddish’)

Operationalisation…• Process of defining the key terms and concepts (of which there may be

many!!!) which form the basis of the research to ensure participants, readers and other sociologists know how the terms are being used

• It also means to break down the research question, aim or hypothesis into something that can be measured

• i.e. Jackson had to explain what she meant by ‘laddettes’ and ‘ladism’