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SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE
COURSE GUIDE 2007/
Department of Sociology
SO3522 - SOCIAL RESEARCH METHODS
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THE COURSE
Course Co-ordinator
The Course Co-ordinator for SO3522 is Professor Bernadette C Hayes (Room: F5, Edward Wright Building; e-mail: [email protected]; Tel: 27- 3128).
Credit Rating
This course is offered in the second semester. It has a credit rating of 30; that is, it is expected to take up half of the time of a full-time student.
Course Aims
To promote an introductory knowledge of quantitative and qualitative data analysis.
To provide students with a critical awareness of the strengths and limitations of large-scale survey methods in sociological research and secondary data analysis.
To promote an awareness of the importance of level of measurement to the application of specific statistical techniques.
Learning Outcomes
The course will provide students with an elementary knowledge of a range of techniques, both quantitative and qualitative, for the collection and analysis of data.
The course will enable students to read and make sense of survey data presented in tabular and graphical form and to interpret the results of some elementary statistical analysis of survey data.
The course will enable students to develop the ability to critically examine the methodology and findings of sociological studies, particularly when the survey method has been employed.
Course Requirements/Assessment
The course is assessed as follows:
50%: Final examination in June based on the methods section from week 1 to week 5.
50%: Continuous assessment based on one unseen 50-minute ‘open-book’ examination at the end of the semester.
In addition there will be unassessed practical work that will be required during the semester. Students are expected to do this work. Failure to do so will adversely affect your performance in the module and may lead to your removal from the course.
If you fail to meet these requirements, we may remove you from the course. The details of the School’s policy for enforcing requirements can be found in the Handbook at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/socsci/about/course or through your portal, and the University’s procedures for monitoring student progress are explained at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/calendar/generalregulations
If you are having trouble meeting our requirements, you must talk to your tutor or Course Co-ordinator.
Examination papers
Past examination papers are available at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/library/examdb/
LECTURES
There are 2 lectures per week in this course and one practical workshop. Lectures will be held on Mondays and Tuesdays 10.00 - 11.00 am in New Kings in Room: 10 (Mondays) and Meston in Room: 6 (Tuesdays). Practicals will be held on Thursday 10.00 - 11.00 am in King’s College in Room: KCF8 (Thursdays).
The lectures and practicals are planned as a coherent series, and you will gain a full understanding of the issues they raise only if you attend regularly. The lecturers are Professor Bernadette C Hayes (BH), Dr Christopher Kollmeyer (CK) and Dr Richie Nimmo (RN).
Lecture Timetable
WEEK 1 (28 January – 1 February)
Mon BH Introduction to the Course
Tues CK Logic of Social Science Research
Thurs CK What is Qualitative Research?
WEEK 2 (4 February – 8 February)
Mon RN Ethnography and Participant Observation
Tues RN Interviews
Thurs CK Unobtrusive Methods
Mon BH Measures of Variation Continued
Tues BH Cross-Tabulations
Thurs BH Practical Exercise
WEEK 10 (21 April – 25 April)
Mon BH Elaboration
Tues BH Chi-square
Thurs BH Practical Exercise
WEEK 11 (28 April – 2 May)
Mon BH Measures of Association
Tues BH Measures of Association continued
Thurs BH Practical Exercise
WEEK 12 (5 May – 9 May)
Mon BH Course Review
Tues BH Pre-examination test
Thurs BH Examination: 50 minutes in-class (open book) test
Core text:
Bryman, Alan 2004. Social Research Methods. 2nd^ Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lecture Outlines
Week 1: Lecture Topics
The Philosophy of Social Research
One of the first questions we need to ask when we think about investigating the social world is what counts as knowledge? This is a philosophical question of huge complexity, but within social science the various approaches can be listed under three general headings: positivism, realism and interpretivism (or humanism). This lecture will consider the early sociologists and their views on how the social world could, and should, be researched. Key words to guide your reading are: Empiricism, Objectivity, Positivism, Postmodernism, Realism, and Verstehen.
Key Readings
Bryman, Alan. 2004. Social Research Methods. 2 nd^ Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Chapter 1.
Look up keywords in a Sociology Dictionary
Supplementary Readings
Benton, T. and Craib, I. 2001. Philosophy of Social Science. New York: Palgrave
Hughes, John. 1990. The Philosophy of Social Research. London: Longman
Marsh, Ian, Campbell, Rosie, Keating, Mike (eds) 1998. Classic and contemporary readings in sociology. Harlow: Longman (Part IV)
May, Tim. 1997. Social Research. Second edition. Buckingham: Open University Press, Chapter 1.
Payne, G. And Payne, J., 2004. Key concepts in social research. London: SAGE (positivism and realism)
Seale, C. (ed) 1998. Researching Society and Culture. London: Sage, Chapter 1.
Williams, Malcolm, May, Tim, and Wiggins, Richard D. 1996. Introduction to the philosophy of social research. London: UCL Press
What is Qualitative Research?
This lecture will explore the nature of qualitative research, and what makes it distinctive from quantitative. We will review some studies that have used qualitative methods and consider the ways in which these methods have been used to understand sociological issues and to generate sociological knowledge. We will discuss issues of research design (including case studies and longitudinal designs) and go on to explore the range of methods used in qualitative research.
Key Readings
Bryman, Alan. 2004. Social Research Methods. 2nd^ Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Chapter 1.
Silverman, David. 2001. Interpreting Qualitative Data. Methods for Analysing Talk, Text and Interaction. 2nd^ ed. London: Sage, Chapter 2
Supplementary Readings
Berg, Bruce L. 2004. Qualitative Research Methods. 5th^ Edition. London: Allyn and Bacon, Chapter 1
Flick, Uwe, 1998. An introduction to qualitative research London; Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage, Chapters 1 and 2.
life histories; and focus groups interviews. Some of the issues covered, with reference to existing studies, are types of interview, levels of formality and structure, access, approaches, taping and transcribing, and memory and validity. We will consider the practical issues in designing an interview guide and conducting individual and group interviews.
Key Readings
Bryman, Alan. 2004. Social Research Methods. 2nd^ Edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, Chapters 13-
Rubin, Herbert J. and Rubin, Irene S. (1995) Qualitative interviewing: the art of hearing data. Thousand Oaks, Sage (Introduction)
Supplementary Readings
Flick, Uwe. 1998. An introduction to qualitative research , London: Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage, Chapters 8 -
O'Reilly, K., 2005. Ethnographic methods. London: Routledge, Chapter 5 and 6
Plummer, Ken. 2000. Documents of Life. 2nd^ Edition. London: Sage
Silverman, David. 2001. Interpreting Qualitative Data. Methods for Analysing Talk, Text and Interaction. 2 nd^ Edition_._ London: Sage, Chapter 4
Unobtrusive Methods: Texts, Documents and Diaries
Qualitative Researchers (and sometimes quantitative ones) sometimes study documents that exist without their having had to collect them: official records, diaries, newspapers, archives, letters, and even visual data. This lecture will consider the range of ‘documents’ that might be included in a research study and how they might methodologically be read, interpreted, understood or applied.
Key Readings
Bryman, Alan. 2004. Social Research Methods. 2nd^ Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Chapter 18
Silverman, David. 2001. Interpreting Qualitative Data. Methods for Analysing Talk, Text and Interaction. 2 nd^ Edition_._ London: Sage, Chapter 5
Supplementary Readings
Berg, Bruce L. 2004. Qualitative Research Methods. 5th^ Edition. London: Allyn and Bacon, Chapter 8
Miller, R. and J. Brewer. eds, 2003. The a-z of social research: a dictionary of key social science research concepts. London: Sage (several entries, especially ‘documentary sources’).
Plummer, Ken. 2000. Documents of Life. 2nd^ Edition. London: Sage
Prior, Lindsay. 2003. Using documents in social research. London: Sage.
Payne, G. and J. Payne. 2004. Key concepts in social research. London: SAGE (documentary methods)
Week 3: Lecture Topics
Visual Methods and Visual Analysis
This week will discuss developments in the sociology and anthropology of the Visual, and the use of photography and other visual data in research. There is growing awareness that this is an important area, and there are now several useful books introducing the topic (see below), and a number of journals that feature visual social research: Visual Studies (formerly ‘Visual Sociology’) , Studies in the Anthropology of Visual Communication, Qualitative Sociology and the International Journal of Visual Sociology. There is also an International Visual Sociology Association, and a Society for Visual Anthropology.
When researchers first started to think about visual data it was usual to distinguish between images produced by the social actors being studied, and images produced as part of the re- search ‘writing’. The first were seen as useful because “Images encode data about values, norms and practices that are often inaccessible to other forms of collecting and reporting in- formation”. The second were to be encouraged because: “Communicating research findings by using visual media can vastly expand and strengthen the rhetoric of sociological expres- sion”. Now, this distinction is being blurred and some researchers construct images with the researchees as a research method , whilst others produce the finished presentation with the re- search subjects themselves in a joined effort. This week we will explore these different forms of visual research.
Key Readings: (one or more of the following)
- Rose, Gillan (2006) (second ed.) An Introduction to the Interpretation of Visual Methods , London: Sage.
- Emmison, Michael and Philip Smith. (2000) Researching the Visual. London: Sage (esp. Chapter 1).
- Ball, M. and Smith, G. (1992) Analysing Visual Data. London: Sage (as much as possible, but especially Chapter 1).
Further References (There’s a lot of information now available on the web - search for ‘visual sociology’, ‘visual anthropology’, and ‘visual methods’).
Banks, M (2001) Visual Methods in Social Research , London: Sage.
Barthes, R. (1972) Mythologies. London: Cape
Blaikie, A. (1999) Ageing and Popular Culture. Cambridge Uni. Press
Grimshaw, A. (2001) The Ethnographer's Eye, Cambridge University Press
Further References:
May, Tim. 1997 (second ed.) Social Research , Buckingham: Open UP (section on documentary research)
Steinmetz, George (2007) The Relations Between History and Sociology in the US: The Current State of Affairs , in Journal of Historical Sociology, Vol. 20, Issue 1-2, March/June 2007 (available in the library’s E-journals collection; includes a very good bibliography on the relationship of history to sociology).
Smith, D. (1991) The Rise of Historical Sociology , Cambridge: Polity.
Kalberg, S. (1994) Max Weber’s Comparative Historical Sociology , Cambridge: Polity.
Dean, Mitchell (1994) Critical and Effective Histories: Foucault’s Methods and Historical Sociology , London: Routledge.
Studies:
Jordan, J. A. (2005) A Matter of Time: Examining Collective Memory in Historical Perspective in Postwar Berlin , Journal of Historical Sociology, Vol. 18, No’s 1-2, March/June 2005.
Blaikie, A. (2005) Accounting for Poverty: Conflicting Constructions of Family Survival in Scotland , 1855-1925, in Journal of Historical Sociology, Vol. 18, No. 3, September 2005.
Sutton, D. (2000) Memories Cast in Stone: The Relevance of the Past in Everyday Life , Oxford: Berg.
Mackenzie, D. (1990) Inventing Accuracy: A Historical Sociology of Nuclear Missile Guidance.
Novak, T. (1988) Poverty and the State: An Historical Sociology , Open University Press.
Taylor, B. (1983) Eve and the New Jerusalem: Socialism and Feminism in the Nineteenth Century.
Skocpol, T. (1979) States and Social Transformations: A Comparative Analysis of France, Russia and China , Cambridge University Press.
Workshop
This session will take the form of a research workshop in which we will explore some of the issues covered this week through practical exercises. The workshop will focus on the practical dimensions of historical social research.
Week 5: Lecture Topics
Sampling
Sampling is vital in social research. In almost all surveys, it is necessary to use a sample. This lecture will critically examine the two main forms of sampling – probability versus non- probability sampling – and their various types.
Key Readings
Bryman, Alan. 2004. Social Research Methods. 2 nd^ Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Chapter 4.
Supplementary Readings
Arber, Sara. 2001. 'Designing samples.' In N. Gilbert (ed.), Researching Social Life. 2nd Edition. London: Sage, pp. 58-82.
Miller, R. and J. Brewer. eds, 2003. The a-z of social research: a dictionary of key social science research concepts. London: sage (several entries).
Moser, C. A. and G. Kalton. 1971. Survey Methods in Social Investigation. Aldershot: Gower, Chapters 4-8.
Payne, Geoff and Judy Payne. 2004. Key concepts in social research. London: SAGE (sampling).
Questionnaire Design
One of the most important parts of any research survey is the development questions that will provide the most relevant and valuable information. This lecture will examine the process of questionnaire construction, paying particular attention to the format of a questionnaire and ways to avoid common sources of bias in question-wording.
Key Readings
Bryman, Alan. 2004. Social Research Methods. 2 nd^ Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Chapters 6-7.
Supplementary Readings
Converse, Jean M. and Stanley Presser. 1986. Survey Questions: Handcrafting the Standardized Questionnaire. California: Sage, pp. 48-79.
Miller, R. and J. Brewer. eds, 2003. The a-z of social research: a dictionary of key social science research concepts. London: sage (several entries).
Oppenheim, A. N. 1992. Questionnaire Design, Interviewing and Attitude Measurement. London, Pinter, Chapters 7-8.
Payne, Geoff and Judy Payne. 2004. Key concepts in social research. London: SAGE (questionnaires).
Kranzler, Gerald and Janet Moursund. 2002. Statistics for the Terrified. 3rd^ Edition, New Jersey, Prentice Hall, Chapter 4.
Miller, R. and J. Brewer. eds, 2003. The a-z of social research: a dictionary of key social science research concepts. London: Sage (level of measurement).
Salkind, Neil J. 2004. Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics. 2nd^ Edition, London: Sage. Chapters 1 and 4.
Sirkin, Mark R. 2005. Statistics for the Social Sciences. 3rd^ Edition, London: Sage, Chapter 2. Weeks 7-8: Lecture Topics
Measures of Central Tendency and Variation
These lectures continue the discussion of techniques for the distribution of variables. However, instead of presenting observations in terms of their frequency distribution, we now turn to techniques for deriving a single numerical value that describe the entire distribution of a variable. The numerical descriptions to be discussed include measures of central tendency and measures of variation.
Measures of Central Tendency
Key Readings
Bryman, Alan. 2004. Social Research Methods. 2 nd^ Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Chapter 11.
Supplementary Readings
Blalock, Hubert M. 1979. Social Statistics. London: McGraw-Hill. Chapter 5.
Clegg, Francis 1991. Simple Statistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Chapter 2.
Kranzler, Gerald and Janet Moursund. 2002. Statistics for the Terrified. 3rd^ Edition, New Jersey, Prentice Hall, Chapter 5.
Salkind, Neil J. 2004. Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics. 2nd^ Edition, London: Sage. Chapter 2.
Sirkin, Mark R. 2005. Statistics for the Social Sciences. 3rd^ Edition, London: Sage, Chapter 4.
Measures of Variation
Key Readings
Bryman, Alan. 2004. Social Research Methods. 2 nd^ Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Chapter 11.
Supplementary Readings
Blalock, Hubert M. 1979. Social Statistics. London: McGraw-Hill. Chapter 6.
Clegg, Francis. 1991. Simple Statistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Chapter 3.
Kranzler, Gerald and Janet Moursund. 2002. Statistics for the Terrified. 3rd^ Edition, New Jersey, Prentice Hall, Chapter 5.
Salkind, Neil J. 2004. Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics. 2nd^ Edition, London: Sage. Chapter 3.
Weisberg, Herbert F. 1992. Central Tendency and Variability. London: Sage, Chapters 3-4.
Sirkin, Mark R. 2005. Statistics for the Social Sciences. 3rd^ Edition, London: Sage, Chapter 5.
Week 9: Lecture Topics
Cross-tabulations
Numerical descriptions are not always easy to understand, so presentations must be structured to be user friendly. One convenient way to make such descriptions comprehensible is with tables. In fact, one of the most useful and popular tools in social science research is cross- tabulations, or contingency table analysis, which shows the relationship between two or more variables.
This series of lectures focuses on table construction and the rules involved in depicting the relationship between two or more variables.
Key Readings
Bryman, Alan. 2004. Social Research Methods. 2 nd^ Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Chapter 11.
Supplementary Readings
Clegg, Francis. 1991. Simple Statistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Chapter 12.
Kranzler, Gerald and Janet Moursund. 2002. Statistics for the Terrified. 3rd^ Edition, New Jersey, Prentice Hall, Chapter 13.
Salkind, Neil J. 2004. Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics. 2nd^ Edition, London: Sage. Chapter 14.
Sirkin, Mark R. 2005. Statistics for the Social Sciences. 3rd^ Edition, London: Sage, Chapter 6.
