CONDUCTING SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Henslin’s Model | Birago’s Model | Comments |
Select a Topic | Select a Topic | Collective Unit of Analysis |
Define the Problem | Review the Literature & Define the Problem | Go back and forth until the problem is clear |
Review the Literature |
| Use a Soc. Database |
Formulate a Hypothesis |
| Only for Deduction. Often more than one |
| Apply Language of Variables | Identify dependent and independent variables |
| Operationalize Your Concepts | Observations must be measureable, and measures must be reliable and valid |
| Make Sampling Decisions | Identify your population and decide who among it will be your subjects |
Choose a Research Method | Choose a Research Method | Many to choose from; some quantitative, some qualitative. Triangulation also an option |
Collect the Data* | Collect the Data | Making and recording your observations |
Analyze the Results | Analyze the Results | Analysis is the interpretation of data. Each method has its own analytical procedures |
Share Your Results | Share Your Results |
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* A sociologist does not necessarily “do her/his experiment.” An experiment is only one type of method that could be used, just like a Toyota is only one type of car. It would be wrong to assume that every driver drives a Toyota – just as it would be equally wrong to assume that every sociologist does an experiment. In fact, because sociology’s unit of analysis is always collective, social experiments are difficult to do and rarely done. Don’t say, “conducts her/his experiment” when you actually mean “conducts her/his research.”
