Question

Explain the steps in the process of carrying out sociological investigation. What specific questions must be answered as a researcher moves through their investigation?

This is for Soc class

Answer 1

The steps in the process of carrying out a sociological investigation:

1. Identify the area of interest: The general area of interest along with the specific ideas that should be addressed. These should be identified as the first step.
2. Gather information by interaction: By consulting with experts and by interacting with the peer group, as much information about the identified area should be gathered.
3. Define the research problem: With the help of the information gathered, the actual research problem should be defined and stated.
4. Organize the information at hand: The information gathered should be analyzed and sorted into clearly demarked sets of information.
5. Read related papers: It is important to gather genuine articles and papers published in your area of interest related to the research problem. This gives perspective.
6. Formulate the research hypothesis: After proper understanding, it is important to formulate the null hypothesis which is expected to be proved right or otherwise.
7. Come up with data collection procedure: The procedure with which data is going to be collected, says questionnaires or interviews should be finalized.
8. Identify the targetted data set: The general population on whom the research is based on should be identified and approached. It should be an absolute dataset and credible in order for the research results to get as close as possible.
9. Collect actual data: From the targetted data set, actual data should be collected using the data collection procedures identified.
10. Organize the collected data: Data organization using the identified tool should be done.
11. Analyze the data: The most important part of the research is the analysis of the data.
12. Test the hypothesis: The moment of truth, whether or not the null hypothesis is right or wrong as per research results.
13. Interpret the test results: How the test results affect the research in question. What affected the results, what factors will change the results and the like.
14. Report the research journey: A details account of the report from the beginning to the end along with the means and strategies of the research in great length.

Some of the questions that should be answered along the research journey:

1. What is the aim of the research?
2. Why is the aim set so?
3. What are the possible explanations?
4. Which papers will help my research?
5. What criteria should be set to arrive at my data set?
6. On what basis should my hypothesis be arrived at?
7. How do I come up with the threshold?
8. Which procedure should I use to collect data?
9. Which analysis tool should I use to represent my research?
10. What is the focal point of my report?