RESEARCH METHODS IN SOCIOLOGY

What is Research?
 A systematic inquiry to describe, explain, predict and control the observed phenomena
 An investigative process which uses scientific method to increase or revise current knowledge by
discovering new facts
 Builds stock of knowledge
 Verify and test hypothesis
 Establish relationship between variables
Research Design
 A research design provides a framework for the collection and analysis of data
 The choice of research design reflects the priority being given to a range of dimensions of the
research process
Research Methods
 Techniques for collecting data
Consist of instruments/tools such as self completion questionnaire, structured/semi-structured interview
schedule/guideline or participant / non-participant observation, case studies/life histories
Approaches in Research
 Explanatory study: To explain the causal links in real-life situations/interventions
 Descriptive study: To describe the real-life context /phenomenon
 Evaluative study: To evaluate the impact of a social phenomenon or an intervention that has
already occurred
 Exploratory study: To explore situations/ social phenomenon where little is known
 Comparative study: Comparing and explaining social phenomenon occurring across time and
space, across cultures and societies
Conceptualizing a Research design
The 5 Ws & a H: What, why, whom, where, when & how..
◦ What are you going to study/ proposing?
◦ Why are you undertaking the research? Rationale
◦ Whom are you going to study? Sample
◦ Where do you plan to conduct your research? Location
◦ When? Time frame
◦ How? Research methodology

SOCY 101 SOCIOLOGY Dr. Poonam Gandhi

 RESEARCH METHODS IN SOCIOLOGY

RESEARCH PROCESS

Define the
Data analysis/ Report
problem or
the
Topic interpretation findings

Review the
literature Data
Collection

Formulate a Select a
hypothesis/ research
research design
question

SOCY 101 SOCIOLOGY Dr. Poonam Gandhi

 RESEARCH METHODS IN SOCIOLOGY

Literature Review
Important component of the research process
 Documents: Government publications, books, research studies, academic journal articles, census
reports, monographs
 Review involves-reading, collecting, summarizing, critical commentary of the literature -
annotate articles
 Identifying gaps and unanswered questions in the previous studies and researches
 Formulate research questions
 Generate ideas of what methods to be used for data collection
 Understand how other researchers have approached similar topics
 Do not have to re-invent the wheel
 Enables development of a framework
 Theoretical and empirical insights
 Clarity and focus to the study

SOCY 101 SOCIOLOGY Dr. Poonam Gandhi

 RESEARCH METHODS IN SOCIOLOGY

Research Methods

Ethnography- is the study of people and groups through extended systematic observation using
participant observation or interviews to learn about social behaviour, culture and communities
 Uncover meanings which underpin social behaviour/actions, describes the social context, setting
and thick descriptive data
 Researcher’s direct involvement in the interactions which constitute social reality for the group
being studied
 Researcher carrying out ethnographic research might work or live with the group, organization or
community for months or even years
 Research may participate in the daily activities, observe and record the events and seek
explanations or insights into actions and behaviours
Advantages and limitations
 Richer, in-depth information
 Insiders perspective
 Qualitative –subjective understanding
Limitations
 Only small groups or communities can be studied
 Trust of the community, skills of researcher in gaining insights are important- without it the study
would be unsuccessful
 If the researcher identifies too closely with the group becomes too much of an ‘insider’ - will lose
the perspective of an outsider

Surveys
 Most widely used type of qualitative research method, allowing social phenomenon to be
measured using mathematical models and statistical techniques
 Surveys are either sent out or administered directly in interviews to a selected group of people
 Surveys are administered on a larger sample
 Conducted through face-to-face interviews, telephonically, postal or online questionnaires
Advantages
◦ Easily quantifiable
◦ Large samples
◦ Employ agencies to collect the responses
Disadvantages
◦ Shallow nature of responses
◦ Levels of non-responses high especially postal or emailed questionnaires
◦ Time consuming for the respondents
◦ No verification for -why people chose not to respond

Experiments
 An attempt to test a hypothesis under highly controlled conditions established by the
investigator
 Common in natural sciences and psychology
 Researcher directly controls the circumstances being studied
 Scope for experimentation in sociology is limited
 Removing individuals from their social context for the purposes of experimentation?
 Zimbardo’s experiment-prison life

SOCY 101 SOCIOLOGY Dr. Poonam Gandhi

 RESEARCH METHODS IN SOCIOLOGY

Biographical Research- Life Histories

 Important in social sciences
 Includes oral histories, narrative, autobiographies, biographies and life histories
 Used to explore
◦ how individuals experience social life and periods of social change
◦ how they interpret their relationships with others in the context of the changing world
 Recalled life stories by the individuals
 Apart from recall based on memories sources such as letters, contemporary reports and
newspaper descriptions are used to expand and check the validity of information
Comparative Research
 Research methodology in sociology which aims to make comparisons across different countries
or cultures
 Making comparisons provides data which gives perspective to understand and explain
phenomenon
 Rules of comparative research (Jowell, Roger 1998)
◦ Knowledge about the country
◦ Limit the countries
◦ Context
◦ Aware of limitations
◦ Be critical of findings

Video links
 Ethnography- Thai highlands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gxsu2Ikkio

 Trinidad: Doing Ethnography

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTJJhV3Fokk
Ethnography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8doV3P0us4&t=578s

SOCY 101 SOCIOLOGY Dr. Poonam Gandhi