Chapter 1: Getting

Started
Mr. Kwandakwethu Zulu
25 July 2023
SOCY 305- Research Design
 Anticipated Outcomes
• What researchers understand by data collection and data analysis
• Three different styles of research: policy-oriented, action research and theoretically-
oriented research
• The difference between conducting research deductively and inductively
• Where research questions come from
• The role of values and beliefs in the formation of research questions and in the conduct of
the research process
• Why it is important to have a clear rationale for your research project
• What the ‘conventional’ stages in the design and execution of a research project are.
 Introduction
• A key question to ask of social investigation is a very hard one: ‘What kind of truth am I
trying to produce?’
• This raises questions of epistemology, which is defined as a branch of philosophy that
investigates the nature of knowledge and truth. Our opening concern is to realise that there
are different kinds of ‘truth’.
• People’s ‘truths’ differ the world over, and we often encounter ‘facts’ at odds with our
own
• This module will help you to think about doing research projects of your own but perhaps,
more importantly, it will help you to develop a range of skills and abilities that will allow
you to evaluate more fully other people’s research projects.
 What is research? Where and how do you
start?
• Research allows us to answer questions about the world, about things we do not under- stand or that
we find interesting or disturbing.
• We conduct our research in a systematic manner that allows us to make a connection between the
observations we make or the data we collect and theories about the world.

• Broadly speaking, within the social sciences there are three forms of research:
• policy-oriented research that has a focus on investigating problems that are of social concern and have the attention
of policy makers;
• action research that has a focus on investigating problems from the point of view of a practitioner;
• theoretically-oriented research that has a focus on understanding or explaining some aspect of why people behave
in the way that they do.
 Research design and Approaches
• Quantitative Research- has the goal of objectivity and data that can be measured
• typically relies on complex statistical techniques (think numbers- quantity
• example: statistically examining the relationships among church memberships,
divorce and migration, and the impact of suicide rates

• Qualitative Research- relies on interpretation and description of underlying meanings

and patterns of social relationships (think open-ended subjective questions)
• example: analyzing the content of suicide notes, asking people about their lives and
general reactions
 Deductive & Inductive Approach
• Deductive- This approach begins from a theories that are derived from observations, literature or
from hypothesis.
• Deductive derive conclusions from theory and the theory helps us to know what we want to
know.
• Basically, you develop a hypothesis from a theory which is tested using new data you collect and
it will lead us to the testing of the hypothesis.
• Theories make assumptions about human life, they provide explanations of social behavior.
• Inductive- the researcher collects information, creates a generalization, the generalization is then
used to create a theory that is then tested through the formation of hypotheses
• Theory gives meaning to research---research helps support theory
 Coming up with a researchable research
question
• Questions lead to inquiry and research questions drive your research. You
can formulate your research questions from a number of sources.
• Perceptions of the world around you, new stories, personal problems that
maybe also be public issues, local issues or issues emerge from your own
readings are all potential sources of ideas for research project.
• Theories often serve as a good source of research questions.
• Literature—reading gives ideas that can lead to research questions.
• Research questions vary depending on the purpose of the research. Some
are evaluation research while others are policy-oriented research.
 The Rationale
• Rationale is an explanation or statement that explains the reasons why you
as the researcher are conducting the research project.
• Your rationale should include the personal reasons for choosing the
project.
• Thinking about the rationale will give you clarity about the type of your
research; the type and quantity of data you need to conduct your research,
and the tools (interview schedule and/or questionnaire) you require for the
collection of data.
 Literature Review
• Once you have a clear rationale of a research project, it is important that
you conduct a full review of the existing research in the area. This is
commonly referred to as a literature review.
• Lliterature review is a significant part of research. Fink (1998) defined
literature review as a “systematic, explicit and reproducible method for
identifying, evaluating, and interpreting the existing body of work
produced by researchers”.
 Why literature review?
• This part of the research process is important for a number of reasons:
• It can help you decide if the current research is not adequate
• It can show how existing research supports your research question
• It can help you identify conflicting or ambiguous research findings
• And most importantly as Elen Gunter (2005) points out, although the
literature review cannot promise genius, it should at least forestall
stupidity.
 Validity & Reliability
• Validity: The question here is whether the method of data collection is
really capable of measuring what we want the chosen method to measure.
Can we trust the findings of the research? Do they (the findings) provide a
complete picture of the issues that were researched?
• Reliability: The methodology is reliable if it can be repeated by some
other researchers. You should get the same results when you repeat the
same method.
• Read more on Page 6
 Objectivity
• Objectivity: Data collection and data analysis should be free from bias.
• The findings should not be influenced by the personal, political or moral beliefs of the
researcher.
• Take note of the ‘value-free’ nature of research, not to be tainted by your personal or political
beliefs. This is important to maintain the quality, validity and reliability of the data you
collect.
• Keep in mind that there are different views on the value-free nature of research.
• Even if the selection of your research topic or question is influenced by your values and
beliefs, the study should be conducted in a balanced, neutral and objective manner. This is
important to maintain objectivity.
 Identifying variables & Indicators
• In research we often look for the relationship between two variables. For example: Is there a
relationship between age and health? Does the variable of work relate to the variable of stress?
• A variable is a unit of analysis that can be measured. They are concepts and ideas. For
example: age, health, work, stress, employment, illness, etc. These can be defined and
measured. We have different types of variables. There are dependent and independent ones.
• A dependent variable depends on the changes in the independent variable. For example: Stress
levels depend on the type of work. Performance depends on hard work. You can connect two
variables to develop a hypothesis.
• For example, you can hypothesise that the type of work is related to the stress levels of
employees.
 Stages of Research
• Define the research problem.
• Review of literature. You may also need to read the literature before you conceptualise your research problem. It is useful to
formulate your research questions and objectives.
• Select your research design. It can be quantitative, qualitative or mixed methodology. Explain your reasons for choosing a
particular design, methods and tools of data collection. Your interest and skills play a role here.
• Selection of the population and sample of the study. There are procedures to select the sample. Sampling will be discussed in detail
later (Week 6).
• Ethical considerations (Informed consent, confidentiality, non- judgmental attitude, no harm and respect)
• Finalise the methods of data collection and analysis—interviews, questionnaires, observation, focus group interviews. Think about
analysing data. They are of two kinds—qualitative and quantitative. Different strategies are used for analysis.
• Inferences based on the data collected and analysed.
• Report of the study—the end of research.
• Read more on Page 14
 Class Activities!
• Read Chapter 1, Best (2012) and prepare your own notes.
• Read the Thinkpiece on page 4 and write down your reasons for the study done by Graydon.
• Read the examples of rationale explained in the chapter (p.7).
• Prepare your rationale of a research you want to conduct:
• What is your rationale? What are your reasons for conducting a particular research?
• Why are you interested in a particular topic of research? Remember that your personal
• reasons for the study are also part of the rationale
• Read the material on variables and indicators in the box on page 12 and answer the two questions.
• It is your responsibility as an adult-student to complete all think piece activities on chapters will
be covered on Best (2012) prescribed book!
 References
• Best, Shaun. (2012). Understanding and Doing Successful Research:
Data collection and analysis for the social sciences. London and New
York: Routledge.