Research methods

Steps in the Research Process
Quantitative Approach

Quantitative Example 1

L
Lowery
andd colleagues
ll
(2007)
• Select a topic
• Priming and academic performance

• Focus the question
q
• Do students who are primed improve academic performance

• Design the study
• experiments
p

• Collect the data
• Collected data from social psychology courses

• Analyze the data
• Statistical analysis employed

• Interpret the data
• Students who were primed scored higher on exams

• Inform others
• Published in Applied Social Psychology

Steps in the Research Process
Qualitative Approach

Qualitative Example 1

M C
McCammon
andd colleagues
ll
(2008)
• Select a topic
– Women gaining full citizenship

• Socio
Socio-cultural
cultural context/ Adopt perspective
– Women gained citizenship differently in different states

• Design the study
– State archives,
archives local newspapers and magazines,
magazines legal and
political documents

• Collect and analyze data
– Analysis of when and how women gained citizenship in each
state

• Interpret the data
• Inform others
– American Journal of Sociology

Varieties of Social Research
Q
Quantitative
tit ti
•
•
•
•

Objective observation
Focus on variables
Reliability
Separation between theory
and data
• Generalizable
• Large
L
N
• Statistical analysis

Approaches to Social Research
Q lit ti
Qualitative
•
•
•
•

Cultural meanings
Focus on events
Authenticity
Merging between theory and
data
• Situational
• Small
S ll N
• Thematic analysis