1. The document discusses research design and methods for social science research. It focuses on maximizing systematic variance and minimizing error variance.
2. It examines the "Max Min Con" principle for research design, which aims to maximize systematic variance through treatment while minimizing error variance. It also discusses controlling for extraneous variables.
3. The document outlines various research design approaches including pre-experimental, true experimental, and quasi-experimental designs. It evaluates threats to internal and external validity for different design types.
The document discusses key aspects of developing research questions and hypotheses for social science research projects. It identifies several criteria for developing a good research question, including ensuring the question is feasible, interesting, novel, ethical, and relevant. It also distinguishes between different types of research questions, such as questions of fact versus values and open-ended versus closed-ended questions. The document then covers how to develop precise research hypotheses, identifying the null and alternative hypotheses. It notes that the research hypothesis may be refined as the project develops but should not change once the project begins. Finally, it provides a brief definition of a variable as anything that can take on different values.
The document discusses the scientific method and research process. It covers topics like the different types of research (e.g. quantitative vs. qualitative), stages of research like developing research questions and hypotheses, variables that are studied, and techniques for idea generation. The overall goal of research is to systematically generate and test knowledge to better understand the world.
This document discusses key terminology and methods used in qualitative research including phenomenology, interpretivism, hermeneutics, participant observation, in-depth interviews, case studies, ethnography, grounded theory, sampling techniques, qualitative interviewing, life histories, focus groups, recording observations, qualitative data processing and analysis. It also covers the strengths, weaknesses and standards for evaluating qualitative studies.
This document provides a template for reviewing related literature in a research paper. It outlines 8 key sections to address: 1) key theories, concepts and ideas, 2) epistemological and ontological approaches, 3) research questions or hypotheses, 4) topic relevance, 5) gaps in existing literature, 6) political standpoint considerations, 7) major issues to examine, and 8) overall significance. It also provides a generic 5-part structure for literature reviews with sections on exploration, analysis, discussion, criticism, and summary.
The document discusses key concepts in social science research methods including reliability and validity. Reliability refers to the consistency and stability of measurement and is assessed through measures like test-retest reliability and internal consistency. Validity determines how well a test measures the intended construct and includes content validity, criterion-related validity, and construct validity. Statistical techniques like factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha in SPSS are used to evaluate reliability and validity.
The document discusses several key concepts in sociological theory, including:
1) Auguste Comte, regarded as the founder of sociology, who argued that human thought progresses through theological, metaphysical, and positive/scientific stages of development.
2) Phenomenology, which studies conscious experience and how individuals construct the social world, influencing sociologists like Alfred Schutz.
3) Theories, concepts, propositions, hypotheses, and paradigms as important components of sociological frameworks for understanding social phenomena.
4) Emile Durkheim's study of suicide, which hypothesized that stronger social integration leads to stronger social cohesion within a society.
Social exchange theory views human relationships as a series of negotiated exchanges between parties who aim to maximize benefits and minimize costs. Key concepts include rewards, costs, comparison levels, dependence, and power. The theory was developed by theorists like Homans, Blau, and Thibaut and Kelley and has been applied to understand family relationships, though it assumes rational behavior and reduces human interaction to economic terms.
Max Weber was a German sociologist born in 1864. He came from a wealthy family and studied Greek and Latin classics as a youth before entering university. Weber was influenced by thinkers like Marx, Nietzsche, and Comte in developing his sociological theories. He is best known for analyzing the relationship between belief systems like Protestantism and the rise of capitalism. Weber saw the modern world as increasingly rationalized and bureaucratized. He defined sociology as the study of social action and purposive human behavior.
Max Weber was a German sociologist born in 1864 who was one of the founders of modern sociology. He studied law and economics and took an interest in contemporary social policy issues. Some of his most influential works included The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism in 1904 and Economy and Society in 1922. Weber emphasized objectivity in social science research through the use of ideal types to represent concepts being studied and distinguished between meaningful social action and simple reaction.
1. The document discusses research design and methods for social science research. It focuses on maximizing systematic variance and minimizing error variance.
2. It examines the "Max Min Con" principle for research design, which aims to maximize systematic variance through treatment while minimizing error variance. It also discusses controlling for extraneous variables.
3. The document outlines various research design approaches including pre-experimental, true experimental, and quasi-experimental designs. It evaluates threats to internal and external validity for different design types.
The document discusses key aspects of developing research questions and hypotheses for social science research projects. It identifies several criteria for developing a good research question, including ensuring the question is feasible, interesting, novel, ethical, and relevant. It also distinguishes between different types of research questions, such as questions of fact versus values and open-ended versus closed-ended questions. The document then covers how to develop precise research hypotheses, identifying the null and alternative hypotheses. It notes that the research hypothesis may be refined as the project develops but should not change once the project begins. Finally, it provides a brief definition of a variable as anything that can take on different values.
The document discusses the scientific method and research process. It covers topics like the different types of research (e.g. quantitative vs. qualitative), stages of research like developing research questions and hypotheses, variables that are studied, and techniques for idea generation. The overall goal of research is to systematically generate and test knowledge to better understand the world.
This document discusses key terminology and methods used in qualitative research including phenomenology, interpretivism, hermeneutics, participant observation, in-depth interviews, case studies, ethnography, grounded theory, sampling techniques, qualitative interviewing, life histories, focus groups, recording observations, qualitative data processing and analysis. It also covers the strengths, weaknesses and standards for evaluating qualitative studies.
This document provides a template for reviewing related literature in a research paper. It outlines 8 key sections to address: 1) key theories, concepts and ideas, 2) epistemological and ontological approaches, 3) research questions or hypotheses, 4) topic relevance, 5) gaps in existing literature, 6) political standpoint considerations, 7) major issues to examine, and 8) overall significance. It also provides a generic 5-part structure for literature reviews with sections on exploration, analysis, discussion, criticism, and summary.
The document discusses key concepts in social science research methods including reliability and validity. Reliability refers to the consistency and stability of measurement and is assessed through measures like test-retest reliability and internal consistency. Validity determines how well a test measures the intended construct and includes content validity, criterion-related validity, and construct validity. Statistical techniques like factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha in SPSS are used to evaluate reliability and validity.
The document discusses several key concepts in sociological theory, including:
1) Auguste Comte, regarded as the founder of sociology, who argued that human thought progresses through theological, metaphysical, and positive/scientific stages of development.
2) Phenomenology, which studies conscious experience and how individuals construct the social world, influencing sociologists like Alfred Schutz.
3) Theories, concepts, propositions, hypotheses, and paradigms as important components of sociological frameworks for understanding social phenomena.
4) Emile Durkheim's study of suicide, which hypothesized that stronger social integration leads to stronger social cohesion within a society.
Social exchange theory views human relationships as a series of negotiated exchanges between parties who aim to maximize benefits and minimize costs. Key concepts include rewards, costs, comparison levels, dependence, and power. The theory was developed by theorists like Homans, Blau, and Thibaut and Kelley and has been applied to understand family relationships, though it assumes rational behavior and reduces human interaction to economic terms.
Max Weber was a German sociologist born in 1864. He came from a wealthy family and studied Greek and Latin classics as a youth before entering university. Weber was influenced by thinkers like Marx, Nietzsche, and Comte in developing his sociological theories. He is best known for analyzing the relationship between belief systems like Protestantism and the rise of capitalism. Weber saw the modern world as increasingly rationalized and bureaucratized. He defined sociology as the study of social action and purposive human behavior.
Max Weber was a German sociologist born in 1864 who was one of the founders of modern sociology. He studied law and economics and took an interest in contemporary social policy issues. Some of his most influential works included The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism in 1904 and Economy and Society in 1922. Weber emphasized objectivity in social science research through the use of ideal types to represent concepts being studied and distinguished between meaningful social action and simple reaction.