The document outlines the research process in social sciences. It discusses: 1) Stating the research problem and reviewing relevant literature. 2) Formulating testable hypotheses. 3) Planning the research design which may involve surveys, interviews, experiments, participant observation or secondary data analysis. 4) Analyzing collected data to support or reject hypotheses and form conclusions.

2. Research It is the whole complex of activities that results to the generation of new knowledge and/or technology, which may or may not have an immediate impact on human lives .

3. A process by which raw materials are obtained and transformed into products which take the form of knowledge. - Cynthia Bautista (1986) Research

4. One must follow the scientific method and observes certain procedures. One can deviate from the procedure, if deemed necessary. Social Research

5. The Research Process 1. Stating the Problem Has to be selected from the broad range of topics that must be researchable. General questions about societies or social behavior have to be stated in such a way that responses produce measurable meaningful data. Specific questions should be answered in an empirical manner.

6. 1. Stating the Problem It must be clearly stated , and the rationale or objectives of the research given. The source of a research problem may be one’s individual experience or hunches, or from other research findings. Concepts have to be defined clearly. The Research Process

7. The Research Process Research Problem Explanatory (aims to find out why things are as they are or to note the cause-effect relationship between variables) Descriptive (aims to discover what is there)

8. 2. Review of Literatures One must review what has already been written about the subject and be familiar with the previous studies on the topic. Consult the literature written on similar studies. *** To avoid duplication of a previous study. The Research Process

9. 3. Formulating the Hypothesis Hypothesis – is an educated guess Used to state the relationship between two or more empirical variables to explain the occurrence of a certain phenomenon. This is what is to be proven or what we expect to know in a research process. Shows the relationship between two variables: dependent and independent . The Research Process

10. 3. Formulating the Hypothesis Example: “ The use of Filipino in the teaching of social science heightens the nationalism of the students.” The Research Process Independent Variable Dependent Variable Causes changes in another variable The one affected by the independent variable

11. 4. Planning the Research Design One should decide on the method or methods to be used in conducting the actual research. Methodological design delineates the logical way by which data are to be collected, analyzed and evaluated in order to test the validity of the hypothesis. The Research Process

12. 4. Planning the Research Design The Research Process For Sociologists: * Surveys * Participants Observation * Experiments * Secondary Analysis For Anthropologists: * Participants Observation * Field Study

13. 4, Planning the Research Design A. Participant Observation researchers enter into a group or community and observe its members. - researchers acquaint themselves with the members of the group being studied over an extended period of time. Purpose: to learn the language, study the customs and values, & see the world from their perspective The Research Process

14. 4. Planning the Research Design A. Participant Observation Selected informants of the group are chosen and interviewed. Researcher keeps a detailed record of whatever he/she has observed. Researcher should keep himself/herself detached from the group. Success : depends on the relationship established between the researcher and the informants. Disadvantage : it is based on a single group or community only; hence, it is difficult to make generalizations based on the study. The Research Process

15. 4. Planning the Research Design B. Field Study ((Ethnographic Method) One makes use of direct observation, participant observation, interviewing and comparison. Thus, the method is both information and observation-oriented. Ethnographers make an in-depth analysis of a society through the study of first-hand information. Researcher has to review the literature as well as archival materials about the community he/she intends to study. The Research Process

16. 4. Planning the Research Design B. Field Study ((Ethnographic Method) Researcher has to contact first the anthropologists and other social scientists who have done work in the area. Researcher has to study the language of the place or else look around for reliable interpreters. Researcher has to inform the mayor of the town or the chairman of the barangay and other key informants about the study and plan strategies for entry into the community. The Research Process

17. 4. Planning the Research Design B. Field Study ((Ethnographic Method) Disadvantage : it is too-time consuming as the researcher stays long, sometimes a year, in the field. The Research Process

18. 4. Planning the Research Design C. Participatory Research It entails the people’s conscious reflections on what action and goals they consider possible and how they can mobilize their resources to attain these ends. (Hollnsteiner, 1984) A process by which the people, together with the researcher, examine, analyze the problem, analyze the results in a broad structural context, and make long-range and short-term action plans to solve the problems. (Bautista, 1981) The Research Process

19. 4. Planning the Research Design C. Participatory Research It is an attempt to develop people’s science so that the researcher becomes relevant not only as a way of affecting socio-economic development but also as a learning process for those being studied. The Research Process

20. 4. Planning the Research Design D. Experiments Not extensively used by sociologists for moral and ethical reasons Social scientists usually make use of CONTROLLED and FIELD experiments to test public policies. (Kronblum, 2002) The Research Process

21. 4. Planning the Research Design D. Experiments CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTS - done in the laboratories. - utilize an independent and dependent variables. - two groups are formed: experimental group and control group . - experimental group – subject for change in an independent variable. - control group – remains normal & will not experience any change. The Research Process

22. 4. Planning the Research Design D. Experiments FIELD EXPERIMENTS - is used in evaluating public programs that are related to specific social problems such as a school, business establishments, hospital, park, factory, or prison. - researcher put up a “treatment group” of people that participates in the program and a control group that does not participate. The Research Process

23. 4. Planning the Research Design E. Survey Research Is the method used most commonly by sociologists. It makes a well-worded questionnaire on certain specific facts. People may be asked about their behavior, attitudes, beliefs, etc. It uses either the whole population or a sample of the population. The Research Process

24. 4. Planning the Research Design E. Survey Research Sample – is a set of respondents selected randomly from a specific population. Example : national census & voting preference The Research Process

25. 4. Planning the Research Design E. Survey Research Advantage: it allows the researchers to make conclusions about a large number of people on the basis of a much smaller number of interviews; thus, enables one to save time and money. Disadvantage: the responses are somewhat superficial as the close-ended questionnaire calls for brief responses. The Research Process

26. 4. Planning the Research Design F. Interview Is a widely-used method by cultural anthropologists. One first prepares an interview schedule for gathering data before setting out. A list of possible significant questions or topics to discuss has to be prepared. An interviewer can get the census and other basic information about a person or a community. The Research Process

27. 4. Planning the Research Design F. Interview One can gather data on family type, political party, religion, jobs, income, expenditures, diet, possessions, etc. The Research Process

28. 4. Planning the Research Design F. Interview It can be structured or unstructured. Structured Interview – the interviewer follows a relatively more definite order of questions, & from the respondents’ answers’ he/she can acquire greater data. Unstructured Interview – the interviewers prepares a set of possibly significant questions or topics to ask whenever the opportunity occurs. The interviewer motivates the respondents to talk so that he/she can get important information. The Research Process

29. 4. Planning the Research Design G. Secondary Analysis It is used in studying data that have been collected earlier by other persons for a new study and for a different purpose. Example: Study on migration; study on crime The Research Process

30. 4. Planning the Research Design G. Secondary Analysis Advantage: It is useful form analyzing historical and longitudinal data. It saves time & money for then there is no use for making a new study. Disadvantage : there may be biases or errors in the data. The Research Process

31. 5. Analyzing the Data and Formulating the Conclusion Data must be interpreted to bring out the meaning. Analysis uncovers meaningful links between the facts that have been gathered. Accepted: if the data support the hypothesis Rejected: if data does not support the hypothesis. The Research Process

32. 5. Analyzing the Data and Formulating the Conclusion Data gathered are either quantitative or qualitative. For Anthropologists: more on qualitative For Sociologists: more on quantitative The Research Process

33. 5. Analyzing the Data and Formulating the Conclusion Techniques: Study of commonalities and key features which reveal what members of the group or category share: identified through observation & interviews. Examination of tools, such as historical documents, autobiographies, biographies, editorials, videotapes, etc. The Research Process

34. 5. Analyzing the Data and Formulating the Conclusion Techniques: Search for themes or regularities. The data are explored either by hand or with the use of a computer. Conclusion is made relating to it to the existing body of theory. Theory is a body of logically related hypotheses or statements and concepts which center on a certain theme---the relationship and interaction between human beings. The Research Process

35. 6. Checking and Reformulating Conclusions Verifications of facts Fact – is an observable event that can be repeated and verified. The Research Process

36. 7. Communicating the Result to Others Must be published either in the special journal or in books, newspaper, or magazines. May also be presented in a professional meeting or convention. Purpose: to add a larger understanding of the social world. The Research Process

37. The End!