Sociologists follow an eight step research process to systematically study topics: 1) Define the research problem and questions to be answered 2) Review previous literature and research on the topic 3) Formulate hypotheses or educated guesses about relationships between variables based on the literature 4) Design a research method like surveys or interviews to collect data to test the hypotheses 5) Carry out the research by systematically gathering the data according to the research design 6) Analyze and interpret the results to determine if the data supports the hypotheses 7) Report the findings, including new questions for future research 8) Future research may then build upon the questions raised in prior studies.

1. Transcript of Asking Sociological Questions
Slide 1: INTRODUCTION
Hello. This is Dr. Vermette again. This time I’d like to speak with you about Chapter
Two of your text. At this point, we will focus on how sociologists focus on asking
and answering questions, sociological questions.
Slide 2: BASIC CONCEPTS – FOUR TYPES OF QUESTIONS
To adequately prepare how to answer questions, the sociologist explores four types
of questions: factual, or empirical, comparative, developmental and theoretical.
These are discussed in great detail in your text. Make sure you are able to define
these, give examples and be sure to read the more comprehensive information in
you text to help you do well in your assignments and tests but more importantly to
view the world around you just a little differently. This will help you to understand
how the world around you works.
Slide 3: BASIC CONCEPTS – EIGHT STEPS OF THE RESEARCH
PROCESS.
Sociologists don’t just I think I’ll do some research. They have an eight-step
research process they follow. We will be asking the following questions as we look
at this process:
Which step comes first in the research process?
Which step in the research process involves asking questions about the
relationship among variables?
Which step comes first: carrying out the research or reviewing the literature?
Which step in the research process involves stating the significance of your
results and how these results relate to research that has been done before?
What is the final step in the research process? Why might this be considered
the first step of the research process as well?
Remember this discussion is part of a very brief video. It provides a broad overview
of our topic. Be sure to read your text and do the assignments to get a more
comprehensive understanding of the eight steps of the research process.
This is not the only topic that is covered in this chapter.

2. Slide 4: BASIC CONCEPTS – STEP 1
There are 8 steps in the research process. The first step in the research process is to
define the research problem. It is at this stage that the sociologist determines where
the gaps exist in an understanding about a topic. What questions still haven’t been
answered? What puzzles still haven’t been solved? At this stage the sociologist
raises questions that often start out with what, where, how, when, or why.
Sometimes a researcher will duplicate research that has gone before. Replicated
research is very important because it gives credibility to the findings. We will be
looking at the researcher who is doing original research and the process they follow
which is not different but they might ask some different questions.
So let’s move on to the next step.
Slide 5: BASIC CONCEPTS – STEPS 2 AND 3
In the second step of the research process, the sociologist spends a lot of time
reviewing the research that has been conducted about the topic. What questions
have already been raised? What questions are still unanswered? How have others
approached the problem? Reviewing the evidence clarifies the topic and gives the
researcher better ideas about how to carry out the research.
After the sociologist reviews the evidence, he or she is ready to make the problem
precise. This is when the sociologist formulates hypotheses. Hypotheses are a
refinement of the research problem posed in the first step, or educated guesses
about what is going on that are based on a review of the relevant evidence. I want to
emphasize that hypotheses are not pie in the sky what ifs they are educated guesses
tied to previous research. Hypotheses are also formulated in such a way that they
can be evaluated using evidence. Facts and data will either support or disprove the
hypotheses.
Slide 6: BASIC CONCEPTS – STEPS 4 AND 5
In the fourth step of the research process, the sociologist works out a research
design. Some hypotheses are better suited to surveys, some to interviews, some to
participant observation. Sociologists have a wide variety of methods from which to
choose. What works best depends on factors we will review later in Chapter 2.
In the fifth step the sociologist carries out the research. This is when data are
systematically gathered according to the research design. It is important that the
sociologist remains flexible for unexpected problems can occur in the process of
gathering information. Sometimes plans fall through. Sometimes people don’t
cooperate. Sometimes data that we supposed to be available aren’t. The more
thoroughly the sociologist completes the work at the previous steps, the better he or
she will be able to deal with unexpected problems at this stage.

3. Slide 7: BASIC CONCEPTS – STEPS 6, 7 AND 8
Moving on to Step 6 we find that once the data have been gathered, analysis and
interpretation can begin. Computers often help the sociologist sort through and
make sense of the evidence gathered in the previous stage. When interpreting the
results, the sociologist tries to answer his or her initial questions and determines if
the data support the research hypotheses. This is a tricky and sometimes frustrating
phase. Even with careful work at previous stages, we often end up with partial
answers to research questions or inconclusive findings.
It is at the seventh step of the research process, the sociologist reports the findings.
The research report can take the form of a presentation or a published journal
article or book. The report usually includes the research questions and hypotheses,
information about the research design and data, and the results of the research. The
report also often describes new questions and avenues for future research.
Once these findings are registered and discussed in the wider academic community,
the final stage involves future versions of research on the basis of new questions
raised.
Good research usually includes elements of all steps of the research process, but
some projects don’t fit neatly or completely into the eight stages, or they don’t
proceed in exactly the order described.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Now that we have concluded our discussion of the research process I would like you
to read about it in your text. Read the chapter so you will have a comprehensive
picture of how a sociologist goes about asking and answering questions. That will
help you when doing your assignments.
Have a great day and I will talk with you again next week.