Types of Research Strategies in Sociology
You will write a 3-4 page essay that compares and contrasts surveys, interviews and ethnography/field research using the examples in these three journal articles in relation to the material in your textbook about surveys, in-depth interviews and ethnography. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each research strategy as illustrated in these three specific research studies? Choose at least two of the major concepts we have read about this quarter to help focus your discussion, including but not limited to: measurement validity, reliability, generalizability, causal validity, exploration, description, idiographic causal explanation, nomothetic causal explanation, ethical principles, conceptualization, operationalization, and sampling. Think of this as the written portion of your final exam in which you are evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the three core research approaches that sociologists use.
Essay Guidelines
The essay should be typed, doublespaced, and have 1-inch margins. Your introduction will be 2 (or 3) paragraphs that include:
- a hook to capture the reader’s attention
- your thesis statement (your upshot regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the three research approaches)
- a brief description of each of the three pieces of research
You will write 4-6 fully developed paragraphs using the P.I.E. paragraph format:
- Your paragraphs should take the form of PIE paragraphs: Point/Illustration/Explanation.
- Your Points should be points of comparison (similarity) or contrast in relation to the advantages and disadvantages of each research strategy.
- Provide plenty of textual Illustrations using examples or quotes from all three journal articles that best illustrate and support your Points.
- Explain/Analyze: your point, definitions of the concepts you chose to focus your essay, the examples you use from the journal articles in relation to these concepts, how those points and examples relate to the concepts, and how the examples illustrate your points.
Include a one paragraph conclusion that answers the question “So what?” or “Why should we care?” or “What are the implications of this?”
Imagine writing these essays for another student at De Anza who has not taken this class and give lots of context and background so that such a person would be able to understand your arguments.
This assignment is worth 100 points. It will be evaluated on the extent to which the points you develop are supported with specific examples from the three journal articles and the extent to which you demonstrate understanding and mastery of the ideas and concepts about each of the research methods from the textbook. An “A” essay will demonstrate accurate understanding of the meaning of the course concepts chosen from the list, apply those concepts to relevant examples from the journal articles and used those examples to explore the advantages and disadvantages of each research strategy.
A NOTE ABOUT HOW TO STRUCTURE THE BODY PARAGRAPHS OF THE ESSAY
There are lots of possibilities but here are two obvious ones:
One possibility:
Survey Research
- Advantages relative to Concept One
- Disadvantages relative to Concept One
- Advantages relative to Concept Two
- Disadvantages relative to Concept Two
Intensive Interviewing
- Advantages relative to Concept One
- Disadvantages relative to Concept One
- Advantages relative to Concept Two
- Disadvantages relative to Concept Two
Ethnography/Field Work
- Advantages relative to Concept One
- Disadvantages relative to Concept One
- Advantages relative to Concept Two
- Disadvantages relative to Concept Two
Or here’s another possibility
Concept One
- Survey research advantages
- Survey research disadvantages
- Intensive interviewing advantages
- Intensive interviewing disadvantages
- Ethnography/field work advantages
- Ethnography/field work disadvantages
Concept Two
- Survey research advantages
- Survey research disadvantages
- Intensive interviewing advantages
- Intensive interviewing disadvantages
- Ethnography/field work advantages
- Ethnography/field work disadvantages