BA 3 rd Year, Sem. V , Course II (Theory) Programme /Class Degree Year B.A III Semester V Subject Sociology Course code A070502T Course Research Methodology in Social Sciences

 BA 3 rd Year, Sem. V , Course II (Theory) Programme /Class Degree Year B.A III Semester V Subject Sociology Course code A070502T Course Research Methodology in Social Sciences

Concept, Nature & Types of Social Research, Importance of Social Research

Social research is the systematic study of society and the people in it. It is a process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data to understand social phenomena and to solve social problems.

Social research can be conducted for a variety of reasons, including:

To describe social phenomena and to identify patterns and trends.

To explain social phenomena and to identify the factors that contribute to them.

To evaluate the effectiveness of social programs and policies.

To develop new social programs and policies.

Social research is important because it helps us to understand the world around us and to make informed decisions about how to improve society.

Types of social research

Social research can be classified into a number of different types, including:

Quantitative research: Quantitative research uses numerical data to study social phenomena. Quantitative research methods include surveys, experiments, and secondary data analysis.

Qualitative research: Qualitative research uses non-numerical data, such as interviews, focus groups, and observations, to study social phenomena.

Basic research: Basic research is conducted to expand our knowledge of social phenomena. It is not typically conducted with any specific application in mind.

Applied research: Applied research is conducted to solve specific social problems. It is typically conducted in partnership with policymakers or practitioners.

Historical research: Historical research uses historical data to study social phenomena. It can be used to study past events or to understand the evolution of social phenomena over time.

Comparative research: Comparative research compares two or more societies or social groups. It can be used to identify similarities and differences between societies or social groups, and to understand the factors that contribute to these similarities and differences.

Descriptive research: Descriptive research describes social phenomena. It can be used to identify patterns and trends in social data.

Exploratory research: Exploratory research explores new social phenomena or existing social phenomena that are not well understood. It is typically used to generate new ideas and hypotheses.

Explanatory research: Explanatory research explains social phenomena. It is typically used to identify the factors that contribute to social phenomena and to understand how these factors interact.

Diagnostic research: Diagnostic research identifies the causes of social problems. It is typically used to develop interventions to address social problems.

Steps of Scientific Research: Formulation of Research Problem

The first step in the scientific research process is to formulate a research problem. This involves identifying a question or problem that you want to study.

The research problem should be clear, specific, and feasible. It should also be interesting to you and relevant to the field of social research.

Research Design: Meaning, Types and Importance

Research design is the plan for how you will collect and analyze data to answer your research question.

There are many different types of research designs, including:

Experimental design: Experimental designs involve manipulating one variable to see how it affects another variable.

Quasi-experimental design: Quasi-experimental designs are similar to experimental designs, but they do not involve randomly assigning participants to groups.

Non-experimental design: Non-experimental designs do not involve manipulating any variables.

The type of research design that you choose will depend on your research question and the resources that you have available.

Hypothesis: Its Types and Sources

A hypothesis is a tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables. It is a prediction about what will happen if you manipulate one variable.

There are two main types of hypotheses:

Null hypothesis: The null hypothesis states that there is no relationship between two or more variables.

Alternative hypothesis: The alternative hypothesis states that there is a relationship between two or more variables.

The null hypothesis is typically the default hypothesis. It is the hypothesis that you will try to reject.

Problems of Objectivity

Objectivity is the goal of scientific research. It is the attempt to study social phenomena without being influenced by your own personal biases.

There are a number of challenges to objectivity in social research. Some of these challenges include:

Personal biases: Everyone has personal biases, and these biases can influence the way that we see the world and the way that we conduct research.

The nature of social phenomena: Social phenomena are complex and often difficult to measure and study objectively.

The researcher's relationship with the participants: The researcher's relationship with the participants can influence the way that the participants respond to the researcher and the way that the researcher interprets the data.

Objectivity Versus Subjectivity

Objectivity is the goal of scientific research, but it is important to acknowledge that subjectivity is also a part of social research. Subjectivity is the way that we interpret the world based on our own personal biases and experiences.

Classification and Presentation of Data

Coding

Coding is the process of assigning numerical or alphabetical symbols to data. This makes it easier to organize and analyze the data.

For example, if you are studying the relationship between gender and income, you could code gender as 1 for male and 2 for female. You could then code income as a number, such as the amount of money earned in the past year.

Tables

Tables are a way to present data in a clear and concise way. Tables can be used to present numerical data, categorical data, or both.

When creating a table, it is important to include the following:

• A title that describes the data in the table.
• Column headers that identify the variables in the table.
• Row labels that identify the different categories of data in the table.
• Data cells that contain the actual data.

Graphs

Graphs are a visual way to present data. Graphs can be used to show trends, patterns, and relationships in data.

There are many different types of graphs, including bar charts, line charts, pie charts, and histograms.

The type of graph that you choose will depend on the type of data that you are presenting and the message that you want to convey.

Diagrams

Diagrams are a visual way to represent relationships between concepts. Diagrams can be used to illustrate complex ideas or to summarize the findings of a research study.

Some common types of diagrams include flowcharts, Venn diagrams, and concept maps.

Bar; Chart, Pictorial and Histogram and Report Writing

Bar charts are used to compare the frequencies of different categories of data.

Line charts are used to show trends in data over time.

Pie charts are used to show the relative proportions of different categories of data.

Histograms are used to show the distribution of a continuous variable.

Report writing

A research report is a document that summarizes the findings of a research study.

A research report should typically include the following sections:

• Introduction: The introduction should provide an overview of the research study, including the research question, the research methods, and the key findings.
• Literature review: The literature review should summarize the existing research on the topic of the study.
• Methodology: The methodology section should describe the research methods that were used in the study.
• Results: The results section should present the findings of the study.
• Discussion: The discussion section should discuss the findings of the study and their implications for theory and practice.
• Conclusion: The conclusion should summarize the main points of the study and make recommendations for future research.

Overview of Statistics in Sociology, Measures of Central Tendency (Simple Arithmetic Mean, Median and Mode)

Statistics is the science of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data. Statistics is used in many different fields, including sociology.

Some of the most common statistical methods used in sociology include:

• Measures of central tendency: Measures of central tendency are used to summarize a set of data by providing a single value that represents the average of the data. The most common measures of central tendency are the mean, median, and mode.
• Measures of dispersion: Measures of dispersion are used to describe how spread out a set of data is. The most common measures of dispersion are the range, standard deviation, and variance.
• Correlation and regression: Correlation and regression are used to measure the relationship between two or more variables.

Measures of central tendency

The mean is the average of a set of data. It is calculated by adding up all of the values in the set and dividing by the number of values.

The median is the middle value in a set of data when the values are ranked in order from smallest to largest.

The mode is the most frequent value in a set of data.

Conclusion

Classification and presentation of data is an important part of the social research process. Data can be classified and presented in a variety of ways, including tables, graphs, and diagrams. Statistics is used to analyze and interpret data. Measures of central tendency are used to summarize a set of data by providing a single value that represents the average of the data.