HHS4USocial Science Research Process Continued and Ethical Research

February 23rd, 2015

DEVELOPING A HYPOTHESIS

A hypothesis is a possible answer to your research question

It is a ‘tentative’ theory for which you will seek evidence

You develop a hypothesis after a review of the literature to explain what happens and why it happens

Variables are qualities, such as gender and birth order, or behaviours, such as marrying and attending university A hypothesis is a statement of presumed relationship

between two or more variables, “other things being equal, if A then B” – If the A variable goes up or down, then B variable also goes up or down

HYPOTHESIS CONT’D

‘A’ is the independent variable because it occurs first

‘B’ is the dependent variable because it depends on ‘A’

Thus ‘A’ is the cause and ‘B’ is the effect Example:

Topic: What factors influence an individual’s decision about when to leave home?

Hypothesis: Children of remarried parents leave home earlier

Independent variable: having remarried parents Dependent variable: leaving home earlier

SELECTING A RESEARCH METHOD

A hypothesis will suggest the type of information that will be gathered and how the information will be analyzed

Quantitative – methods that gather information from many people, which can be analyzed to describe, explain , and predict patterns of behaviour for groups of people (results of quantitative can be analyzed using statistics to generalize from the behaviour and predict the behaviour of the entire group) Experiments, surveys, content analysis,

secondary analysis

RESEARCH METHODS CONT’D

Qualitative – methods are used to gather detailed information from individuals to help the researcher understand their behaviour. It assumes that each subject might behave differently, and does not usually predict how others will behave

Evidence gathered by qualitative research can be analyzed to determine the reasons for the subjects’ behaviour and can be presented anecdotally (short stories of observations) as case studies Observations, participant observation, interviews

Refer to pg.52 for a more detailed description (photocopied)

SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH TOPICS

Activity Choose from one of the following research topics

and create a hypothesis Men in families Women and Crime Family Violence Global Family Sexual Politics Childhood Development and Schooling Male/Female types of jobs Materialization of holiday events

THREE WAYS TO CHOOSE RESEARCH METHOD

First The theoretical perspective that your hypothesis

reflects suggests the methods of gathering information that are most appropriate for your investigation

Second Choosing methods that other researchers have

used makes it easier to see the connections between your research and the research of others

Third While you are a student, practical considerations

such as whether you want to study or have sufficient knowledge of statistics could limit your choice of research method

SAMPLE GROUPS

A sample group is the population who will be the subjects of your research (if you are wondering what factors influence an adolescent to leave home, your sample group is adolescents and parents)

It’s important to define your population so you can eliminate (as much as possible) other factors that could confuse the effects of the independent variable

**Remember your hypothesis assumes “all things being equal”

SAMPLE GROUPS CONT’D Example:

If your hypothesis is that “Boys are more likely to write at the top of a chalkboard than girls are”, you should set a parameter that defines the subject’s height

Consider parameters such as age, gender, ethnic group, religion, socioeconomic class, and level of education

Selecting a sample group from the people you want to study will ease the constraints of time and money. There are two limits (1) Sample group must be representative of the

population you want to study (Example: If you’re studying students at your school, and 55% of the school population are girls, then 55% of your sample group, must also be girls)

SAMPLE GROUP CONT’D

(2) You cannot generalize beyond the group from which you draw your sample (Example: if your sample group is selected only within your school, you cannot include that the results apply to all students in Canada)

WRITING RESEARCH PAPERS

Social scientists are expected to write research papers that describe the results of their study

Papers are subject to peer review (careful scrutiny by colleagues in social sciences to assess the validity of the methods)

Your research paper will be subject to teacher review

Two major types of research papers: Research essays Research reports

RESEARCH ESSAYS & REPORTS Research Essays

Are written to support a thesis, many research tasks will be complete when secondary research is finished

The answer to the question is stated as a thesis The results are presented as an essay in which evidence

from the research is described and organized to support that thesis

Research Reports Summarize and present the results of an original

investigation of a hypothesis The initial review of literature, the development of the

hypothesis, the method, and the results are described Results are analyzed to determine if the evidence supports

the hypothesis A research report enables others to evaluate the methods

to determine whether the results are valid, and it enables other researchers to replicate the study

ETHICAL RESEARCH Any research using human subjects should be

conducted in an ethical manner that respects the well-being and dignity of people

Explain the nature of your research to your subjects carefully and obtain their consent to participate, unless you are observing people in a public setting or conducting an anonymous survey

If your research requires some sort of deception, you could gain general consent, but then have to explain the deception right away afterwards Example: If you wanted to observe how people respond to

celebrities, and had the assistance of a famous friend, you could obtain the subjects’ consent to participate in a study of behaviour of crowds – explain after that you arranged for the celebrity appearance to observe their reaction

ETHICAL RESEARCH CONT’D

Finally, you must inform the subjects if the research will cause them any physical or emotional harm/discomfort

When you design an investigation, choose the method that will be most effective while being respectful of the people who are helping you in your research

ACADEMIC HONESTY

There are also ethical issues affecting the reporting of your research

Do not change, omit, or make up evidence in a mistaken attempt to improve your report

Use citations and references to give credit to the original authors of any work, but ensure that the report reflects your own analysis and conclusions

You also have an obligation to notify the subjects to inform them of your results of the study, as soon as they’re available

Evidence must be presented accurately

AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

To submit all or part of someone else’s work as your own is plagiarism and the consequences of plagiarism are severe! (In university, if you do not properly source materials, you will get a mark of ZERO on your assignment/paper and could be expelled from the institution)

You MUST identify your sources, we will be using APA style referencing for this course

Give specific credit to your sources when you use an idea from them (even if it’s stated in your own words)

Indicate exactly where you found a quotation if you use the author’s words