Delta State University
SSC 470/570: Methods of Social Research
Spring Semester 2005
(1) Research
Topic
Assignment: Select a topic for your research proposal.
Grade: 2 points
Process: Start with a general an area of interest, e.g.
"education," "crime," or "poverty." Narrow this general interest down to a
particular aspect that interests you, e.g. "school performance," "violence in
prison," or "substandard housing." Choose an area where you want to study
this topic, e.g. "The Mississippi Delta," "the United States," "8 southern
states," or "Bolivar County." This is a sufficient level of detail for
this assignment.
Submit: A sheet of paper with the names of the members of
your group and a brief description of your topic. You should summarize
your topic in one sentence, then describe where you plan to carry out this
study, and briefly describe why you selected this topic. The description
should be no more than two paragraphs.
Each
group should submit one paper.
Due: February 16, 2005
(2) Annotated Bibliography
Assignment: Prepare an annotated bibliography of 5 sources on your research topic.
Grade: 7 points
Process: Visit the library to find journal articles and other
material on your topic. Select five articles that pertain to your topic,
and that help you develop your
research design. You will probably have to look through many articles
to select five that are appropriate to your topic. The articles that you
select should help you focus in on a good research question for your proposed
study.
Submit: An
annotated bibliography of these five articles. Your bibliography should include a complete and
correct citation for each article, using APA format, followed by a brief synopsis of the
article. Each synopsis should include a description of the research
question, the methods, and the results; notes on how this article contributes to
your proposed study; and your own evaluation of the article.
DO NOT copy the abstract
for the article; you should read and summarize the article in your own words.
Each group should submit
one paper.
Due: February 28, 2005
(3) Research Question
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Format
Assignment: Develop a research question for your proposed
study.
Grade: 3 points
Process: Based on your review of the literature, focus in on a question you wish to address in your proposal. Think carefully about the wording of the question, and make sure that you can use one of the data collection methods discussed by Neuman to address your question. Remember to orient the question so that you can develop an explanation.
Submit: A
sheet of paper with your research question, and a brief explanation of how you
arrived at this question. Your explanation should be no more than two
paragraphs.
Each group should
submit one paper.
Due: March 7, 2005
(4) Draft Methodological Approach
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Format
Assignment: Prepare a draft of the methodological approach
that you intend to use in your proposed study.
Grade: 7 points
Process: Based on your research question, determine which approach and method would be most appropriate. Describe the logic of your research design; in other words, how you would go about doing your research? Explain, in detail, the process of doing your research project. What method will you use? How will you sample and measure? What tools (e.g. questionnaire, interview guidelines) will you develop and use?
Submit: A
draft of the portion of your proposal in which you describe your methodological
approach.
Describe, in detail:
• The general approach you intend to take, and why this approach is
appropriate, given your research question.
• How you will measure your constructs. You should discuss the
processes of conceptualization and operationalization; how will you address the
theoretical and empirical aspects of your study? You should also describe
how you will ensure that your results are reliable and valid. If
appropriate, you should define your variables, describe your theoretical model,
and state your hypotheses.
• How you will select your subjects. What is a case in your study? How will you determine your sampling frame? What sampling technique will you use?
• How you will collect your data. What type of data are you seeking? What technique will you use? Why is this technique appropriate? How, step by step, will you enact this data collection method?
• How you will analyze your
data. Describe a data analysis technique that you will use.
• How you will share your results. What do you anticipate will be
the products of this research project? Who are the target groups?
How will you disseminate your results to others?
Note: Choose only one data collection technique. Your task is
to focus your research design.
Your draft methodological approach should be approximately three pages.
Each group should
submit three copies of their draft methodological approach.
Due: March 30, 2005
(5) Critique
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Format
Assignment: Critique the
draft methodological approach of another group.
Grade: 6 points
Process: The draft methodological approach of another group will be distributed to your group members. Each member should read the draft methodological approach, and prepare a critique of the methods the group plans to use. You should carefully evaluate various aspects of the group's methods section.
Submit: A critique of the methodological approach of one other group. In your critique, you should comment on the quality and completeness of the draft methods section. Consider the following questions: Are the methods they propose appropriate given their research topic and question? Have they adequately expressed how they will measure the phenomenon they are studying? Have they chosen one method and described in detail how they will choose their sample, construct their variables or concepts, collect their data, and analyze their data? Is their methods section complete?
Prepare a critique that will help the other group improve their draft
methodological approach.
Your critique should be approximately one page
Each group member should submit three copies of your critique. This is not a group assignment; each member in the group must submit a critique of the other group's methods.
Due: April 6, 2005