Social policies are often open for hot debates. People on every side offer different methods to provide statistics to back up their point of view. The job of the sociologist is to know if these statistics have equal weight.
Statistics
Five Pitfalls of Statistical Analysis
Secondary Data Analysis
The process of obtaining data from reliable sources that others have collected.
Secondary Data Analysis
The process of obtaining data from reliable sources that others have collected.
Be cautious of headlines:
Many times publishers will publish content that will offer faulty information in an attempt to form concise reports. These faulty reports consist of misleading titles and information that will try to get you to take their side on the issue. The sociologist must do further research to make sure that the headline may be taken at face value or not.
Many times publishers will publish content that will offer faulty information in an attempt to form concise reports. These faulty reports consist of misleading titles and information that will try to get you to take their side on the issue. The sociologist must do further research to make sure that the headline may be taken at face value or not.
Double check the definition of terms:
Be cautious of terms that can be interpenetrated in several different ways.
An example that comes from my Contemporary American Society book, "Think Social Problems", says that Barack Obama's mother was a white woman of English decent, and his father was a black man from Kenya. Even with these factors he is considered the first African American to be elected president. Obama lives up to that label however some might dispute it's accuracy.
Be cautious of terms that can be interpenetrated in several different ways.
An example that comes from my Contemporary American Society book, "Think Social Problems", says that Barack Obama's mother was a white woman of English decent, and his father was a black man from Kenya. Even with these factors he is considered the first African American to be elected president. Obama lives up to that label however some might dispute it's accuracy.
Investigate the source:
It is important to know the source of the information that you are researching because the agencies that fund many projects will most likely pay to fund their project research to produce an outcome favoring the values of the agency itself. They do this in order to provide statistics to back up their point of view.
Beware of selective causes:
Make sure that the results of your research contain all of the proper variables necessary to obtain the results that you need that contain data for your outlining cause.
Make sure that the results of your research contain all of the proper variables necessary to obtain the results that you need that contain data for your outlining cause.
Watch out for hidden agendas:
Politicians and policymakers have time tables and deadlines. Be cautious of false claims that may have been made to benefit the person with an agenda. The data results could of been adjusted with manipulation to benefit themselves.
Sociologist can really only obtain so much data through studies, surveys, and experiments. Sometimes the best way to understand society is to study it in action. to really live it.
Example: Go out and hang out with the homeless for a week or more.
This is called Participant Observation or Ethnographies (Research aimed at a particular group of people)
Sociologist can really only obtain so much data through studies, surveys, and experiments. Sometimes the best way to understand society is to study it in action. to really live it.
Example: Go out and hang out with the homeless for a week or more.
This is called Participant Observation or Ethnographies (Research aimed at a particular group of people)
Where to start your research paper:
Learn more about social policy:
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