Social Research and Making Research Sociological
Definition of Social Research
According to C.A. Moser : “Social research is a systematized investigation to gain new
knowledge about social phenomenon and problems.”
According to P.V. Young: “Social research is a scientific task which by means of logical
methods, aim to discover new facts or old facts and to analyze their sequences,
interrelationships, casual explanations and natural laws
which govern them.”
Social Research:
Social Research is a method used by social scientists and researchers to learn
about people and societies so that they can design products/services that
accommodate to various needs of the people.
Different socio-economic groups belonging to different parts of a county think
differently. Various aspects of human behavior need to be addressed to
understand their thoughts and feedback about the social world, which can be
done using Social Research. Any topic can activate social research – new
feature, new market trend or an upgrade in old technology.
What is social Research ?
Society is an organized group of persons associated together with shared objective, norms and
values pertain to the society.
People have social life and social process. Research is systematic and organized effort to
investigate a specific problem that needs a solution. It contributes to the
general body of knowledge. It also corrects human knowledge.
Social research now can be defined as the systematic and objective analysis and recording of
controlled observations that may lead to the development of generalization,
principles or theories resulting in prediction and possibly ultimate control of events in society. It
attempts to answer or solve social problems.
(eg. covid, cyber addict)
Social research is a research conducted by social scientists following a systematic
plan. Social research methodologies can be classified as quantitative or qualitative.
Quantitative designs approach social phenomena through quantifiable evidence,
and often rely on statistical analysis of many cases (or across intentionally designed
treatments in an experiment) to create valid and reliable general claims. Related to
quantity.
Qualitative designs is related to quality and emphasize understanding of social
phenomena through direct observation, communication with participants, or analysis
of texts, and may stress contextual subjective accuracy over generality.
Making Research Sociological
Sociologists conduct research on almost every area of human behavior. The research conducted
may be at the macro level, covering broad matters such as social structure, or at the micro
level, which addresses individualistic and small group interaction. Sociological research is
necessary for a variety of reasons. Research will confirm or deny the validity and extent of what
is considered to be true simply because it “makes sense.” Whereas culture has a significant
impact on what one believes to be true, there needs to be a more objective manner in which to
discover truth. Research provides the method through which truth can be discovered. To
discover this truth, scientific research is used.
There are a number of factors researchers must take into consideration beyond the research
method chosen. Some of these are beyond the control of the researcher. It involves a change in
the person’s behavior because he or she knows they are being studied. Gender and race are
also considerations that must be controlled by the researcher, especially when the sample
being studied or the subject of the research is gender or race related. Gender and race can be a
confuse making factors in sociological research, and sociologists need to take careful steps to
prevent gender or race differences from biasing their findings.
What is a Valid Sociological Topic?
Sociologists research just about every area of human behavior at both the macro and micro
levels.
No human behavior is ineligible=-disallowed) for research, whether it is routine or unusual,
respectable or reprehensible (inacceptable)
Common Sense and the Need for Sociological Research
Common sense cannot be trusted on as a source of knowledge because it is often limited and
based on limited information.
To move beyond common sense and understand what is really going on, it is necessary to do
sociological research. (eg. no disable person win the football game )
Controversy in Sociological Research
Social research can be very controversial be it private, political, etc. Often the findings of social
research threaten those who have a stake in the matters being studied. (the study of the crime
or criminal people is an example of such controversy.)
Gender in Sociological Research
Because gender can be a significant factor in social research, researchers take steps to prevent
it from biasing their findings.
Gender can also be an obstacle to doing research, particularly when the gender of the
researcher is different from that of the research subjects and the topic under investigation is a
sensitive one.
There are also questions regarding the degree to which findings from a sample made up
exclusively of one gender can be generalized to the other.
Ethics in Sociological Research
Ethics are of fundamental concern to sociologists when it comes to doing research.
Ethical considerations include being open, honest, and truthful; not harming the subject in the
course of conducting the research; protecting the anonymity of the research subjects; and not
misrepresenting themselves to the research subjects.
How Research and Theory Work Together
Sociologists combine research and theory in different ways. Theory is used to interpret data
(i.e. functionalism, symbolic interaction and conflict theory provide frameworks for interpreting
research findings) and to generate research. Research helps to generate theory.
