This is your Research Handbook.

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Peace be with you!
Namaste!
This is your Research Handbook.
Your Guide to the Successful Completion of the
Sociology Research Project.
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Assignment Overview

• Learn by doing.
• Get actively involved in the Process of
  Sociological Research.
• Learn how to Self-Educate.
• Learn how to conduct a Sociological Survey.
• Learn how to function as a Team Player.

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Prepare yourself for the Global Marketplace And
for competition in the Global Workforce.
Companies, Governments, and Organizations will be
looking for workers, but, Will you be prepared?
Team Players Survive!
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Logistics

• Four 6 to 8 members per teams.
• Progress Reports every 2 weeks.
• Interim presentations every 4 weeks.
• 10 - 12 weeks to complete assignment and give
  Oral Presentation.
• Submission format MAC compatible disc or CD.
  PowerPoint Microsoft Word formats.

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Project Goals

• Learn to design and administer a Sociological
  Survey.
• Learn how to tabulate and evaluate survey
  research data.
• Learn how to function and contribute as a team
  member.
• Learn how to interact with the public while in a
  research situation.
• Learn how to prepare and give a sociological
  research report.

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Project Reading Assignment
Available in the PVCC Library.

• Survey Questions ( pgs 1-40)
• Polling The Public (pgs 21-51)
• Attitudes Opinions (chapters 13)

Note Cursory reading is all that is required.
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Other Places to Start

• Key Words for web and Infotrac research
• Social Surveys
• Economic Surveys
• Family Surveys
• Public Opinion Polls
• Demographic Surveys
• Educational Surveys
• Occupational Surveys

Also Check other Periodicals like
Public Perspective and Gallup Poll Monthly.
Library
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Survey Project Sequence Part I

1. Get logistical and contact information for each
   of your team members.
2. Begin developing your Team Contract.
3. Schedule an informal getting acquainted meeting
   to explore each others backgrounds, skills, and
   interests, and to finalize your team contract.
4. Complete the project reading assignment and begin
   choosing a sociological topic of interest to your
   team.

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Survey Project Sequence Part I

• Choose a topic that is exciting to your group.
• Got to the library and the web and Review the
  Literature about the topic youve chosen.
• Discuss and decide on the type of survey you want
  to design. Consider 4 basic designs
• Public Opinion
• Self Disclosure
• Level of knowledge
• Information Impact

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Survey Project Sequence Part I

1. Develop a Hypothesis to guide and focus your
   survey design and analysis.
2. Decide on the Target Population that you want to
   survey.
3. Develop a list of survey questions from the
   contributions and suggestions of each of the
   members of your research team.
4. Decide on the Response Types that you want to use
   in your survey.

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Response Types
Anticipate the need to statistically Evaluate the
survey results while in the design phase.

• Type 2 Positive - Neutral - Negative
• Agree - Undecided - Disagree
• This Opinion - This Opinion - This Opinion
• Can provide more information than Type 1, and is
  not really more difficult to analyze.

• Type 1 Yes/No
• This is the most straight forward method for
  analysis but can often limit or skew the results
  of your survey (depending upon how controversial
  the topic).

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Response Types

• Type 3 Likert Scale
• On a scale from 0-9, where 0
• can provide even more information and requires a
  little more number crunching in order to evaluate
  your results. However, its nothing that cant be
  done on a pocket calculator.

• Type 4 Open Ended
• Please state how you feel about
• can provide a great deal of subjective
  information but is much more difficult to
  evaluate, quantify, and interpret.

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Response Types
Hint
A useful technique is to use a Type 1,2,or 3
response type and then leave room after the
response for the subject to make additional
comments. This gives you information that is
easy to quantify and evaluate, and the additional
insights that can only come from Open-ended
questions.
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Survey Project Sequence Part I

1. Select the demographic indicators that you will
   use to sort and analyze your research data.
2. Finalize survey questions and design decisions
   and format Initial Survey for trial sample of 20
   - 30 people.
3. Prepare Pre-Survey PowerPoint Presentation.
4. Present Pre-Survey Oral Presentation using
   PowerPoint.

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Survey Project Sequence Part II

1. Review and discuss research and presentation
   results.
2. Edit and refine your survey instrument.
3. Administer the Final Survey to 125 - 130 people.
4. Tabulate and analyze your data.
5. Prepare Final Report.
6. Present Final In-class Survey Report Presentation.

Being a Team Member