MAJOR STAGES OF THE SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROCESS
Choosing a research topic
Based on the interest of the researcher
(theoretical, personal, social policy)
Conducting a Literature Review
To determine the level of originality and usefulness to the
field of study
Formulating a Hypothesis
hypothesis is a statement of the relationship between two variables concerning the units of analysis the researcher is studying.
Measuring Variables and
Gathering Data
Data can be quantitative and qualitative, which
mailnly depends on the purpose of research
Sampling
It is important to conduct sampling
conscienciously in order to obtain the most
accurate result
Analyzing Data
Complex operations are oftenly used,
the accuracy of data is very important at this step
Criteria of Causality
Independent and dependent
variables must be
statistically related
Casual order problem
No spurious
relations between
variables
No better explanation
of dependent-independent
variables relation
Drawing a Conclusion
Whether the hypothesis was confirmed