Research Methods

Research Methods

Research methods are a group of methodologies or formalized instructions on how to conduct research. Research methods provide a set of recipes for the scientist. In the social sciences, research methods are used to “tell about society”. As a whole, research methods are designed so that scientists can identify patterns and relationships, test and redefine theories, make predictions, interpret culturally or historically significant events, explore diversity, give voice, and advance new theories. All research methods use a specialized language consisting of statements that explore relationships between variables.

There are two main families of research methods. The first are qualitative methods, those based on descriptions or words and are often referred to as data enhancers. Qualitative methods usually study single subjects or small groups of people in great detail. Quantitative methods use numeric data and are often referred to as data condensers since they may examine many subjects. Statistical inferences require quantitative methods (Price, 98-105).

Much debate occurs over which method is more scientific. A researcher must defer to his or her research questions to determine whether a qualitative or quantitative research method is more appropriate. The study of the lifestyles of a group of crack cocaine users will be better served with qualitative methods than quantitative ones, since the human aspect is important in determining results that will speak to the proposed question. A study comparing the poverty rates among American cities is best addressed by quantitative methods since there will be many subjects and rates will be calculated.

Tackling a research question involves going through a number of different scientific steps. These steps differ according to the research question and the methodology chosen. The first step in social research is always isolating an idea, which is followed by conceptualization or specifying the research questions. This step can be followed by establishing a theoretical framework and by reviewing the literature. Next comes the specification of the research which may also include variable operationalization. The specification of the research methodology dictates the way data are collected, how they will be analyzed, and also the way they are disseminated (Stocking, 89-96).

The most widely employed research methods in the social sciences are: experiments, survey research, field research, and unobtrusive research. Each of these methods has numerous specific methodologies. Experiments in social research most often happen in the social world and are, therefore, not as tightly controlled as experiments conducted in a laboratory. The comparison ...