Introduction to Sociology

TRY IT

1. 
   A researcher who designs an experiment about classroom teaching styles in elementary schools uses the scientific method to gather ________. Another research studying the same topic uses the ________ by interviewing students, teachers, and administrators.
   
   1. 
      Interpretive evidence: empirical evidence
      
   2. 
      Empirical evidence; positivist method
      
   3. 
      Empirical evidence; interpretive framework
      
   4. 
      Interpretive evidence; experimental method
      

Check your answers at the end of this document

Have you ever wondered if home schooling affects a person’s later success in college or how many people wait until they are in their forties to get married? Do you wonder if texting is changing teenagers’ abilities to spell correctly or to communicate clearly? How do social movements like Occupy Wall Street develop? How about the development of social phenomena like the massive public “fan” communities that follow Star Trek and the Harry Potter series?
Sociological research attempts to answer a vast array of questions, such as these and more, about our social world. Sociologists use empirical data and/or an interpretative framework to increase understanding of societies and social interactions, but in all cases research begins with the pursuit of an answer to a question. Paradoxically, the most interesting research findings often lead to more research! 

GLOSSARY

empirical evidence: evidence that comes from direct experience, scientifically gathered data, or experimentation
interpretive framework: a sociological research approach that seeks in-depth understanding of a topic or subject through observation or interaction; this approach is not based on hypothesis testing, but is typically more narrative or descriptive
meta-analysis: a technique in which the results of virtually all previous studies on a specific subject are evaluated together