Sociological Experiment Methodology
How would you devise a social science experiment?
In this essay I am going to explain and demonstrate how I would devise a social science experiment, I have chosen is 'How are tasks divided up between men and women in the home using married, childless couples'. My hypothesis is that; 'although feminism has advanced massively, women still take a larger role in the domestic upkeep of the home than their male counterparts regardless of whether one or both subjects work.' I will outline how the data would be collected and interpreted, ethics involved, testing and convey a probably outcome with an evaluation of this.
There are two types of data which are known as qualitative and quantative. Quantative data are anything that can be expressed in statistical or number form or can be measured in some way, such as age, qualifications or income. This data is usually presented in a graphs/bar charts or statistics. Qualitative are concerned more with a person's feelings, meanings and interpretations of an event. This data is usually in the form of a description from the participants of the study of lifestyles or people's feelings with direct quotes. I am going to use an interpretivist approach, by which it is believed that people's behaviours are influenced by their interpretations and the meanings they give to social situations. The method will involve the collection of qualitative data by way of micro research using a small number of people as opposed to the positivist method of social surveys and formal/structured interviews. I would use both participant and non-participant observation, i.e. the male view on roles within the home and the females view on the male role in domestic chores. Also informal or unstructured interviews, open ended questionnaires and personal accounts. Verstehen is the process of using research methods which provide an understanding from the group or individuals point of view and understanding their own interpretations of the world around them,
In this essay I am going to explain and demonstrate how I would devise a social science experiment, I have chosen is 'How are tasks divided up between men and women in the home using married, childless couples'. My hypothesis is that; 'although feminism has advanced massively, women still take a larger role in the domestic upkeep of the home than their male counterparts regardless of whether one or both subjects work.' I will outline how the data would be collected and interpreted, ethics involved, testing and convey a probably outcome with an evaluation of this.
There are two types of data which are known as qualitative and quantative. Quantative data are anything that can be expressed in statistical or number form or can be measured in some way, such as age, qualifications or income. This data is usually presented in a graphs/bar charts or statistics. Qualitative are concerned more with a person's feelings, meanings and interpretations of an event. This data is usually in the form of a description from the participants of the study of lifestyles or people's feelings with direct quotes. I am going to use an interpretivist approach, by which it is believed that people's behaviours are influenced by their interpretations and the meanings they give to social situations. The method will involve the collection of qualitative data by way of micro research using a small number of people as opposed to the positivist method of social surveys and formal/structured interviews. I would use both participant and non-participant observation, i.e. the male view on roles within the home and the females view on the male role in domestic chores. Also informal or unstructured interviews, open ended questionnaires and personal accounts. Verstehen is the process of using research methods which provide an understanding from the group or individuals point of view and understanding their own interpretations of the world around them,