Hello, Class!
To get started, read your assignment and then:
Find your article using the "Articles" link.
Find help with APA Citation using the "APA Citations" link.
If you have any questions, please let me know! My email is: ejweigar@hacc.edu
I would also be happy to meet with you for a Zoom appointment, to discuss your research.
For this assignment, you will be required to find a complete report of an ORIGINAL (primary source) sociological research study to evaluate (You are not writing a research paper but beginning a literature review). Appropriate reports should be found in professional journals and books, but you may not use newspaper reports, general magazine articles, or website postings for this assignment. All elements of the research process (Hint: Look for terms such as problem/theory, background, sample and population, measures, methods or methodology, and results/findings, conclusions and references) must be addressed within the report you evaluate. A good rule: If you cannot answer all the questions asked below, then you probably need to continue looking for original research. Library databases can be accessed from the Library tab on MYHACC or from hacc.edu. You must be logged into your MYHACC account to access databases. Once at the library homepage, you can access a course guide and tutorial by clicking on "LibGuides,” then select “Sociology” or “Lancaster” and "SOC-201 St. Pierre." Look for a sociological topic of your interest (family studies, gender discrimination, global inequality, etc.) This assignment can also help you begin looking for academic resources for your research projects if you choose to focus on your chosen topic. Once you have located your sociological research study: (1) Read the report, (2) answer the compound 5 questions below, (3) type answers into an MS Word document, and (4) turn in a pdf copy of the article you evaluated and your Word document on the due date to the D2L Dropbox. I must receive both components for grading. Each element of the evaluation will be scored on a 10 point scale for a total point score of 50 (5 x 10= 50). A score of 10 on any element means that all questions are answered and evaluation was thoughtful and complete. A score of 5 means that answers were somewhat incomplete and evaluation needed further development. A score of 0 means that questions were not answered and evaluation was not completed for that element. Please complete the following elements of your evaluation:
1. Overview: Please APA Cite the article you are evaluating (Author Last Name, First Initial, Year, Title, Journal Title, Volume, Issue, Page Numbers—see APA guidelines) and summarize the social problem or issue addressed by the research. What questions did the research address? Who did they study? What was the major conclusion? (A pdf Copy of article must be attached to your submission).
2. Sample: Who did the researchers sample for the study? (Note the characteristics of the population sampled.) Does the sample represent the population it claims to represent? Why or Why not?
3. Method: Which of the following methods were used to gather the data: survey, content analysis, observation, experiment, case studies, or secondary analysis? Do the conclusions drawn fit the research method used? Explain.
4. Findings: Provide a summary of the major research findings/results. Does this study suggest a new outlook or perspective on this social behavior or relationship? Explain.
5. Overall Assessment: Do you agree with the scientists’ findings? Why or Why not? Based on your evaluation of the information and what you are learning about sociological research, how would you rate the overall quality of this research? 1= junk. Up to 10=good scientific information
"Now is the accepted time, not tomorrow, not some more convenient season. It is today that our best work can be done and not some future day or future year. It is today that we fit ourselves for the greater usefulness of tomorrow. Today is the seed time, now are the hours of work, and tomorrow comes in the harvest and the playtime." ----W.E.B. DuBois
