In my time at Longwood University, only one course specifically dealt with methods. This semester, my courses are speaking more on methods such as SOC 351- Sociology of Family Violence and SOC 401- Sociology Theory; however, in past semesters, only one class dealt specifically with “Methods,” and that was SOC 345- Social Research & Program Evaluation. Some key concepts I learned from this class are types of social research– quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods, social research methods– observations, case studies, experiments, surveys, interviews, and focus groups, and I also learned about ethics in research, like keeping the client’s confidentiality. In the three papers listed, my writing not only grows in maturity, but in my ability to write more sociologically. In one, I believe my writing was mediocre and forced. I was spitting out facts of what I was told, and not allowing myself to analyze and critique my writing. I was also not proofreading my work. Reading back on it now, my writing seems unstructured and again, forced. In two, my writing becomes more structured and it seems as though I have a better idea of what I’m doing and how I’m expressing my knowledge in my writing. In three, I reflect on social research, issues, my own work on my literature review, and some things I have learned. I think by this point, I was able to input my knowledge and personality into this paper. It seems less forced like the first one was.
The major aspects of social research methodology that I believe are central to understanding the social research process are the steps of the Scientific Method, the different kinds of research methods, and ethical concerns when conducting such methods. The 6-step scientific method is important regarding making rational, scientific decisions. This includes, one, finding a research topic, two, conducting the research from existing sources, three, forming a hypothesis, four, creating a study, five, drawing conclusions and analyzing the results, and six, reporting your results. In making a rational, scientific decision, this scientific method establishes concepts that help make sure results are objective and accurate, and also provides limitations for studies. Understanding this major aspect of social research is crucial for understanding the social research process. Another concept to take into consideration is the different kinds of research methods: surveys, field research, experiments, and secondary data analysis. Understanding when and where to use these is central and necessary for understanding the social research process. You wouldn’t want to conduct field research when what you really need to be conducting is a survey. The last concept I believe is central to understanding the social research process is the concept of ethics and ethical concerns. The biggest ethical points to keep in mind when conducting research are, maintain confidentiality, do no harm, and respect the clients/subjects’ privacy rights. These three concepts together, when understood, are central to understanding the social research process.
Using the skills and knowledge I have learned about in this class and from my own research methods and statistics courses, any future career I pursue is going to require problem solving and analyzing ethical dilemmas. Using the skills and knowledge I have acquired from my courses here at Longwood University, I can apply these skills to my future career. Regarding the career I am currently pursuing, emergency dispatch, problem solving and solving ethical dilemmas are both going to be part of my job, especially under a time crunch, given that I will be answering emergency calls which require a quick response. Recently mentioned regarding institutions, as well, in dispatch, one must be effective at controlling their emotions, working well under pressure, handling difficult concepts. Using the skills and knowledge I have learned, I can use these to apply to my job.