In the following courses, Sociology 345 & Sociology 346, we have learned how to conduct research and what can be done with the data. These courses are research courses and throughout the semesters taking them, we have learned how to create and design surveys, collect data, gain knowledge on how to interview people and what kinds of questions to ask, what to do with data once it is collected, how to use programs such as SPSS and R Studio, learn the differences between quantitative and qualitative data, learn how to think critically when trying to interpret our data and findings, and so much more.
Since this course is a two-part course SOCL 345 was taken first and in that course, we worked with Head Start and the Andy Taylor Center. We wanted to take a look at the amount of family involvement there was within these families. We wanted to increase the amount of family involvement there and by doing that, we created free at-home activities to be sent home with the children who attended those schools to complete with their families. Along with the activities, a survey was sent home that was to be completed upon doing the activities. The survey consisted of questions asking the families what they thought about the activities, how involved they were during the activity, and asked questions pertaining to our independent variables in the study which could have been income, race, education, etc. After the surveys were returned back to the schools, we were able to collect them and then collect data on them. We looked at every single question on the survey and wrote down each answer, from this we were able to use this data in the next part of the course, SOCL 346.
In SOCL 346, we took the data that we collected from the surveys and ran it through many different tests and from that, acquired results. Throughout this course, we learned how to download data into SPSS and R, how to recode variables, how to find the mean, median, and mode also known as the measures of central tendency, how to find measures of variation, probability, how to find the standard error, how to conduct T-tests, how to do ANOVA’s, how to find chi-squared, how to find the correlations and lastly how to do a regression. Through each one of these skills, we learned how to do them by hand from raw data and after having learned how to do it by hand, we also learned how to do it on programs such as SPSS and R Studio. We kept a binder all semester that we called our “Statistics Manual.” Our statistics manual consisted of all eleven chapters we learned, it included our by hand calculations for each chapter and the steps that are needed to be done in SPSS and R Studio in order to find the results regarding the data we collected from the surveys.
Both of these courses have taught me skills that matter not only in our classes but in a much larger context, the real world. Before taking this class, I had never done any type of research other than finding already existing research for a research paper. I had never had to conduct research in a way like this, I would not have even known where to begin when conducting research. Both of these classes have taught me a lot and given me an understanding of how research can be gathered and used at the same time. I think it is a good thing that Longwood University requires these classes for some of the majors because jobs that correlate with these majors are oftentimes research-based.
As a sociology major and criminal justice minor, I think these classes have been very beneficial for me because I now know how to conduct research, how to create surveys, what to do with the data, etc. Research is used in everything, it is used to conduct very important studies, in a majority of jobs, and so much more. Research is knowledgeable in the sense that it enhances society through data collection and concepts. Research is very helpful in many different scenarios and always will be.
After taking both of these courses, SOCL 345 and SOCL 346, I have learned a lot of new material and skills that I will be able to use in the future. The skills that I have learned will help me in my future career because I plan to work in the field of sociology and criminal justice doing some type of research-based job. I think it would be really interesting to look at crime data and now I know that there are endless opportunities for what to do with the data. I am now able to conduct my own research as well, I know how to gather data through research and how to input it into programs such as SPSS and R Studio. I know how to get the measures of tendency, how to conduct T-tests, how to find correlations, and so much more. The material from these courses will help me in the future when I begin to conduct research with companies I work with.