Step 1: Create a page in your E-Portfolio where you list out the different courses that you took that dealt specifically with methods. For each of those courses, write down some key concepts that you learned from that class.
- Socl 345 Social Research and Program Evaluation
- Socl 233 Intro Social Inequality Differences
- Socl 220 Self in Society
Step 2: From those classes find three papers that you wrote that reflect the learning that you did in those classes. Discuss how you think your writing about methodology has changed over those three papers. You can talk about how your writing has become more sociological, the structure of your writing, or your writing ability in general (250 words)
I have had a couple papers that I wrote about methodology, many where I have written really good papers, and some that were not my best work. My not-so-good papers had the starting ideas of what I wanted to talk about but I did not get everything on the paper. My writing about methodology now has progressed and now I can also write more about them because I have more knowledge to help understand how to elaborate more on my ideas. Writing about things that I had just begun to learn was hard for me to retain information to understand what I was writing. I now have a better insight into how to research data for my papers.
Step 3: Create a page in your E-Portfolio and discuss the major aspects of social research methodology that you believe are central to understanding the social research process. You can focus on specific concepts of the overall process (750 words or less)
Social Research is conducted using qualitative and quantitative observation methods. Sociologists use research methods to design a study, such as surveys, participant observation, ethnography, case studies, unobtrusive observations, experiments, and secondary data analysis. Every research method has its plusses and minuses, and the topic of the study strongly influences which method or methods are used. Planning the research design is a key step in any sociological study, and a sociologist should think of themselves as an architect who needs a blueprint to build a house. Social Research is a method used by social scientists and researchers to learn about people and societies to design products/services that meet their needs. Different socio-economic groups think differently and need to be addressed to understand their thoughts and feedback about the social world. Any topic can trigger social research, such as a new feature, a new market trend, or an upgrade in old technology. Surveys are conducted by sending a set of pre-decided questions to a sample of individuals from a target market. They can be conducted via online and offline mediums. Online mediums have become increasingly popular due to the improvement in technological mediums and their reach, leading to an increase in the number of people using online survey software to conduct regular surveys and polls.
Step 4: Utilizing your industry reflections, how could you use the skills and knowledge learned in your research methods and statistics courses to help you perform the duties of the job you are seeking? (250 words)
Once I figure out what I want to do for the job I want, then these skills should help me move faster to the top.