Section B Homework Assignment - Research Methods
The following excercise is designed to give you a sense of how sociologists go about doing social research.

1. After reading Eitzen and Zinn, pg. 12-23 and Ferguson, Chapter 4, write answers to the following questions and post them to the "Section B Conference" on the course WebBoard. Please do so by noon Thursday, October 5th.

a. Identify a social research question you are interested in. (e.g. Why is there homelessness in the U.S.?)
One social research issue I'm interested in is:

Why do women in our society still get paid less than men for the same job? And what can we do to change this?

b. Pick at least one of the research methods discussed in the readings that you think would be appropriate to use in trying to answer this question (i.e., survey, experiments, observation (a.k.a. participant observation), and existing sources (a.k.a. unobtrusive research). Explain why you would use that method.

I think two methods would be appropriate to use in trying to answer this question:
1) Surveys (And Studies)
2) Unobtrusive Observation

Surveys-
I would like to do Surveys because not only could I find out what people think about this social issue but, I would be able to help bring this issue to people's attention so people would start thinking and talking about this issue more. I don't hear it addressed as much as I'd like to.

Unobtrusive Observation-
I would use Unobtrusive Observation in order to gather already known facts regarding this issue, in order to help me become more informed about this issue, so I could ask more intelligible survey questions to persons about this issue, and educate people about this issue; about this social problem and its solution.

c. How would you use it? Try to be specific.

Surveys-
The way I would use this Survey Research Method is by getting answers to my questions about this social problem and helping to uncover solutions to this social problem. I'd get an interested sponsor to sponsor this survey. I'd like to have a sponser who would like to provide incentive and encouragement for people to get involved in answering this survey, about this social issue. Some of the incentives would be: cash, the chance to appear on a t.v. or radio show in which the person's taking the survey would have their views on this issue broadcast via t.v. or radio. I'd like this sponsor also to pay people to give this survey to the community at large, get the answers, and report them back to me. I think one effective place to introduce these surveys would be on college campuses. I think that students on college campuses might be the most interested & informed people as well as some of the people most wanting to be informed about this issue and the persons who would be very likely and motivated to want to find good solutions to this problem. This is because college students are probably the group of people who are potentially most effected by this pay difference, since many well educated college students will, after graduation, go on to get the good, high-paying jobs, in which they will have to face dealing with this issue directly every day. Maybe people can avert this problem of unequal pay for the same job ahead of time through their awareness of the problem and require companies to pay women the same amount as men for doing the same job.

Unobtrusive Observation-
The second method I'd use is Unobtrusive Observation.
The way I'd use this method is to research the known data on this issue and the most current facts about this issue so I could show people proof of this problem in numbers. By having statistical, factual information about this problem, I will be more prepared to present this problem to and work towards its solution with professionals who are in charge of things. I would be able to rally support from higher ups if I've done my research on a subject and can provide the information in a professional package to the groups and persons in charge, who could help solve this social problem. Doing my research would help me find the professional words and phrases as well as statistics, to use to support my survey questions and findings, in a way I will be heard by professionals, who, in appreciating what I have to say and the facts and figures/statistical information about this issue I have to present, will realize the need to address this issue and help solve this social problem.

d. What possible ethical issues might you confront using that method to try to answer your question? What would you do to try to avoid or minimize such issues?

Unobtrusive Observation-
As For Unobtrusive Observation I think the only ethical issues which may come up would be issues of false info. or gathering info. in an illegal way etc. Publishing findings of my survey or studies in slanderous misrepresentative ways, or with poor journalistic integrity. I would deal with these possible ethical issues by not letting illegal slanderous work happen, by being aware of what I'm doing, asking questions about the best steps to take to do my Unobtrusive Observations from one who has already done Unobtrusive Observations well oneself. And, I might want to run my findings by someone familiar with this issue periodically to get feedback. Plus, I may want someone to review my findings before I publish them let's say or before I give a speech or presentation on the issue, to make sure I haven't breeched any ethical issues in any publications, speeches or presentations I have to give or in any espousal of pertinent information on this issue I have to share esp. in noteable important discussions and conversations with others in any and all multimedia ways.

Surveys-
Possible ethical issues I might confront with my survey research method are issues surrounding having a sponser involved who gives monetary and other incentives to people who get involved in these surveys. Some people may be less likely to get involved in answering my survey if they're offered an incentive esp. a monetary one since persons may feel they are being bought off. Another issue I might face is people's suspicion of who's running this survey and who and how the survey results may benefit. For instance, a person who believes in equal rights for both men and women in regards to equal pay for the same job, may also be someone who doesn't neccessarily advocate a feminism movement and may be put off by this survey question because they think it is a feminist movement issue they don't want to be part of etc. This person might not want to participate in this survey even though they're interested in the survey because the person assumes the survey may possibly be affiliated or associated with a group or organization the individual doesn't want to be support like a feminism movement or some other group one doesn't
support. In the case of this survey, even though my survey about this social issue of: Why women are still paid less then men for the same job and what we can do to change this, for instance, may have nothing to do with a feminist movement campaign or other movement's campaign persay. While I appreciate an individual's smarts in finding out who a survey's sponsored by and who it's benefiting, I don't want people to just assume this survey is sponsored by some group one doesn't support. I just want it to be clear to people that I am only doing the survey at hand and not doing the survey for another movement etc.- but as an independent doing a survey on just this issue and this issue alone. The feminist movement and human and labor rights groups may be in support of this survey and subsequent studies but I wouldn't be doing these surveys for another such movement, and I wouldn't be doing the survey for reasons which would gain me: status, power, influence, and make me money. I'd be doing this study to find answers and solutions to my questions on this issue like in a non-profit way. If in the process though I was availed status, power, influence, and money etc. I would make good use of these gains to implement laws, rules, etc. that would ensure women and men get paid the same amount for the same job always.

I think the best way to counter these ethical issues regarding my Survey Research Method, is just to be very upfront with people about this survey. I would be sponsered by an independently wealthy person who is not sponsoring this survey for any alterior motives for personal gain or otherwise but only is supporting this one issue of only this one survey in order to lend support to finding out: Why do women still get paid less than men for the same job, and what can we do to change this?
I would also not push monetary incentives etc. I would just make them available for people who may comfortably want incentives to motivate them to participate. I would be open, honest and professional. I would answer peoples questions and concerns well and would have patience in the process. I would state my survey purpose and objectives in a clear brief way if needed to also. My goal would be to include as many people as humanly possible in this survey and overcome persons objections to it, if any, so that people would think well of this survey and really want to get involved in taking it. And even though this is a serious issue, I would work to be lighthearted, fun, and good humored so taking the survey would be enjoyable. I would provide identification and information as to who I am and why I'm taking the survey as well as my sponser's ID and information. I would get needed permits to conduct surveys in certain areas where permits are needed and I would speak with the appropriate parties at college campuses etc. to make sure the college was alright with having me do this survey on their campus. I think that if I conducted my survey professionally with integrity and a good attitude, I would be successful in handling well all ethical issues which may come up.



2. After submitting your answers, review at least five other student's answers to these questions and post at least one response to one other post, where you make a collegial suggestion on how to deal with the methodological or ethical issues raised in their post.

3. Optional: Feel free to submit posts to the Section B Conference in response to any of the instructor's reading questions on any of the other readings (e.g. Eitzen and Zinn or Gaines).