Discuss the qualitative and quantitative approaches to research with examples.
What will be an ideal response?
Answers will vary. In qualitative research, sociologists examine nonnumerical material that they then interpret. In a study of grandfathers who were raising their grandchildren, for example, the researcher tape-recorded in-depth interviews and then analyzed the responses to questions about financial issues and daily parenting tasks (Bullock, 2005).In quantitative research, sociologists focus on a numerical analysis of people's responses or specific characteristics, studying a wide range of attitudes, behaviors, and traits (e.g., homeowners versus renters). In one national probability study, for example, the researchers surveyed almost 7,000 respondents to understand the influence of grandparents who lived with their children and grandchildren (Dunifon and Kowaleski-Jones, 2007). A researcher should choose one of these two approaches depending on her or his purpose. If we consider college attrition, quantitative data provide information on characteristics like national college graduation rates. Qualitative data, in contrast, yield in-depth descriptions of why some college students drop out whereas others graduate. In many studies, sociologists use both approaches.
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A recent study that analyzed responses to potential housing providers on Craigslist found that “White-sounding” names were more likely to get multiple responses than those with “ethnic” names. The author calls this a new form of ______.
A. digitally enabled discrimination B. institutional discrimination C. racial profiling D. White flight
In sociologist Emile Durkheim's attempt to explain the rates of suicide, _____ were the units of analysis
a. individuals b. families c. social groups/categories d. religious organizations
Animation Concept Video: Our World, Connected: Technology and ChangeClick on the above link to access the Interactive eBook. Once you've signed in, scroll to page 504 and watch the videos. When you've finished watching the videos, come back to the test and answer the following questions:How has social media impacted the possibility for the average U.S. citizen to participate in activism?
A. Social media has restricted who can participate in activism. B. Social media has facilitated widespread participation in activism. C. Social media has stalled the rate of social change. D. Social media has made widespread activism ineffective.
__________ categorizes countries based on objective criteria, such as wealth, power, and prestige, that highlight social patterns and inequality throughout the world
a. Social stratification b. Global inequality c. Global stratification d. Social inequality