Social Research Strategies and Methodology - Essay Example

?Topic: Social research methods Introduction In the views of Babbie (2006), social research is the commonly used type of research as it deals with inherent social issues that are frequent in our daily undertakings. According to Lawrence (2006), “social research is based on logic and empirical observations and attempts to create or validate theories through data collection and data analysis”. He further states that the goal of social research is to “explore, describe and explain”. Firebaugh (2008) concurs that survey research is one of the most important areas of measurement applied in social research. The broad area of survey research encompasses any measurement procedures that involve asking questions of respondents. A “survey” can be anything from a short paper-and-pencil feedback form to an intensive one-on-one in-depth interview (Firebaugh, 2008). From the foregoing explanation, it becomes necessary to explain the reasons behind the selection of the survey design used in this exploration. Firstly, social research aims at finding social patterns of regularity in social life and usually deals with social groups (Halsey, 2004) but not with individuals per se. Since this exploration is social in nature, it was necessary for the researcher to conduct the said study using a survey. This report presents the conduction of a social research using a questionnaire to collect views on “racism in UK”. The author has divided the report into various sections discussed hereunder. Background to the study area Racism is an ideology that preaches the inferiority of one race to another. It justifies discrimination and in its extreme form, violence towards and murder of people because of their skin colour. Bowling and Phillips (2002) believe that these ideas haven’t been in existence, nor are people born racist but these ideas have been created and spread for specific purposes and in a conscious way. Racism is used by those who wish to sustain this oppressive society in order to divide and rule the working class. It is the views of proponents of peace to continually oppose all forms of racism and unite people from all walks of life in the fight against the real enemy of racism (Adamson and Cole, 2006; Chau and Yu, 2001). Based on this revelation, the current author fully commends the sensitization of members of pressure groups to join hands in the fight against racism. Some facts about racism have been laid bare in the face of the world by a number of earlier studies in this area. Cole (2008) for instance claims that racism comes in a number of ways; whether through name calling, bullying or even actual physical attacks. Whichever form it takes, racism eventually tears away the social fabric that holds communities together (Garland and Rowe, 2001). As pointed out in a report by Cole (2008), racism cannot be tackled merely as a moral issue but as a multiplicity of concerns. Racist arguments are found to provide powerful explanations for the poverty and unemployment that many young people face in UK. These and many other lies and misconceptions about racism including the immigrants’ perceived responsibility for crime and the lack of jobs and decent housing for UK nationals forms the basis of this report. Similarly, many insinuations to the fact that immigrants have come to UK and taken plump jobs from the indigenous people have been branded ‘a racist lie’ (Bowling and Phillips, 2002). In fact, racist groups are reported to having claimed that it is possible to get rid of unemployment by stopping immigration and ‘sending foreigners back where they came from’ (Adamson and Cole, 2006; Cole, 2008). This opinion is negated by the fact that about 8.1% of the working population of UK is officially unemployed; only 5% of the total population is composed of immigrants (Chau and Yu, 2001). In the views of the current author, these insinuations are found to be very retrogressive and help fan the racism fire, a fact that must be fought at all cost. It is the essence of this report therefore to come up with a scheme of accomplishing this noble cause. The Questionnaire Questionnaires are known to be an inexpensive way of gathering data from a potentially large number of respondents. They are often the only feasible way of reaching a number of reviewers large enough to allow statistical analysis of the results (Lawrence, 2006). A well-designed questionnaire when used effectively can gather information on both the overall performance of the test system as well as information on specific components of the system. Although questionnaires are claimed to be cheap in administering compared to other data collection methods, they are however a lot expensive in terms of design, time and interpretation (Firebaugh, 2008). This is the basis used in constructing the questionnaire shown in the Appendix for use in this exploration. The hypothesis The following research will work on the basic hypothesis that: “immigrants’ previous level of academic achievement is contributory to cases of racism in UK”. The study will therefore analyze the effects of previous educational background of immigrants in unemployment and hence increased cases of racism. The sampling method This research opted to adopt a non-random sampling strategy for a number of reasons. Firstly, Firebaugh (2008) argues that use of a ‘sample’ forms a manageable subset of a population which is otherwise very large. Since the current researcher knew the target population to be used in this study, a purposive sampling was conducted by inviting pre-identified groups of individuals to participate in the study (Babbie, 2006). As claimed by Lawrence (2006), the most common reason for sampling is to obtain information about a population. In the case of this exploration, information was sought regarding all sorts of racism against UK immigrants. Because sampling is found to be quicker and cheaper than a complete census of a population, this research found the method most appropriate. The identified method of study was also found most appropriate as it preserved the ethical considerations of social research by emphasizing on voluntary participation as well as protecting the subjects both physically and emotionally (Lawrence, 2006). The survey design As earlier indicated, this research employed the survey design of a questionnaire as indicated in the Appendix. The instrument was constructed by the researcher and as such seemed to compromise on its reliability and validity (Babbie, 2006). It was thus used to assess the contribution of the independent variables (age, gender, race and educational qualifications) to the dependent variable (racism). Each of the said variables; age, gender, race, educational qualifications and racism were assessed by the items of the survey instrument to predict the relationship and effect between each other. The above mentioned variables (age, gender, race and educational qualifications) were selected because they were found to be closely related with racism in one way or the other. In fact, Halsey (2004) claims that most cases of racism are reported be along age, gender and race orientations as well as unemployment occasioned by varying educational qualifications. In administering the instrument, a brief introduction dealing with the issue of confidentiality, the nature and importance of the study and procedural directions to be followed were addressed to each respondent in writing. Reliability and validity Reliability refers to the consistency of a research instrument and whether similar results could be obtained by another researcher using the same design (Lawrence, 2006). When checked against other such instruments used in research, reliability of this instrument was lacking probably because it was constructed through modification and was thus not standardized. Validity of research on the other hand is concerned with the idea that the research design fully addresses the research questions and objectives as noted by Babbie (2006). It is divided into both internal and external dimensions. Internal validity of this research was low just like it is the case with most field researches. Reactivity effects and selection bias might have played a significant role in impacting on the internal validity in this study (Firebaugh, 2008). External validity explains the extent to which the results of the study can be generalized to particular populations, settings or times (Firebaugh, 2008). This is a serious threat since the results of the study may not hold across all groups despite the use of true sampling method. Conclusions It has been established throughout the report that when conducting social research, it becomes very critical in selecting the appropriate design. Although construction of a questionnaire design involves a long process that demands careful attention, researchers concur that the instrument is a powerful evaluation tool that should not be taken lightly (Babbie, 2006). According to their informed views, the design process begins with an understanding of the capabilities of a questionnaire and how they can help the relevant research. Immediately one determines the necessity of a questionnaire in the planned research, the greatest care goes into the planning of the objectives (Firebaugh, 2008). This was not overlooked in the designing of the questionnaire shown in the Appendix of this report. Moreover, research has identified the specific circumstances that call for the use of a questionnaire. When resources and money are limited for instance, a design of a questionnaire becomes handy as it can simply be emailed to the respondents in a once-for all activity (Lawrence, 2006). Similarly, a questionnaire can be used when it becomes necessary to protect the privacy of the participants. This enhances the issue of confidentiality for respondents to exercise a high degree of honestly (Firebaugh, 2008). Finally, the use of a questionnaire is crucial when corroborating other findings of earlier results. References Adamson, S. and Cole, B. (2006) The UK Chinese and racially-motivated crime. Working paper in Social Sciences and Policy No. 16. Hull: University of Hull. Babbie, E. (2006) ‘The Practice of Social Research’, 10th edition, Wadsworth, Thomson Learning Inc. Bowling, B. and Phillips, C. (2002) Racism, Crime and Justice, Harlow: Longman. Chau, C. M. and Yu, W.K. (2001) ‘Social Exclusion of Chinese people in Britain. Critical Social Policy, 21 (1): 103-125. Cole, B. (2008) ‘Working with Ethnic Diversity’, Cullumpton: Willan, pp.402-425. Firebaugh, G. (2008) ‘Seven Rules for Social Research’, Princeton University Press. Garland, J. and Rowe, M. (2001) Racism and anti-Racism in Football, Palgrave. Halsey, H. A. (2004) A history of sociology in Britain: science, literature, and society, p.34. Holborn, H. (2004) ‘Sociology: Themes and perspectives’. 6th Ed, Collins Educational. Lawrence, N. W. (2006) ‘Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches’, 6th edition, Allyn & Bacon. Appendix A: Questionnaire on racism in UK INSTRUCTIONS 1. Most questions have numerous responses. Please record your answers by selecting one of the choices next to each question. If none of the choices matches your perception exactly, use the one that is closest to it. 2. Please use a HB pencil to make heavy black marks. 3. Questions are answered by marking the appropriate answer numbers where applicable as illustrated in the example below. Question: Which is the only marking instrument to be used ………. 1. Pencil 2. Fountain Pen 3. HB Pencil 4. Other Or by printing clearly the best response in the spaces provided. 4. Do not leave any question unanswered in all sections of this booklet. 5. Do not staple or fold the questionnaire. Part 1: Background Information Please tick the appropriate box where applicable or clearly print your best answer as the case may demand. Thank you 1. What is your gender? Male Female 2. What is your age? ________________ 3. What is your ethnicity? ________________ 4. With regard to religion, with which religious group do you identify? _______ 5. Were you born in UK? Yes No 6. If NO, how long have you lived in UK? (Number of Years) __________ 7. What is your occupation? ________________ 8. Please indicate your highest level of academic qualification? PhD Masters Bachelors College High school Other (specify) Part 2: Attitudes towards Racism Please indicate your feelings about the condition of racism in the UK. Do not skip any statements. Respond to them in the order they appear. Please refer to this “EXTENT SCALE GUIDE” in answering the following questions. To a Very Great Extent 1 To a Great Extent 2 To some Extent 3 To a little Extent 4 To a very little Extent 5 1. To what extent do you believe racial discrimination is practiced in your community?.................................................................................................................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 2. To what extent do you believe ethnicity is a factor in racism?.................................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 3. To what extent have you been discriminated against in this country?........................................................................................................................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 4. To what extent do you think being an immigrant is contributory to racism?.........................................................................................................................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 5. To what extent is racism practiced in your place of work?.......................................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 6. To what extent do you believe in ethnic superiority?................................................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 7. To what extent does religion shape your views on racism?.....................................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 8. To what extent do you associate violence with racism?...........................................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 9. To what extent do you believe that racism is inborn rather than practice?.......................................................................................................................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 10. To what extent do you think racism breeds an oppressive society for the minority?.......................................................................................................................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 11. To what extent are cases of unemployment leading to increased instances of racism?.........................................................................................................................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 12. To what extent are the varying levels of educational qualifications contributing towards racism orientations?.....................................................................................................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 13. To what extent do you believe gender differences are a factor of discrimination?..............................................................................................................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 14. To what extent do you view age as a factor of racism?..........................................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 15. To what extent should increased cases of crime be associated with racism?.........................................................................................................................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Part 3: Satisfaction level Please indicate the degree to which you are satisfied with the way racism is being handled. Do not skip any statements. Respond to the statements in the order they appear. Please refer to this “Five Point Satisfaction Scale GUIDE” in answering the questions that follow. Very Satisfied….1 Satisfied…….2 Neutral……..3 Dissatisfied……4 Very Dissatisfied……5 1. To what degree are you satisfied with the way racism is being handled here in UK?..............................................................................................................................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 2. What is your satisfaction level to the idea of ethnic cleansing?...............................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 3. How satisfied are you with the current practice of ethnic cleansing?.......................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 4. How satisfied are you with the use of racism in dividing and ruling the working class?...........................................................................................................................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 5. What is your satisfaction level towards the agitation for Civil Rights in UK in reducing racism?.........................................................................................................................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 6. How satisfied are you when in a company of people of different ethnicities?....................................................................................................................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 7. How satisfied are you when you help reduce racism in the work place by belonging to a worker’s union?............................................................................................................1, 2, 3, 4, 5. End Thank you for agreeing to take part in this research. Read More