Let us brainstorm some ideas for social science research questions. Please do not focus on natural science or medical questions. You will explore how you would examine this question from a qualitative and a quantitative perspective. Please remember, you will not actually do this research in this course. Instead, you will spend the semester identifying how you would conduct social science research for your particular research question.
The following is a list of some very broad topics that previous students have explored. This list is only to give you some ideas.
1. effects of mass media: use of social media, use of video games
2. issues associated with teenagers or adolescence: use of social media, self-esteem, academic success, bullying;
3. educational issues: academic success, early intervention programs, level of parental involvement
4. behavior of people in organizations: leadership, burnout
5. physical and psychological issues: anxiety, depression, PTSD, ADHD, substance use/abuse, addiction, burnout, exercise
6. quality/effectiveness of social services in the community: elder care, daycare, participation in service projects
7. personal beliefs, attitudes, and activities: spirituality, religiosity, therapies (e.g. musical therapy, pet therapy), social isolation
8. criminal behavior: recidivism, impact of academic/vocational programs in prisons, effectiveness of alternative programs
Once you have identified a broad topical area, start narrowing your focus. Remember, you want to keep your research question simple. Here are some specific research questions that students have explored in the past:
What is the relationship between bullying and self-esteem in teenage girls?
What is the effect of music therapy on depression in older adults?
What is the effect of exercise class on social isolation?
What is the effect of academic programs on criminal behavior?
As you begin to focus your question, ask yourself the following questions:
Is the research problem encapsulated in a single question?
Can I research this problem through social science research (rather than a natural or medical science methodology)?
Do I have a bias about this social question?
Does it have potential for providing important information?
The purpose of this workshop is to identify a topic that you will want to explore for the entire semester and then narrow your focus so that it is a viable research question. Borrow ideas from your colleagues and present alternate questions. Use the workshop to identify the topic and refine your question. You are expected to contribute post at least one research question and then substantively respond to at least two other people’s posts. You will then take the work that you do in this workshop, and then further refine and revise your research question in Research Journal 1.
