Research Methods in the Social Sciences

Wk 3, Discussion 1: Research Methods in the Social Sciences

This week’s topic is research methods in the social sciences.
First, find a social science research article on the topic obesity in America. The article must describe an actual study and it must have been written within the past 5 years. Do not select a review article or theoretical piece.
Next, answer the following questions. If you don’t know the answer, take your best guess. Since this is a discussion, you should review the answers of some of your classmates and help them out as needed.
• What is the research problem being explored in this article?
• Is the literature review current and relevant? How do you know?
• Is the research grounded in theory? If so, what theory?
• Does the article explain why this research is important? How?
• Is the study qualitative or quantitative in nature? How do you know?
• What sampling technique was used?
• Who are the participants?
• How did the researcher address the ethical treatment of human participants and their data?
• What measures and methods were used? Are they appropriate for the research question being asked?
• What were the procedures used to collect data?
• How was data analysis addressed?
• What were the primary findings (results)?
• What were the major conclusions?
• What were identified weaknesses or limitations of the research?
Finally, post a .pdf or permalink (PURL) of your article so that others can view the actual source.