SOC-400
Existing Statistics Worksheet
Sociologists should be able to analyze existing statistics and how they are used in social research. This assignment will help you learn this concept.
You may be asked to cite scholarly sources, and/or the textbook, to answer the following prompts.
Topic 4: Existing Statistics
Use the following situation to answer the prompts that follow:
An African American sociology student wants to test the hypothesis that Affirmative Action has helped alleviate racial discrimination on college campuses in the United States. The student does not have access to funds to pay interviewers or to use most other methods of gathering data so the student decides to use existing statistics as his source of data.
Citing the textbook, explain what information this student will need to collect in order to test the hypothesis. Provide a link to at least one source of existing statistics that would have some data that the student could use to test the hypothesis. (50-75 words)
Citing the textbook, explain the difference between raw data and existing statistics. (50 words)
Citing the textbook and one other source about analyzing existing statistics, explain how this student should analyze the statistics that he or she finds. What variables should be compared to each other to test the hypothesis? (75-100 words)
Citing the textbook, explain whether this type of research is based on interpretivist or positivist methodology. Use the definitions of the two types of methodology to explain why you answered the way you did. (50-75 words)
Citing the textbook and one other source about bias in research, explain how this student could have bias in his study. That is, what would be some of the possible sources of his bias when using existing statistics about Affirmative Action? (75-100 words)
GCU believes that the duty of the Christian is to strive to further the good of the culture and the society through education and the embodiment of biblical principles related to goodness and justice. How might a sociology student with the Christian worldview approach bias in research? (50-75 words)
Citing the textbook and one other source about reliability and viability in research, explain how this student could evaluate the reliability and validity of the research. What steps should the student take and what should she/he look for to do this? Be sure your answer demonstrates that you understand these two terms. (75-100 words)
Imagine you are using an existing statistics research method for your research study. Using your selected social problem, create a research question suitable for existing research:
