Introduction

This assignment provides experience in evaluating the theories and research designs of studies published in refereed journals. Identifying these aspects helps in understanding relationships between theory and methods. Also in this assignment, we want to learn how to identify potential ethical issues related to research. We want to learn how ethical issues are resolved so we can better conduct our research in an ethical manner.

Recommended: Please read the Review of MS#03-27. This series of letters shows an actual review of a manuscript submitted to Rural Sociology, the flagship journal of the Rural Sociological Society. Reading these letters will help you understand how the community of scholars reviews research reports.

The Instructions for the Written Assignments describe requirements and grading.

Assignment

Complete these tasks for both articles in your topic area:

1. State whether the study was conducted primarily within the conflict, symbolic interactionist, or structure-functionalist paradigm. Defend your position by referring to specific aspects of the literature cited or the hypotheses tested that helped you identify which paradigm guided the study.
2. Was the study primarily deductive or inductive? Explain your answer.
3. What was the unit of analysis for the study?
4. Did the study include measurements of indexes, scales, or both? Explain your answer.
5. If the study used scales or indexes, what procedures were used to evaluate the validity and reliability of these measures?
6. Describe the sampling procedures used in the study.
7. What ethical problems were presented by the methodology? What responses to these problems, if any, were discussed in the article?

Due Date:

Please submit a paper copy of your assignment to Mr. Teesdale on or prior to Tuesday, November 4th. Electronic submissions will not be accepted.