Summary Research design
Bryman Elements of the process of social research, pp 8-17
🔍 Main Elements of Social Research
📚 1. Literature Review
● Purpose: Understand what’s already known, avoid repetition, and build on existing
work.
● Key Questions:
○ What is known?
○ What concepts, theories, and methods have been used?
○ Are there controversies or conflicting findings?
○ Who are the key authors?
● Critical Review: Not just summary—evaluate significance and fit within the research
field.
🧩 2. Concepts and Theories
● Concepts: Labels used to understand and describe the social world (e.g. power,
status, cultural capital).
● Theories: Built from concepts; help explain social phenomena.
● Functions:
○ Organize research.
○ Guide data collection and analysis.
○ Communicate research aims.
,🧭 3. Deductive vs. Inductive
● Deductive:
Starts with a theory or hypothesis.
→ You begin with an existing idea or framework about how things work.
● Goal: Test whether the theory holds true in specific situations.
● Inductive:
Starts with data and observations.
→ You begin by collecting detailed information without a fixed theory in mind.
Goal: Discover patterns, meanings, or build new theories.
🎓 Why It Matters
● Knowing key concepts and their use in past research strengthens your analysis and
shows academic credibility.
What Are Research Questions?
● A research question clearly states what the researcher wants to find out.
● It must be interrogative (i.e. ends with a question mark).
● It helps make the focus of the study explicit.
● A research purpose can be a general statement (e.g. “I want to find out why...”), but
a research question is more precise.
Sampling Cases
● In social research, we don’t usually collect data from every single person or thing in
the population. Sampling is needed because time and costs limit how many cases
(people, media content, etc.) can be included in the study.
● Cases can be anything from individuals to newspapers, and they are the subjects
from which researchers gather data.
● Sampling methods can follow different goals:
, ○ Representativeness: This is when researchers aim to select a sample that
accurately reflects the wider population (e.g., in opinion polls).
○ Purposeful Selection: Sometimes, samples are chosen based on how well
they fit the research's goals (e.g., in case studies).
● Sampling is an important part of almost every research project because it helps
manage the scope of data collection and makes the study feasible.
Data Collection
● Data collection is the process of gathering information to answer your research
questions. This can be done using various methods, which are often categorized into
structured or unstructured approaches:
○ Structured methods involve using specific tools (like surveys or
questionnaires) with predetermined questions that aim to gather data focused
on particular research questions.
○ Unstructured methods allow for more flexibility, such as using
semi-structured interviews or participant observation. These methods
encourage open-ended responses and help researchers explore topics in
greater depth.
● The quality of data collected is crucial to the research’s credibility. Researchers
must ensure that their data collection methods are reliable and valid, and also
evaluate the quality of their research to make sure it meets high standards.
Data Analysis
● Data analysis is the process of organizing, interpreting, and making sense of the
data collected during the study.
○ For qualitative data (like interview responses), methods such as thematic
analysis and coding are used to find patterns and themes in the data.
○ Coding involves breaking down the data into smaller parts and labeling them,
which helps the researcher identify key ideas or recurring themes across the
data.
Bryman Elements of the process of social research, pp 8-17
🔍 Main Elements of Social Research
📚 1. Literature Review
● Purpose: Understand what’s already known, avoid repetition, and build on existing
work.
● Key Questions:
○ What is known?
○ What concepts, theories, and methods have been used?
○ Are there controversies or conflicting findings?
○ Who are the key authors?
● Critical Review: Not just summary—evaluate significance and fit within the research
field.
🧩 2. Concepts and Theories
● Concepts: Labels used to understand and describe the social world (e.g. power,
status, cultural capital).
● Theories: Built from concepts; help explain social phenomena.
● Functions:
○ Organize research.
○ Guide data collection and analysis.
○ Communicate research aims.
,🧭 3. Deductive vs. Inductive
● Deductive:
Starts with a theory or hypothesis.
→ You begin with an existing idea or framework about how things work.
● Goal: Test whether the theory holds true in specific situations.
● Inductive:
Starts with data and observations.
→ You begin by collecting detailed information without a fixed theory in mind.
Goal: Discover patterns, meanings, or build new theories.
🎓 Why It Matters
● Knowing key concepts and their use in past research strengthens your analysis and
shows academic credibility.
What Are Research Questions?
● A research question clearly states what the researcher wants to find out.
● It must be interrogative (i.e. ends with a question mark).
● It helps make the focus of the study explicit.
● A research purpose can be a general statement (e.g. “I want to find out why...”), but
a research question is more precise.
Sampling Cases
● In social research, we don’t usually collect data from every single person or thing in
the population. Sampling is needed because time and costs limit how many cases
(people, media content, etc.) can be included in the study.
● Cases can be anything from individuals to newspapers, and they are the subjects
from which researchers gather data.
● Sampling methods can follow different goals:
, ○ Representativeness: This is when researchers aim to select a sample that
accurately reflects the wider population (e.g., in opinion polls).
○ Purposeful Selection: Sometimes, samples are chosen based on how well
they fit the research's goals (e.g., in case studies).
● Sampling is an important part of almost every research project because it helps
manage the scope of data collection and makes the study feasible.
Data Collection
● Data collection is the process of gathering information to answer your research
questions. This can be done using various methods, which are often categorized into
structured or unstructured approaches:
○ Structured methods involve using specific tools (like surveys or
questionnaires) with predetermined questions that aim to gather data focused
on particular research questions.
○ Unstructured methods allow for more flexibility, such as using
semi-structured interviews or participant observation. These methods
encourage open-ended responses and help researchers explore topics in
greater depth.
● The quality of data collected is crucial to the research’s credibility. Researchers
must ensure that their data collection methods are reliable and valid, and also
evaluate the quality of their research to make sure it meets high standards.
Data Analysis
● Data analysis is the process of organizing, interpreting, and making sense of the
data collected during the study.
○ For qualitative data (like interview responses), methods such as thematic
analysis and coding are used to find patterns and themes in the data.
○ Coding involves breaking down the data into smaller parts and labeling them,
which helps the researcher identify key ideas or recurring themes across the
data.
