Research Paper on:
Design for a Study in Social Research

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
This assignment requires the student not  only to draw together all the information which has been gathered in previous assignments, but also to demonstrate ways in which these elements can be used in a practical application.  This will show that the student can identify the broad area which is to be studied (such as the relationship between crime and unemployment, or between gender and dominance in  personal relationships), then narrow the research question down to something which is manageable in terms of the actual study (comparing crime and employment statistics in two different regions, for example)  and design an investigation which will, with the least possible error, measure these elements, and finally relate those results back to the broader social or cultural area which was the  original object of interest.  This not only places the research study in a wider and hopefully relevant context, but also shows that the student can choose the most appropriate and reliable way of sampling,  collating and analysing data in a way which minimises potential error and can be used by subsequent researchers. For instance, if the broad question to be analysed is the relationship  between government-supported child care facilities and an increase in employment rates amongst women who are single parents, it is evident that it would be difficult to design a research study  which encompasses such a wide range of factors - the socio-economic status of the women concerned, the age of their children, the type of jobs which they are eligible for,