SOC32: Tutor-Marked Assignment 01-02 SUSS- Research Design and Methods, Singapore

TMA01

This tutor‐marked assignment (TMA) is worth 25% of the final mark for SOC321: Research Design and Methods.

The word limit for this assignment is 1,200 words.

Question

Literature Review & Research Question

TMA01 requires you to think about a topic or social issue that you are interested to study and conduct a literature review on the topic of your interest to help you design a robust plan for a research project (in TMA02) that you will be tasked to carry out (in ECA). You should start by formulating your research question, that is, state what you are interested in finding out in your research study. Think about whether your topic or issue is of any sociological significance. Why it is worth studying? What makes it sociologically relevant?

This may be something that you already have some knowledge or ideas about, but are still not exactly clear about why things are what they seem to be. For example, you may be interested in understanding people’s behaviour, opinions, perceptions, etc. towards a certain social issue or phenomenon. You should also provide some context or background on your topic of interest and explain whether your research study would have any important sociological implications.

You should review at least five academic sources which offer pertinent insights into your research topic or problem. These include academic books and/or scholarly articles and research papers that are published in peer-reviewed journals, most of which are available online in the SUSS library.

Based on your reading, your review should demonstrate your understanding of the theoretical and empirical trends and developments, ethical issues inherent in conducting sociological research and suggestions for future research, if any. Explain how your research study can help to address any existing knowledge or research gaps in the field, or to help achieve a better understanding of the social issue or phenomenon in Singapore society.

TMA02

This tutor‐marked assignment (TMA) is worth 25% of the final mark for SOC321: Research Design and Methods.

The word limit for this assignment is 1,200 words.

Question

Research Proposal

You are expected to develop a Research Proposal to explain how you would design your own independent research, documenting your thoughts as you conceptualise and plan the various components in the research process for your project.

In your research proposal, you should include the following:

•  Title: Your title must reflect your research question and scope of study in a succinct manner, using preferably in not more than 20 words.
• Background: This is an overview of the significance of your proposed research study, including a description of some background societal events, social issues or experiences that may have stimulated your interest to conduct your proposed research study. You should also give a brief assessment of existing/past research that have been conducted in the area relating to your topic of interest. Please note that you should not reproduce the same ‘literature review’ that you have written for TMA01, although you can incorporate some essential contents, albeit in a more concise and succinct manner.
• Research Design: Discuss how you can apply your understanding of theoretical orientations and assumptions to guide you in deciding your research approach and methodologies in your research project.
• Research Question: Determine what you want to find out about your topic of interest, or more specifically, state your research objectives and research hypotheses, if relevant. State at most two research hypotheses for your study and ensure that they should align with your research objectives.
• Sampling Design: Explain your target population and determine your sampling method(s) and targeted sample size, taking into consideration any potential bias in your sample. You should explain your choice of sampling methods.
• Data (variables and measurement): Describe the type of data that you aim to collect, outline the key variables, and explain how each variable will be operationally defined and measured. Explain how your measurements are reflected in the question items that you would include in your research.
• Data collection method: Explain the qualitative and quantitative data collection method(s) (for example, survey, depth interviews, observations, etc.), or both, that you deem as appropriate for your research.
• Data analysis method: Suggest your data analysis strategies and state the computer software or application, that you plan to use to generate and analyse your research results.
• Ethical Considerations: Anticipate any potential ethical issues that may arise in the course of your research. Your awareness of these issues is crucial to ensure the responsible conduct of your research.
• References: List your references in alphabetical order according to the last name of the author or the first author, if there are more than one authors. You should use the ASA or APA format to write your references.
• Time Schedule: You may present your proposed time schedule for your research project by using the Gantt chart, shown as an example below: