42
correlation 42
dependent variable 42
dysfunctions 34
empirical knowledge 40
evidence 40
experimental group 44
experiments 44
feminist theory 38
functions 34
hypothesis 40
independent variable 42
interviews 43
latent functions 34
manifest functions 34
means of production 34
objectivity 40
observational studies 44
public sociologists 47
questionnaires 43
rational choice theory 32
rationality 38
sample 41
secondary analysis 44
spurious relationships 42
structural-functional theory 34
symbolic interaction theory 31
symbols 31
theoretical perspective 30
theories 30
triangulation 45
variables 40
Contributing to Our Social World: What Can We Do?
At the Local (Micro) Level
Local volunteer coordinating organizations give creative outlets to students allowing them to demonstrate their awareness and learning of the world around them through different tasks, volunteering, civil engagement, and literary skills. Volunteer Match (www.volunteermatch.org) links volunteers to virtual opportunities both in nearby communities and across the globe. Virtual volunteering is an excellent way to extend humanitarian reach across the globe as well as locally. If your college or university has a service-learning office, it will offer connections to many service opportunities, sometimes linked to specific fields of study. Many colleges and universities also offer Academic Service Learning (ASL) credit in which course assignments include such community work under the supervision of the instructor.
At the Organizational or Institutional (Meso) Level
State agencies often have ongoing projects to gather data for more accurate information about the state and the needs of its citizens. Go to www.nationalservice.gov/about/contact-us/state-service-commissions to find volunteer opportunities through your state government.
At the National or Global (Macro) Level
The U.S. Bureau of the Census is best known for its decennial (every 10 years) enumeration of the population, but its work continues each year as it prepares special reports, population estimates, and regular publications (including Current Population Reports). Visit the bureau’s website at www.census.gov and explore the valuable and extensive quantitative data and other information available. Visit your local Census Bureau office or go to www.census.gov/about/census-careers/opportunities/programs/student.html to find volunteer and other opportunities for students at the Census Bureau.
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Descriptions of Images and Figures
Back to Figure
A quadrant model illustrates the cooperative versus competitive perspectives. They are as follows.
When humans viewed as cooperative, within parentheses, people interact with others on the basis of shared meanings and common symbols.
Macro analysis: Structural – Functional theory.
Micro analysis: Symbolic interactionism theory.
When humans viewed as competitive, within parentheses, behavior governed by self-interest.
Macro analysis: Conflict theory, within parentheses, group interests.
Micro analysis: Rational choice theory, within parentheses, individual interests.
Back to Figure
A figure shows a table, with a few comments on it to illustrate how to read a research table. The comments on the table are as follows:
Table 2.1 (1)
Title: Educational attainment by selected characteristics: 2017 [comment: The title provides information on the major topic and variables in the table.], for persons 25 years old and over, reported in thousands [comment: headnote, within parenthesis, or subtitle: Many tables will have a headnote or subtitle under the title, giving information relevant to understanding the table or units in the table. For this table, the reader is informed that it includes all persons over the age of 25 and the units are reported in thousands.].
The title is followed by a headnote, “for Persons 25 Years Old and Over, Reported in Thousands.” [Comment: Headnote (or subtitle): Many tables will have a headnote or subtitle under the title, giving information relevant to understanding the table or units in the table. For this table, the reader is informed that it includes all persons over the age of 25 and the units are reported in thousands.]
Characteristic, [Comment: Marginal tabs: In examining the numbers in the table, try working from the outside in. The marginals, the figures at the margins of the table, often provide summary information. In this table, the first column of numbers is headed “Population, within parenthesis, 1,000,” indicating, within parenthesis by thousands, the total number of people in each category who were part of the database. The columns to the right indicate—by percentages—the level of educational attainment for each category.]
Age, [Comment: Headings and stubs: Tables generally have one or two levels of headings under the title and headnotes. These instruct the reader about what is in the columns below. In this table, the headings indicate the level of education achieved so that the reader can identify the percentage with a specified level of education. The table also has a stub: the far-left column under “characteristic.” This lists the items that are being compared according to the categories found in the headings. In this case, the stub indicates age, sex, and race or ethnicity.]
The row with heading “35 to 54 years old” under the tab age has 7 cells with different values. [Comment: Cells: To make more detailed comparisons, examine specific cells in the body of the table. These are the boxes that hold the numbers or percentages. In this table, the cells contain data on educational achievement by age, sex, and race/ethnicity (for Asians, Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics).]
Back to Figure
A figure shows a table,