MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills (01) Practice Test

Communication and Literacy Skills (01) Practice Test: ReadingRead the passage below, written in the style of a college course assignment.Then answer the five questions that follow.Sociology 110: The Research Project1 The major assignment for this semester isto conduct a sociological research project.The research subject will be one of yourown choosing. Your research method must,however, be based on the established researchprotocols that we began to employ last term.The main steps in that procedure are outlinedbelow.2 The best way to begin is by asking, Whatdo I want to learn more about? Doing sowill enable you to identify the topic of yourresearch. Once you have done that, you needto define the problem you will be studying.This requires developing a researchablequestion. You may, for example, be interestedin the problems associated with aging incontemporary society. Your primary aim atthis point in your research is to determinewhat specific problem you want to look at andthe question you want to answer about thattopic.3 While narrowing the focus of yourresearch, it is important that you consult theexisting literature on the topic you will beexamining, particularly recent work in thearea. Reading these studies will providehelpful background information on what otherscholars have discovered concerning yourresearch topic and will reduce the likelihoodthat you will duplicate their efforts; with somuch to be done, you want to add to what wealready know and not be reinventing thewheel. Your review of the literature shouldalso suggest useful questions to ask in yourown research.4 The next step is to formulate a hypothesis.This is a testable statement that predicts whatyou expect your findings will demonstrate.You also need to include a discussion of theway in which you plan to test your hypothesis.5 Once that has been accomplished, youshould be ready to develop a research design.First, determine the most appropriate methodfor collecting and analyzing data. Thenprepare a detailed research proposal outliningthe data collection techniques you will beemploying, the questions you will be asking ofthe data, and the approach you will be using toanalyze your findings.6 You can now begin collecting the data.Be careful to avoid error and bias. Rememberthat you are not trying to prove a point but totest the hypothesis you have proposed. Alldata must be recorded, not just informationthat supports the hypothesis.7 Once your research is completed, youneed to analyze the data. Your aim here is toconstruct generalizations that relate yourfindings to your hypothesis. You should doso in a way that leaves no doubt about yourposition. Your readers deserve as clear astatement as possible indicating your position.Don't disappoint them. An equivocal analysisis like a cup of warm water on a hot day.8 The final step is to prepare the researchreport. In it, you should describe the nature ofthe project, review pertinent elements of theliterature, state your hypothesis, discuss theresearch design, and detail your findings.You should also include a discussion of anyproblems that you encountered and how youresolved them. In stating your conclusions, besure to explain how your findings support,disprove, or modify the theories you employedto examine the problem that was the focus ofyour research. 19