EXERCISES AND PROJECTS

Project 2-1

In this project you will apply your knowledge of levels of theory. First, using the Web, your school library, or other resources available to you, find a journal article that reports research results. Next, tell how one or more of the levels of theory described in the text is used to help the author(s) make sense of the findings. (Hint: Most journal articles describe research in terms of more than one level of theory.)

  1. Give the full bibliographic citation of the article.
  2. Illustrate how one or more of the following are used in the article to structure the empirical findings: ad-hoc classificatory systems, taxonomies, conceptual frameworks, and theoretical systems.

Project 2-2

Find an empirical research report in a social science journal. Look for a research report that uses some complex concept, such as participation, modernization, or quality of life.

  1. Give the full bibliographic citation of the article.
  2. Give the concept and its conceptual definition.
  3. What are its conceptual components (dimensions), and how is each conceptually defined?
  4. What devices or techniques are used to operationalize each dimension of the concept?