Social Science Issue: Child poverty in the United States

4-1 Considering Research Applications This assignment does not contain any printable content.

Prior Research and Applications

At this point, Mark has narrowed his focus on the social media research project he has started. After a lot of research and reflection, he has decided to focus on investigating the effects of social media habits on well-being.

Mark is struck by the idea that this research might have some really interesting applications. For example, if it is true that a person’s social media habits can influence their well-being, then an educational campaign targeting teenagers might be worthwhile. Mark also wonders if any technology companies have ever created applications that would help people limit how much time they spend logged in to social media platforms. For example, Mark thinks that maybe an app that sent a daily summary of any notifications a user got on Facebook instead of getting those notifications in real time throughout the day might help people spend less time online.

Mark decides to spend some time researching existing campaigns or applications with the goal of limiting social media use. His search yields a few applications available for download that either restrict people’s access to their social media sites or to using the Internet at all. These include:

AntiSocial: An application that allows users to select websites they want to block and for how long SelfControl: An application that allows users to block access to the Internet entirely for a preset amount of time Cold Turkey: An application that does not block a user’s access to the Internet or to any particular websites but does track and display how one spends his or her time online

Mark wonders who is using these apps. Are busy professionals utilizing them? Do his students know about them or use them? Can parents install these apps for their children? He’s also now more convinced than ever that his research investigation will have an interested audience. Not only is the social science issue very well-researched, but there are real-world applications for the findings. Mark believes he’s building a solid case for the research department’s next project.

Exercise: Identifying Applications This assignment does not contain any printable content.

Exercise: Filling in the Gaps This assignment does not contain any printable content.

4-2 Choosing Sources This assignment does not contain any printable content.

Organizing the Findings

Mark spends some time organizing his findings. He maps out some of the key takeaways he’s discovered.

Overall, Mark now understands that social media can have a positive or negative influence on adolescents depending on their

intentions when using the sites. Social media can be beneficial for some users because they help maintain relationships, especially ones from afar. Further, they provide users positive feedback in the form of social support.

However, people who spend more time on social media lurking and monitoring (viewing others’ profiles without posting or commenting) reported having higher anxiety. Adolescents reported that this anxiety came from a fear that friends were hanging out without them, that they might miss the online conversation, or that others might be saying negative things about them.

Further, more social media use correlates to depression but only when users are “surveilling” others’ posts and feeling envious.

In thinking about presenting these findings to his university research department, Mark knows that he will need to reference the credible works that have led him to these conclusions. He has a few resources that he is certain he will use. The first is the article, “#Being Thirteen: Social Media and the Hidden World of Young Adolescents’ Peer Culture” (Underwood, 2015). This article provides much of the information about teens’ intentions behind their habits when using social media sites. Another study “Facebook Use, Envy, and Depression Among College Students: Is Facebooking Depressing?” helped Mark find information on social media users’ envy (Tandoc et al., 2015).

Mark’s list includes several other resources that, while credible, are no longer relevant since he has organized his findings and narrowed his focus. He will need to cull through this list and remove any that are not pertinent to the message that he will deliver during his pitch to the department leaders.

Tandoc, E. C., Ferrucci, P., & Duffy, M. (2015). Facebook use, envy, and depression among college students: Is Facebooking depressing? Computers in Human Behavior, 43, 139146. https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.10.053

Underwood, M. (2015). #Being thirteen: Social media and the hidden world of young adolescents’ peer culture. CNN. https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2448422/being-13-report.pdf

Exercise: Sorting the Sources This assignment does not contain any printable content.

Exercise: Choosing Your Sources This assignment does not contain any printable content.

4-3 Forming a Research Question This assignment does not contain any printable content.

What Is a Research Question?

Now that you have located credible resources on your social science issue and spent some time evaluating those resources, it is time to develop your research question. The research question should look at all the preliminary research that you have done on your social science issue and propose a new question.

That question could target gaps in the current research. The research question could also look to the future of the field and propose a question that would require entirely new research.

For example, consider a social scientist that is examining the social norms related to e-cigarette use in teens. He has researched the negative health effects of e-cigarettes. He has researched the social norms related to teen use of e-cigarettes. He has researched the efficacy of social

https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.10.053
https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2448422/being-13-report.pdf
media campaigns that teach kids about the dangers of alcohol and cigarette use. However, he is not currently aware of any social media campaigns that educate students about the dangers of e-cigarette use. Therefore, he presumes that there are not currently studies determining whether such a campaign could influence their social norms. There is potential here for new research! His research question becomes: How could a social media campaign aimed at educating teens about the health risks of e-cigarettes change their social norms?

Or, consider Mark. He has examined the benefits and drawbacks of using social media, depending on a person’s intention when using these sites. He has identified some apps that can help a person limit his or her social media use, but he has not discovered any studies showing their efficacy. He hasn’t found any research showing ways to influence teens’ habits or intentions when using social media or whether that would have a positive effect on their well-being. Mark has a few potential research questions that he could ask.

A good research question requires analysis and critical thinking. Your question should have more than a simple “yes” or “no” answer. If your question can only be answered by a series of facts, then it is not critical enough.

Avoiding Unworkable Research Questions

Remember that not every question can be answered through research. Your audience won’t be interested in reading research papers that answer questions to which they already know the answers. Read each of the unworkable research questions below, then see how he or she revises the question into something that can be answered using research. Click the arrows to move on to the next person or back to the previous person.

Shawna

Proposed unworkable research question: “Why is interacting on Twitter a waste of time?”

Alicia

Proposed unworkable research question: “What are the barriers to access healthy foods for a person living with diabetes and allergies in Shelton?”

Donald, teaching

Proposed unworkable research question: “Why is child poverty bad?”

Luis, business

Proposed unworkable research question: “Is it immoral for Christian business owners to serve patrons that do not uphold Christian principles?”

Assessment advice: Stay away from topics that are based on opinion or taste. Stick to questions that can be answered through research.

Writer: Shawna

Social Science Issue: the effect of social networking on mass communication

Thought process: All of my friends are obsessed with Twitter. They say it has revolutionized the way that the public has mass conversations online. I think it’s a bunch of people complaining and talking about Beyonce. What a waste of time!

Proposed research question: Why is interacting on Twitter a waste of time?

Issues: As I did preliminary research, I realized that it was really difficult to define

Critical research questions:

Lead to more questions Require further analysis of text Provoke further discussion Move you outside of your own frame of reference in order to understand issues on a larger scale Focus on the audience and the message (which you will learn more about in the next learning blocks)

what should be considered a waste of time. I needed to revise my research question into something I can support with research.

Revised research question: What effect has Twitter had on mass interaction and conversation?

Assessment advice: Stay away from topics with scopes that are too narrow or topics that are only of personal importance. Your topic should be of local, regional, national, or international scope.

Writer: Alicia

Social Science Issue: availability of nutritious foods to low income populations

Thought process: I have diabetes, a shellfish allergy, and I like to cook healthy dishes full of vegetables. I’m lucky that there are many grocery shops within driving distance of my house. Many low socioeconomic areas in the United States do not have access to healthy food options. Just one town over, in the poorer town of Shelton, there aren’t any grocery stores accessible by public transportation; only fast food restaurants.

Proposed research question: What are the barriers to access healthy foods for a person living with diabetes and allergies in Shelton?

Issues: When I started my research, I found that it was really difficult to find resources addressing my whole research question. There is no research on the town of Shelton. When I thought about it, I realized that this question is pretty narrow; I have to widen my focus.

Revised research question: What effect does geography have on health in the United States in terms of availability of healthy food?

Assessment advice: Avoid questions that you and your audience already know the answer to and are not likely to disagree with.

Writer: Donald

Social Science Issue: child poverty in the United States

Thought process: I read an article about children living in poverty the other day; it’s a very prevalent issue. Poverty can affect every aspect of a child’s life, so there are many avenues for research.

Proposed research question: Why is child poverty bad?

Issues: I was discussing my research project with a friend and told her about my research question. She answered this question in five minutes, and she didn’t need any of the research I found! I realized that this research question might be

too obvious.

Revised research question: How does living in poverty during childhood impact a person’s mental health throughout their life?

Assessment advice: Stay away from topics that are based on moral belief or faith. Stick to questions that can be answered through research.

Writer: Luis

Social Science Issue: the influence of religion on business

Thought process: Some companies founded or owned by people with strong religious beliefs deny services to people who do not share their beliefs. These people believe that in all aspects of their lives, they must uphold their beliefs; thus, they feel that

the act of serving people who act immorally would be, in and of itself, and immoral act.

Proposed research question: Is it immoral for Christian business owners to serve patrons that do not uphold Christian principles?

Issues: As I began my research, I realized that I couldn’t prove that a company is morally obligated to do anything without referring to the Bible, other religious texts, or beliefs about religion or morality in general. However, I can’t assume that a general audience is going to accept the Bible as evidence. If I want to make the argument that a company should make decisions based on some belief system, I’ll need to base my argument on credible researchlike the measurable influence of religion on business practices. Also, I shouldn’t ask a yes or no question.

Revised research question: How does a company’s stated religious principles relate to sales revenue across different demographics?

Mark’s Research Question

Now that Mark has selected the credible sources that will provide the backbone for his research investigation, he is ready to come up with his research question. In coming up with a research question, Mark asks himself the following:

What do I want to learn more about? What would others want to learn more about? Who would benefit from the research findings? Who could best help in addressing the issue?

Mark’s search for sources opened the floodgates of additional questions related to social media habits that Mark is interested in answering. However, he keeps coming back to his daughter Julia. How does her social media usage affect her state of mind and emotional health? He believes that her intentions while using social media are contributing to her anxiety. She is definitely monitoring others’ posts, and she compares herself to others. Mark isn’t sure how to change her attitude while using her social media sites, but he wonders whether using social media less, or even differently, would help lessen her anxious behaviors. He wonders if she would consider using one of those apps he discovered. Suddenly, Mark realizes he has his research question:

How could phone applications that limit social media engagement influence teens’ habits and intentions?

Mark knows that he is not alone in wanting an answer to this question. With technology and social media being such a huge part of adolescent culture, he reasons that many parents of teenagers must be wondering the same thing. In fact, anyone working with teens‐high school teachers, for instance‐would likely be interested in his findings.

Mark’s research question leads him to ask some additional questions that would dictate the next steps in his investigation. He must now consider the following:

Which apps will he use for his investigation? Based on the research, can he make a prediction about how those apps will influence teens’ habits and intentions? What is his hypothesis of the outcome? How will he recruit and select participants for his research? How might he be able to measure any changes in habits and intentions? Based on the outcome, who would be most interested in the findings?

Mark looks forward to continuing his investigation; he feels that the applications of this research will be helpful to parents and teens everywhere. Further, he is excited to have a workable research question to submit to his university research department. He is sure they’ll approve the idea.

Exercise: Forming Your Research Question This assignment does not contain any printable content.

4-4 Putting It All Together

This assignment does not contain any printable content.

Mark’s Final Thoughts

Mark’s research investigation began with a simple question born out of his concern for his daughter. What effect did her social media habits have on her mood and behavior? Mark’s quest for an answer to this question was an eye-opening, informative experience. As he searched for articles and studies on the social media habits of adolescents, he was excited to find that there is a significant amount of research on this topic. However, there are many more questions related to this social science issue yet to be answered. Mark’s research question, which he hopes will be approved as a project for his university research department, is just one step toward mapping the issue more completely.

Mark’s experience locating and evaluating credible resources has helped him form a well-rounded understanding of the social science issue. Further, his work finding credible sources that support his research question have him feeling confident that his university colleagues will see the value in his research proposal. Finally, he is excited to approach his wife and Julia with the suggestion of using an app that could help curb social media use, and as a result, potentially Julia’s anxiety. Mark’s research investigation has been a positive experience, and he is interested to see where further work in these areas will take him and his family personally and professionally.

Research Investigation Progress Check 2 This assignment does not contain any printable content.

Module Four Short Responses This assignment does not contain any printable content.

Looking Ahead This assignment does not contain any printable content.

Module Four: Performing the Research Investigation, continued
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
4-1 Considering Research Applications
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
Prior Research and Applications
Prior Research and Applications
Exercise: Identifying Applications
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
Exercise: Filling in the Gaps
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
4-2 Choosing Sources
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
Organizing the Findings
Organizing the Findings
Social media and well-being
Exercise: Sorting the Sources
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
Exercise: Choosing Your Sources
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
4-3 Forming a Research Question
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
What Is a Research Question?
What Is a Research Question?
Avoiding Unworkable Research Questions
Mark’s Research Question
Mark’s Research Question
Exercise: Forming Your Research Question
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
4-4 Putting It All Together
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
Mark’s Final Thoughts
Mark’s Final Thoughts
Research Investigation Progress Check 2
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
Module Four Short Responses
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
Looking Ahead
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
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Social Science Issue: Child poverty in the United States

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