Create A Social Science Research Question That You Would Lik

Create A Social Science Research Question That You Would Like To Learn

Create a social science research question that you would like to learn more about. Note that everyone should create a unique question. An example might be, "Does alcohol abuse increase the rate of domestic violence?" Write down your question here. What is the population of interest for your specific question and why? What type of sampling method (name the method and define it) would you use to collect data to answer your question, and why? Describe a study that you might perform to answer your question. Include whether your study is experimental or observational, and why.

Paper For Above instruction

The pursuit of understanding human behavior, societal dynamics, and cultural patterns is the core of social science research. For this assignment, I have devised a unique research question: "Does social media use influence the academic performance of high school students?" This question seeks to explore the potential impact that social media consumption might have on students' scholastic achievements, assessing whether increased engagement with social media correlates with academic decline or improvement.

The population of interest for this study is high school students aged 14 to 18 years within urban areas. Focusing on this demographic is essential because adolescence is a critical developmental period where social media use tends to be most prevalent (Valkenburg & Peter, 2011). Moreover, urban high school students often have greater access to digital devices and internet connectivity, making them a representative subgroup for understanding the effects of social media on academic outcomes.

To collect data relevant to this research question, I propose employing stratified random sampling as my sampling method. Stratified random sampling involves dividing the entire population into subgroups or strata based on specific characteristics—in this case, grade levels or socioeconomic status—and then randomly selecting samples from each stratum (Etikan et al., 2016). This method ensures that all important subpopulations are proportionately represented in the sample, reducing sampling bias and increasing the generalizability of the findings.

The study I envisage would be observational, primarily because manipulating students' social media use experimentally would pose ethical challenges, and such interventions are difficult to implement on an adolescent population. An observational design involves measuring variables as they naturally occur without interference from the researcher (Babbie, 2010). Specifically, I would conduct a cross-sectional study where students complete questionnaires about their social media usage patterns and academic performance indicators, such as GPA or standardized test scores. Additionally, obtaining consent from schools and parents would ensure ethical compliance.

This observational approach allows for the identification of correlations between social media use and academic performance, providing valuable insight into potential associations. While this design cannot establish causality definitively, it can highlight significant relationships that warrant further longitudinal or experimental research. Overall, the objective is to understand whether higher engagement with social media correlates with improvements or declines in academic success among high school students, thereby informing educators, policymakers, and parents.

In conclusion, exploring the link between social media use and academic performance is crucial in today’s digital age. Employing a stratified random sampling method within an observational, cross-sectional framework offers a robust approach to investigating this relationship ethically and effectively. The insights gained could guide interventions aimed at optimizing social media usage to support positive academic outcomes among adolescents.

References

Babbie, E. (2010). The Practice of Social Research (12th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Etikan, I., Musa, S. A., & Alkassim, R. S. (2016). Comparison of Convenience Sampling and Purposive Sampling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 5(1), 1-4.

Valkenburg, P. M., & Peter, J. (2011). Online Communication and Adolescent Vulnerability. Journal of Adolescent Health, 48(2), 121-127.