Subject : Social Research Methods

Name of assessment Assessment : Case study with report
Length 2000 words (Part 1: 1250 + Part 2: 750)
Learning outcomes addressed
bythis assessment:
This assessment addresses learning outcomes a-d
a) Apply social research to a topical social issue and find an appropriate
case study of research that has been conducted in past 5 years. I have attached to this email ( Case Study)
b) Describe the steps in the research process
c) Demonstrate an understanding of the basic concepts of quantitative and
qualitative research and data analysis, and outline the differences
between the tools and techniques used in each
d) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the various models and
techniques of social research including sampling, surveys, questionnaires,
focus groups, and structured, semi-structured and unstructured
interviews

Assessment brief summary:
Choose a currently debated social issue. Search for, and find, one piece
of research that was done about the issue where a case study approach
was used. The research should have been conducted in the past five
years.( THE ATTACHMENT)
Total marks 40
Weighting 40% (Parts 1 and 2 combined)

Assessment Description:
Case study
Choose a currently debated social issue( THE ATTACHMENT). Search for, and find, one piece of research that was done
about the issue where a case study approach was used. The research should have been conducted
in the past five years..( THE ATTACHMENT)
Answer these questions:
PART 1
1. Write a précis of the research
2. Describe and discuss the research question
3. Describe and discuss the methodology. Draw on your Study Guide and Babbie to help you. Don't
forget to use quotes and to cite your sources
5. Describe and discuss the case study. What literature was used to justify the use of a case study?
How was the case study developed?
6. What findings were derived from the case study?

PART 2 - Critique
Would you have conducted the research in this way?
What do you think were the strengths and weaknesses of the research approach?
Critically discuss strengths and weaknesses of the research approach.
Ensure that you produce a professional, academic report with introduction, conclusions and any subheadings
required as necessary to produce a logical development of your ideas

Additional Notes : Students must attempt all tasks in the unit to be eligible to pass the
unit
This Report will incorporate a formal introduction, main points and conclusion; as this is a
report, the introduction and conclusion, as well as individual sections addressing different
issues should be flagged by subheadings. The work must be fully referenced with in-text
citations and a reference list at the end. We recommend you work with your Academic
Writing Guide to ensure that you reference correctly. You will find a link to this document
on the main page of every unit, under the 'Assessments' section. Correct academic writing
and referencing are essential tasks that you need to learn.
We recommend a minimum of ten references, unless instructed differently by your
lecturer/tutor. Unless specifically instructed otherwise by your lecturer, any paper with less
than twelve references may be failed. Work that includes sources that are not properly
2.5 Prescribed and recommended readings
Prescribed text
Babbie, E. R. (2012) The Practice of Social Research, 13e, California: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Recommended texts
Bouma, G. and Ling, R. (2004) The Research Process, 5e, South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
Blaxter, L., Hughes, C. and Tight, M. (2006) How to Research, 3e, Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.
Castillo, R. J. (1997) Culture and Mental Illness. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Coloroso, B. (2004) The Bully, the Bullied and the Bystander. New York: Harper Collins.
Costin, C. (2007) The Eating Disorder Sourcebook. New York: McGraw Hill.
Darlington, Y. and Scott, D (2002) Qualitative Research in Practice: Stories from the Field. Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin.
De Vaus, D. A. (2002) Surveys In Social Research, 5e, Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin.
Gorard, S. (2003) Quantitative Methods in Social Science. Continuum International: London.
Horwitz, A. V. (2002) Creating Mental Illness. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Howard-Taylor, L. (2008) Biting Anorexia: A first-hand account of an internal war. Sydney: Finch Publishing.
Jamison, K.R. (1996) An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness. New York: Vintage.
May, T. (2001) Social Research: Issues, Methods and Process, 3e, Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.
Neuman, W. L. (2006) Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, 6e, Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Sarantakos, S. (2005) Social Research, 3e, Palgrave Macmillan: UK.
Silverman, D. (Ed) (2004) Qualitative Research: Theory, Method and Practice, 2e, Sage: London.
Stavropoulos, P. (2008) Living under Liberalism: The Politics of Depression in Western Democracies. Boca Raton, FL: Universal Publishers.
Torrey, E.F. (2006) Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Patients and Providers. New York: HarperCollins.
Wadsworth, Y. (1997) Do it Yourself Social Research, 2e, Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin.
Walter, M. (2006) Social Research Methods: An Australian Perspective. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
Reference Journals
Australasian Journal of Market and Social Research
Australian Journal of Social Issues
Forum: Qualitative Social Research
International Journal of Social Research Methodology
Journal of Contemporary Ethnography
Journal of Mixed Methods Research
Journal of Research Practice
Qualitative Research Journal
Quality and Quantity: International Journal of Methodology
Social Research Update
Websites
Australian Bureau of Statistics http://www.abs.gov.au/
Australian Market and Social Research Society http://www.amsrs.com.au/
Australian Research Council http://www.arc.gov.au/arc_home/default.htm
Economic and Social Research Council http://www.esrc.ac.uk/
Intute: Social Sciences http://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/
Web Center for Social Research Methods http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/

Referencing is used for three reasons:

avoid plagiarism.
the THINK Health & Wellness Faculty uses APA 6th edition which is outlined below. Each of the following sections refers to a different source of information and the appropriate rules should be followed for each.
This APA 6th edition requires you to reference in two ways:
1. within the text (in-text referencing) and
2. by giving a list of references at the end of your work (reference list).

THESE ARE LIST OF Subject/unit content and structure
Unit Content
This unit offers students an introduction to the practice of social science research. It discusses the models and
techniques of social research, including surveys and sampling, questionnaires, focus groups and structured, semistructured
and unstructured interviews. It asks what is the research basis of knowledge and how do we know
what we know? It prepares students to understand the nature of the research process, research ethics, the
politics of knowledge construction, and introduces students to the major research methodologies: quantitative
and qualitative research and their approaches to data analysis. Key research approaches such as positivism,
constructivism, ethnography, and critical social science will be understood through comparing their approaches to
researching a range of social issues including eating disorders, mental illness and bullying in the workplace.
Week 1: Introduction to Social Research: What is Knowledge and how do we know what we want?
Week 2: The Research Process
Week 3: Social Research Models and Techniques
Week 4: Collecting Quantitative Data
Week 5: Analysing Quantitative Data
Week 6: Collecting Qualitative Data
Midterm Break
Week 7: Analysing Qualitative Data