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This paper presents an investigation of the research methods curriculum in public sector sociology courses. It is based on an analysis of CNAA course documents for degrees in sociology and the social sciences, and undertaken with the aim of contributing to the current debate on the content of the undergraduate curriculum in sociology. The survey results suggest several trends in curricular policy: in particular an increasing emphasis on practical competence and familiarity with procedures and techniques, and a greater recognition of `methodological pluralism', although qualitative methods are still given only a marginal place in many courses. There was little evidence of progress in the teaching of quantitative skills, nor was computing yet seen to be a core element of the curriculum. The documents also revealed a continuing problem over the place of methods teaching as a whole in relation to other parts of the curriculum as reflected both in time allocation and in assessment weighting. It is argued that if the claims of sociology to practical and vocational relevance are to become genuine for students wishing to pursue research in a variety of careers, then research methods teaching needs to be brought out of the ghetto. It is the contention of the authors that this is not just a pragmatic consideration: such a change would also benefit sociology as a discipline.

This study describes the objectives, structures, and outcomes of a one-semester, required sociology research capstone course as taught at three institutions. Pre- and postquestionnaires from students, syllabi from instructors, and a random sample of final research papers were analyzed. Results indicate that the main foci of the course are to conduct research, produce a paper or thesis, develop writing and presentation skills, and integrate past learning. Instruction in this course includes numerous best practices from the literature on teaching and learning. There appears to be an underemphasis, however, on helping students to apply theory in their projects. The theses reveal a wide range of topics, methodological approaches, and quality, with the introduction/literature review and discussion/conclusion sections receiving the lowest quality scores.

Students often identify research methods classes as one of the most difficult and intimidating classes of their academic career. The objectives of this study were twofold. The first was to ascertain whether the use of group-centered, collaborative learning would improve student mastery of material compared to traditional, lecture-based classes. The second objective was to examine a possible differential impact of collaborative learning by race. The study measured students' mastery of basic concepts in research methods as well as their application of the material to novel situations by comparing their competence at the beginning to their performance on the same measures at the midterm and final exams. Findings highlight the importance of examining race as a factor in the study of the effectiveness of collaborative learning and, more specifically, point to a need to further test the hypothesis that collaborative learning pedagogy techniques can ameliorate race-based achievement gaps in student performance.

Several leaders in Chinese (P.R.C.) sport sociology describe the development of the discipline since 1980, when access to Western scholarship stimulated its emergence. They summarize topics which have been explored in papers and research studies: sport and politics, determining China's "sport population," small group structure in physical education classes, and attitudes toward physical activity among young people. They discuss the importance of the State in setting directives for the development of physical culture, and examine the current recruiting problems among sports schools as youngsters have become reluctant to pursue sports careers. Finally, important organizations and symposiums are listed. The authors conclude with suggestions for the future development of Chinese sport sociology.

SummaryContributions of Rural Sociology Research and Evaluation to Extension Development in the United StatesThe development of rural sociology in the United States as a scientific discipline corresponds in time to the development of extension work (advisory services). An understanding of the characteristics of the extension services among the states and of changes made over time facilitates understanding the contributions of rural sociology to extension development in the United States. The institutional setting in which rural sociology has developed also helps to explain the contributions which the discipline has made to extension.Five categories of sociological contributions to extension may be identified. In the broadest sense, sociology contributes 'understanding' to extension about problems, situations requiring policy decisions, and about extension itself. In the narrowest sense, sociology may contribute a single item of data or a specific methodological technique which may be utilized for extension purposes.The five categories of contributions are: (i) understanding of basic concepts relevant to extension, such as adoption and diffusion of new farm ideas and practices, social action, leadership, locality groups, and informal groups; (2) techniques ‐ developed by sociological research ‐ which may be applied by extension, such as locality group identification and delineation techniques and the sociometric technique for locating informal groups and their leaders; (3) understanding of general problem situations about which broad policy decisions must be made for the extension system; (4) understanding of specific problem situations about which operating or procedural decisions must be made; and (5) research on the extension system itself, along with evaluation of the extension organization, program, methods, and results. Included in the last category is sociological research and evaluation of basic experimental approaches or programs undertaken by extension. Illustrations of these contributions are cited.The direction of changes made by extension has created increased need for sociological knowledge.

Featuring research from settings as diverse as rural China, Germany and the United States, as well as two cross-national comparative studies, this insightful volume demonstrates that many educational issues (including student victimization and STEM outcomes) are not limited to specific societies but are relevant worldwide

From the vantage point of forty years in social research and the study of families, Julia Brannen offers an invaluable account of how research is conducted and 'matters' at particular times. This fascinating work covers key developments in the field that remain of vital concern to society and demonstrates how social research is an art as well as a science - a process that involves craft and creativity.

Sociology Reference Guide: Research & -- Evaluation Methods -- Contents -- Introduction -- Designing a Research Project -- Hypothesis Construction -- Field Data Collection -- Surveys in Sociology Research -- Sampling -- Experiments -- Reliability -- Qualitative Research Methods -- Quantitative & -- Qualitative Analysis -- Sociology & -- Probability Theory -- Variables in Sociological Research -- Confidence Intervals -- Correlation -- Analysis of Secondary Data -- Inferential Statistics -- Descriptive Statistics -- The Misuse of Statistics -- Research Ethics in Sociology.