Research methods in social science

¶ … social group, there are going to be issues that many members of the group will have in common. While at the same time, there could be issues that highlight the overall differences between the different groups of people involved in a particular program. In the case of those families that are involved in various public assistance programs such as welfare, the similarities and differences between the groups can be confusing. In order to indentify those moral issues that were most important to those who are in this program, the article Society for the Study of Social Problems has indentified different problems / ethical issues that are faced by respondents. To fully understand the overall scope of the challenges faced by this program, the authors conducted a study by looking at the obstacles faced by women in Boston, Chicago and San Antonio. Where, the lives of: Latinos, African-Americans and Caucasians were examined. (Dominguez, 2003) as a result, the authors were able to identify a number of different issues facing single mothers and women who are involved in this program. It is through examining these different issues that were identified; that will provide the greatest insights as to what are the biggest ethical challenges facing recipients and the program.

Gaining Access

The way that researchers were able to gain access was to interview five different families from each ethnic group. All of the recipients were women that were receiving some form of public assistance, who had children. The respondents were chosen by visiting various community outreach programs and interviewing possible families, among the general public. To identify what issues were most important to the different families; researchers would interact with them through: various government programs monitor their daily activities and attending family / social functions with respondents. Then, a series of one on one interviews would take place at the home of respondent, where researchers would ask what aspects of the program were most frustrating to each family. Together, these different elements provided the greatest insights as to what challenges were facing many of those recipients of public assistance. (Dominguez, 2003)

Establishing Relations with Members

To establish relations with members, the authors conducted this study between 2000 and 2001. Where, there were a series of different interviews that took place, as the time and location that were most convenient to respondents were taken into account. The idea was to make everyone as comfortable as possible, so that they could freely discuss what are the most common issues. (Dominguez, 2003)

Leveling the Field

The way that field was leveled, was to randomly select five different families from three different ethnic groups. At which point, the authors conducted a series of interviews to determine, what challenges are facing recipients of the program. This is significant because it allows researchers to be able to accurately sample, the various issues that most families on public assistance are going through. Over the course of time, this information could be used to help identify why some families do not have the same upward economic mobility compared to others. (Dominguez, 2003)

Critique and Integration

The article identified several ethical issues that could affect someone's ability to be able to successfully improve their standards of living these would include: the constant renegotiation of the living arrangements and the ability of respondents to cling to old social support networks. In all of the families surveyed, researchers discovered that many families / friends will form social support networks. This is when the different family members will live together in the same household and pool their different resources together. The problem arises, in that the various family / social members will have to constantly renegotiate living arrangements. This is problematic, because such volatile living conditions can mean that recipients are not focused on improving their standard of living. Instead, they become caught up in petty disputes because of this constant renegotiation. The dilemma arises where there are no alternatives for people who are on this program as they are forced to between social support groups or the program itself. Where, the program can provide assistance to individuals such as: moral support. However, if economic conditions change, they face the possibility of budget cuts. While the social support groups, provide constant renegotiation between members. As a result, many recipients who are receiving various forms of public assistance are caught between two different forms of support, none of which can provide them with what they need to improve their lives. (Dominguez, 2003)