This is an observation research paper. Your task is to come up with a hypothesis, and then to test it out scientifically. For example, say I were to hypothesize that more men than women will check eggs before buying them. I am interested in this behavior because gender stratification interests me. My research would consist of going to grocery stores and actually observing the behavior, making notes and then seeing if I was right or wrong. This is also called proving or disproving a hypothesis. Use the outline I am providing. If you have a good hypothesis and you follow the outline, you will have no problems with this assignment OUTLINE FOR OBSERVATIONAL RESEARCH PAPER I: INTRODUCTION What are you researching? Why? Clearly state your hypothesis here. II: SETTING Where are you? BE VERY DESCRIPTIVE! If you are in a room (for example) I want to know every detail, from the color of the walls to the number of ceiling tiles. This section is usually the longest and it teaches you observation techniques crucial in any sort of social science research. III: METHODOLOGY What did you do? How did you measure your research? For example, If I am observing egg buying behavior, I will state where I was, how long I was there, how many people I observed, how I charted them, etc.. (Your chart goes here.) IV: FINDINGS This is where you state what you found out. Did you prove or disprove your Hypothesis? This is the area wherein your statistics lie. V: CONCLUSION This is your place to be descriptive and creative. How did these findings affect you? Is there any room for future research? Did the research bring up any new questions? As for a weekly schedule: FOLLOW THE WEEKS ON E-LEARNING. Everything is right there for you.
