Alabama Social Studies SS24.S.2a
The Standard
- SS24.S.2
- Explain methods and tools of research used by sociologists.*
Differentiate between qualitative and quantitative research methods, giving examples of each.*
2024 Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies · Sociology Overview
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students use counts to answer how many and people's words to explain why. They choose a way to collect evidence for a question about social behavior.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given a tally of bus riders and written reasons for taking the bus, students identify which evidence is numerical and which gives context. They explain what each can answer.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may call every survey quantitative, even when they are analyzing written answers for themes. They may assume an interview tells them how common a behavior is across a whole school.
How to Assess It
- Ask: A principal wants to know how many students eat school lunch and why some skip it. Write one question that collects numbers and one that collects written explanations.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Hand out slips asking students to circle their route to school and write why; tally routes and sort written reasons into themes.
Ask pairs: Would a tally of bus riders tell us why students take the bus? Have them use sample responses to defend their answer.
Make cards with survey tallies, interview quotes, and observation notes; teams sort them by data type and explain one disputed card.
Draw a bus ridership chart and write two rider comments about delays; students choose which evidence helps set schedules and which explains complaints.
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Printable SS24.S.2a Worksheet
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Related Standards
- SS24.HS.5
Differentiate between primary and secondary sources on the subject and evaluate the quality of evidence each type yields.
- SS24.S.2
Explain methods and tools of research used by sociologists.*
- SS24.HS.6
Compare historical methods utilized for research and evaluate how these methods yield information regarding the selected historical subject.
- SS24.P.2
Describe methodologies, research tools, and strategies used by researchers in psychological studies.*
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