Indiana Social Studies S.1.5
The Standard
Identify the research methods commonly used by sociologists including survey research, content/historical analysis, secondary analysis, controlled experiments, observation, participant observation, and case study. Explain the strengths and weaknesses of each.
2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify survey research, content or historical analysis, secondary analysis, controlled experiments, observation, participant observation, and case studies. They explain what each method can show and what it might miss.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students can name the method used in a brief study description. Given a new research question, they choose a method and explain a specific strength and weakness.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may confuse watching a group with joining it as a participant observer. They may treat reused survey data as a new survey or assume one case study represents everyone.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: A researcher joins a school club for a month to study how members choose leaders. Name the method, one strength, one weakness, and how it differs from watching club meetings without joining.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Have pairs tally classroom seating patterns, then collect anonymous answers to 'Why did you sit there?' and compare what the two sources reveal.
Ask: 'Would joining a club reveal more about its rules than watching meetings from the back? What bias might joining introduce?'
Deal seven method cards; students match each to cafeteria polls, archived posts, census tables, randomized seating, hallway watching, joining a club, or one-family interviews.
Show a local news poll and a census table; ask which method each uses and why neither proves what caused a trend.
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Printable S.1.5 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- S.7.4
Conduct research and analysis on an issue associated with social structure or social institutions.
- S.1.3
Illustrate the relationship of sociology to the other social science disciplines, including history, economics, psychology, and political science.
- P.1.2
Differentiate between research methods including descriptive, correlational, and experimental methods, decide when to use each, and differentiate between correl...
- S.1.4
Explain the major theoretical perspectives (paradigms) common to sociology including structural functional, symbolic interaction, and conflict theory. Demonstra...
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