SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH REPORT: This will be your term paper. The report will
discuss the findings of interviews with three individuals who have worked in formal
organizations over an extended period of time (more than ten years). All three
individuals should work in different organizations. They can be family members or
family friends. By researching and writing this report, you will learn how to interview
people, analyze interview data to write a paper, learn about the working lives of people,
and perhaps most importantly, from an academic point of view, learn abstract thinking
as you relate your findings to the class materials. Do not submit questions/answers as
your paper. Your findings from the questions asked need to be summarized in your
paper.
Format of the report: Start with an introduction describing the respondents and their
work. Then trace their work-life history. What job did they first start out with? Did they
change their career? What different jobs have they had? Then discuss their current job.
What do they do at work? How do the work systems impede or help them accomplish
their work goals? What are the difficulties they face at work? Discuss their co-workers.
How much cooperation do they get from co-workers? How much of their work depends
on their co-workers’ contribution? How much support they get from their supervisor?
How is their performance evaluated and how does it affect their work, and their future?
What factors motivate them? What de-motivates them? What part of their job do they
enjoy the most and the least? What could be done to make their work a more enjoyable
experience? What could their organization or supervisors do to help them? What stops
the supervisors from helping them? What are the turf issues? What are their future
plans? Will they change careers? When do they plan to retire? What will they do after
they retire? What are the similarities and differences in the experiences of the three
respondents? You may add more questions.
It is necessary to find common themes from the topic Work or any other class materials
and the data you get from the interviews. In other words, you should be able to relate
your findings to the topics covered in class (abstract thinking).
