Fall, 2005 (Roos, Soc. 501)

Assignment 3: Elaboration Model (due October 19th)

This assignment gives you the opportunity to fix errors in Assignment 2, and to interpret a trivariate table (review class notes and Babbie reading on the elaboration paradigm and how to interpret crosstabs). Use what you can from Assignment 2, if relevant, but rewrite.

Computer work: Run at least one bivariate table between your major dependent and major independent variable. Elaborate that original relationship (via the elaboration paradigm) by adding in a test variable (i.e., run a trivariate table).

Writeup: Think final project. Translate what you wrote in Assignment 2 and your new results into something that begins to resemble a research report.

Write up a first draft of an introduction for your final paper. What led you to be interested in the topic you have chosen? What literature, if any, can you draw upon to address the substantive issues you raise? [You should begin to do some library research on your topic, to determine what literature exists out there on your topic. I don't expect this to be done for Ass. 3, but you should get going on this. Doing a full literature review will be the major task of Assignment 4.]

Write up a first draft of a methods section for your final paper. Many research reports divide the methods section into a Data subsection (where you describe your data set), and a Methods subsection (where you describe exactly how you went about operationalizing your variables, any recoding you did, ranges for your variables, etc.). Remember, you want the reader to be able to redo your analyses if he/she wants to. Pick up any recent sociology journal to get an idea of how research articles are structured.

In an analysis section (label it with a substantive title), include at least two tables--the bivariate table showing the original relationship and the trivariate table showing the elaborated relationship. Number and label them correctly. Interpret these tables. Remember, the elaboration model is just a tool to help you to understand the nature of the causal relationship you are investigating, so don't be literal in how you use it (i.e., you seldom see researchers mention the elaboration model or use the specific elaboration terms--replication, explanation, interpretation, specification). Rather, use your theory and substantive expectations to guide your comparisons and interpretations.

Must be typewritten. Try for about 4-5 pages MAX. Include tables written in Word or Excel.