Introduction Research is one of the two major activities that are carried on within any academy discipline.

The other is theory construction . research is a pratical search for factual information or knowledge, and it is often carried out with thw purpose of discovering new information or confirming or rejecting an existing knowledge. Theory buiding on the other hand is an attempt to link and sensilble way to explain that phenomenom. Researcher provide the basis for constructing new theories as an opportunity for testing existing theories, while theories while theory inspire and guide pratical. Further more research produces facts about but without theoretical framework such fact can hardely be understood or meaniful. In the same way theories amount to mere unproven speculation without facts and theory verification is merely the sujection toempirical test of the fast embodied in a theory there fore, theory and research are part of constant cycle. To do sociology almost always means to do sociological research. The goal of research in doing sociological is to explain an or any aspect of society or social behaviour which he has formulated as his research problem. To explain a thing < and in our case a sociological event or phenomenom>is to arrive at an understading of the relationships of the case and effect. Experiment An experiment refers to a method of studying the relationship between twoo variables under carefully contoolle conditions. Experiment are of two types laboratory experiment which involves the manipulation of research variables in a regulated artificial environment and the field experiment which takes place outside the labouratory in the more normal setting of open society. Sociological experiment some times called social experiment rather than being a laboratory experiment is a field base. Here, the researcher take the reaseach out among the people <reseach subject> for example in the prison, hospital, courtroom, police station, the street, the factory etc. Instead of bringing his subject to a research labourtory. An experiment can be defined as an attempt to test hypothesis under highly controlled conditions established by an investigator. In an experimental situation the researcher directly contol the circumstances being studied. As compared with the natural sciences, the scope for experimentation in sociology is restricted. Only small group of individual colud be brough into the

labouratory settings, and in such experiments people know that they are being studied and may not behave naturaly, which is know as Hawthorne effect. Experiment influence of specific variables can be controlled by the invistigator, experiment are usually easier for subsequent reaseachers to repeat. It disadvantages is that many aspect of social life cannot be brought into the the labouratory, response of those studied may be affected by their experimental situation. The basis principle or concept of the experiment method <whether field or labourtory> consists in holding all variables constant with the exception of one<the independence variable> which is caused to vary with a view to determine its effects on others, this means that in a typical experimental situation, an independent variable is introduced into a carefull designed situation and its effect on a dependent variable is observed and received.

A survey A survey is often called social survey, is a method for systematically gathering standerlize information about a problem which a reasearcher wises to find an answer to. it a method for reaching scientific conclusion and generalization base on the finding derived from information obtained from an adequate sample or representative of some indetified mother population or universe. The survey method is acceptable as useful because the research sample generated for the study is drawn or selected randomly in such a way that it is typical or reprensentative of the that it is typical or representative of the larger population. It allow for precise comparison to be made between the answers of respondents, responses may be what people rather than actually believe. Suveys makes possible the efficient collection of data on large numbers of individuals, it limitation ia that these material gathered may be superficial; if questionnarre is migtly standerdised important differences between respondents viewpoint may be glosed over. The survey are also useful for the study of past of past event which cannot be replayed. In this case respondent may be asked to recall such event or action. The observational method

The observational method is another sociological research which is defined in a narrower sense of a data gathering tool refers to the systematic watching and listening to other peoples behaviour overtime and the recording of observations or findings in ways that permit some degree of analytic interperatation to observe means to examing with all of the senses on object, an individual, a group of people, a social process, an event etc with the objective of describing it. In an observational study, a social reality is intensively examined with a view to obtaining an accurate description and analysis of process. This means that the task of the observeris to provide a precise description of the social reality he observaserving and to analyse or explaine it byconnecting or tracing the various cause and effect relationship that make up that reality. Observation studies are much the same as experimental social reaseach in all respect but one. Both observational study and social experiment involve observation that is, carefull watching of envents and behaviour, while in the other hand, the observational study, the researcher does not attempt to influence what happening or what has already happened with the aim of establishing or identifying verifiable sequence and relation.\ Observation as a method of sociological investigating can take two form; participant and non participant observation. In the participant obsever method, the researcher takes part in the behaviour which he is observing. Through such direct participation the researcher gains much more insight insight into the social behaviour he is studying. It give more positon to understand the behaviour. In the non-participant observation method , the investigator observes the behaviours of others from the outside without actually participating in the behaviours behaviour being examined. A number of factors determine the choice of observation method which the investigator adopt for collecting his data, this incudes the nature of the problem being investigated The questionier can be simply describe as a set of written questions which are served on the respondents and which are completed by them. The reponses are usually written on the same papper as the questions. Illustration of the questionnaire include course registration forms, job application form, etc questionnaire are usually standerlize for respondent in a study.

The questionnaire is probabally the most used of the data-gathering devices. It also perhaps the most missued and abused, abused in the sense that many who choose to use it, do so without a proper understading of the underlying equipment of questionnaire take a good questionnaire take a good deal of time, it is considered as a lazy mans way of gaining information. Questionnaire have two basic types; structured and the unstructured questionnaires that call for short, check reponses are know as restricted or structured; they provide for marking a yes or no, a short response or checking an item from the list of suggested responses. The unstructured item form calls for a free response in the respondents own words, many questionnaire include both the structured and unstructured item forms. Each type has it mirrits and limitation, and the questionnaire builder must decide which type is merits and limitation and the questionnaire buider decide which type is more lively to supply the information he wants.

The focus group discussion (F.G.D The focus group discussion (F.G.D) is a form of group interview which relies on interaction within the selected group. However, there is less emphasis on the type of question and answer sequence that characterize typical interviews between group members. FSDs are usually organised for small groups of people (usually 6-12 persons). A facilitator or moderator (often the person). A facilitator or moderator (often the researcher) is usually appointed for FGDs whos main task is to guide the discussion and (insure that it does not degree too far for the topic). Focus group discussion are useful for obtaining baseline information about particular topics, and can be used for the design of more elaborate studies. As a rapid method of collecting information from large number of people . it can be useful in testing out ideas about new programmes and peoples responses to such programs FGDs are also good for tcollecting of information from many people at relatively cheap cost. However, while the group could ecourage people to open up, it may also inhibit the divergence of opinions as individual who have opinins which are are different from the group opinion may not be willing to express their divergence for fear of intimidation

Historical/content analysis A historical persperpective is often essential in sociological research. for we frequently need time perpective to make sense of materials we collect about a particular problem. Sociology commonly want to investigate past and event directly. Some periods of history can be studied in a direct way, while there are still survivors around such as inthe holocaust in erupe during the second world war. Research in oral history means interviewing people about events that witnessed at some point earliar in their lives. This kind of research work , obviously can only stretch at the most some sixty or sevently years back in time. For historicalresearch on an earlie period, sociologist are dependent on the use of ducumement and written records often contained in the special collections of liberies or national archives. r / Some time sociological researchers do find that their research problems can be solved using alredy existing data or information which can be subjected to secondary analysis. This means that the sociologist does not as as rule have to generate new data through one or a combination of the various research method earlier disscuss before he can answer his major research question. The needed information may already be existing in recorded form and all that the researcher requires to do is to access then, collect them, and analyse them In main cases, historical information may have been assemble with sociological research in mind, but they nonetheless often proved useful for that purpose.

References Lai olurode and omulolu second edition Anthony giddens, mitcheel dunnier, Richard appelbaum; intoducton to sociology fifth edition Professor eddiefloyd maduabuchi igbo ; basic sociology Onigu itite and w. ogionwo and an introduction to sociological studies second edition

Anthony giddens sociology fi edition