Individual and Society, Research Proposal Example

Symbolic interactionism is a theory in which the interactions between the people in society are guided by shared symbols such as language and culture. It stresses that the meaning brings about the understanding of society that people attach to events and interactions. The collected knowledge is furthered through language (Crawford & Novak, 2018). The principles of the symbolic interactionism theory are that society is made up of a group of people; they respond to various events according to the subjective meanings they have attached, leading to symbolic communication. Another vital principle involves establishing roles for the people using the symbols to facilitate effective interactions among them (Crawford & Novak, 2018). Within the framework, it is important to determine how symbols influence the outcomes of various individuals within a work environment. The approach of symbolic interactionism focuses on the relationship between various symbols and the outcomes within society; this is vital since many individuals interact with different symbols. Symbolic interactionism involves determining how symbols influence the outcomes of various individuals within a work environment. Also important is the interaction between symbolic systems and individual characters. The concepts that I will draw upon include subjective communication, subjective meanings, and responses by individuals. The research topic will be the role of the self in social interactions.

The research question for the topic is, ‘How do the symbolic meanings guide human interactions that individuals attach to the outside world?’ The research question is important since it seeks to answer questions related to the relationship between symbolic interactionism and the individuals using it. It is vital since different communities have different symbols that guide their interactions; the value of these symbols is critical to guiding the conversations and relationships between individuals. Further, the research question allows an exploration of how symbolic interactionism focuses on the relationship between various symbols and the outcomes within society; this is vital since many individuals interact with different symbols. The key thing that needs to be known about the topic is that the symbols in use are unique for each community. Further, they provide the opportunity to determine the interaction between various elements within society. Research by Denzin (2017) titled, ‘Symbolic interactionism and ethnomethodology’ found that symbolic interactionism focuses on the individual conduct with the form of social organization around them. In turn, societal relationships are determined by their relational rules that determine how individuals relate. Another research performed by Rubin and Moses (2017) titled ‘Athletic subculture within student-athlete academic centers’ found that social interactionism was fundamental when constructing a new culture for college students distinct from the school culture. Further, another research by Hampden-Thompson and Galindo (2017) titled ‘School–family relationships, school satisfaction, and the academic achievement of young people’ found that the schools provided an opportunity for the symbolic interaction between students and teachers, which was crucial in determining the values and beliefs that students held for most of their lives.

The research design will take a survey design to get the maximum information from the survey tools. The qualitative and quantitative data will be collected from the research participants. The quantitative data will provide numerical data for the study, while qualitative data will provide descriptive narratives about the phenomenon. The use of both data types will increase the range of data collected within the study. The surveys will be performed to gather the opinions and attitudes of the people involved in the study. The survey questions will be distributed via both email and physical platforms to increase the reach of the participants. The research will take on a mixed approach that will describe the various aspects of the study.

The selection of the research participants will also be made systematically, including the research participants’ quality to participate in the research. They will need to provide their informed consent to ensure the participants are aware of all the issues associated with the study. Further, the participants will also be required to fill the survey in its entirety since forms with unfilled data will be regarded as spoilt.

The research participants will be members of a population that will be sampled to identify social interactionism within their groups. Convenience sampling will be utilized to get the involvement of the members of the community. The method allows the identification of specific members of the community that have information about the phenomena under study. The study will also allow room for a pilot study that will collect preliminary data about challenges and other issues the researchers can expect from the study.

The data analysis will involve summarizing the data within excel sheets for easy understanding. Further, the data will also rely on SPSS to derive valuable information from the crude data. The summarized data will be used to provide suitable inferences for the research. The expected findings are that social interactionism has a significant effect on the language and the interactions of the community members.

The research will also involve a literature analysis to collect information about the current knowledge on the topic. The research to collect data from many authors researching the topic. The articles will be limited to within the last five years, and they need to be peer-reviewed. Data analysis will collect the findings from the research literature and analyze them via SPSS. The expected results are that group processes influence the relationships between people and their symbols.

References

Crawford, L. A., & Novak, K. B. (2018). Individual and society: Sociological social psychology. Routledge. https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2042&context=facsch_papers

Hampden-Thompson, G., & Galindo, C. (2017). School–family relationships, school satisfaction, and the academic achievement of young people. Educational Review, 69(2), 248-265. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2016.1207613

Rubin, L. M., & Moses, R. A. (2017). Athletic subculture within student-athlete academic centers. Sociology of Sport Journal, 34(4), 317-328. https://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2097/36197/SSJ%20preprint.pdf?sequence=1

Denzin, N. K. (2017). Symbolic interactionism and ethnomethodology. Everyday Life, 258-284.

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781351327329-11/symbolic-interactionism-ethnomethodology-norman-denzin