Social Research Methods Sahar Thariani
Paper II Section 01
Introduction and Data Source
Attending college is slowly changing from what was once considered a rare opportunity to a staple part of what constitutes an education today. As the number of colleges has also inflated, and means of attending college expanded, such as Internet based universities, the number of people attaining a higher-level education has also increased. This paper attempts to test and analyze fifty American states and conclude upon factors within states that may give an individual a better chance of being college educated. The three variables being tested in this research include median household income, race and Internet access. In order to do this, statistical data had to be gathered for all the states, these fifty being my unit of analysis. To ensure accurate results, the statistical data had to be collected from a reliable source. The numbers used as indicators of educational achievement and households with Internet access were obtained from the official website of the U.S Census Bureau. A governmental institution, well known for its detailed statistics on every state, provided a set of figures that would be most reliable. Data for median household income for each state and population distribution by gender was acquired by an organization referenced by Professor Han ...