2 Social Science Research Methods

Question 1

Why do we need social research?

Answer 1

So we answer questions about social life better. e.g. If people knew more about the risks of smoking, would they still smoke?

Question 2

What are the 2 main groups of social research?

Answer 2

i) Quantitative

ii) Qualitative

Question 3

What is QUANTITATIVE research?

Answer 3

Collection of NUMERICAL DATA. Beings with a hypothesis which is either rejected or accepted. Allows conclusions to be drawn between variables. Sometimes the relationship is CAUSAL.

Question 4

What are examples of QUANTITATIVE study types?

Answer 4

RCTs, Cohort, Case-Control and Cross-sectional studies

Question 5

What makes a good questionnaire design?

Answer 5

VALID - measure what they’re supposed to.

RELIABLE - measure things consistently. Differences in responses are because of difference in the views of participants NOT because of inconsistencies of understanding of the questionnaire.

Question 6

How can you ensure RELIABILITY and VALIDITY of a questionnaire?

Answer 6

Use a PUBLISHED questionnaire, which has already had these established.

Question 7

Questionnaires can be SELF COMPLETED or ADMINISTERED. What problems could be found with administered questionnaires?

Answer 7

How are the questions being asked? Tone etc - are the participants being led, leading to bias?

Question 8

What are the pros of a quantitative method?

Answer 8

Good at measuring and describing relationships between things and allowing comparison.

Question 9

What are the weakness/drawbacks of using a quantitative method?

Answer 9

May force people into categories that are a BEST FIT rather than what they actually think.
It may not access all the important information. ie.actual cause may not be asked about
May not effectively establish causality.

Question 10

What is the function of QUALITATIVE RESEARCH?

Answer 10

Aims to make sense of the phenomena in terms of meanings people bring to them.
Allows people to say exactly what they mean. Emphasises meaning and experience of the respondents

Question 11

What are the 4 main methods of observational research?

Answer 11

1. OBSERVATION and ETHNOGRAPHY
2. INTERVIEWS
3. FOCUS GROUPS
4. DOCUMENT & MEDIA ANALYSIS

Question 12

What is ETHNOGRAPHY & OBSERVATION. How do they apply to qualitative research?

Answer 12

ETHNOGRAPHY- the study of human behaviour in its natural context.

Observe people and see what they actually do and not what they say they’re going to do.

You can do this 2 ways:
PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
NON-PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION

Allows the researcher to record detail that the participant may have deemed too irrelevant/minute to mention when questioned.

Question 13

What are the disadvantages to observation and ethnography?

Answer 13

Labour intensive

Normally has to be combined with one of the other 4 research methods

Question 14

How are INTERVIEWS used in qualitative research?

Answer 14

• SEMI STRUCTURED
  Prompt guide, clear agenda

Emphasis on getting the PARTICIPANT’S PERSPECTIVE

Question 15

How can FOCUS GROUPS be used for qualitative research?

Answer 15

Gain an insight into the PERSPECTIVE of the group.

Question 16

Why might focus groups not be suitable for a research topic? Why might they not be the best choice?

Answer 16

Sensitive topic - deviant views may be inhibited.

Can be difficult to arrange
If the group has a hierarchy, views may be suppressed.
Need the group to be as HOMOGENOUS as possible
A good FACILITATOR is needed!

Question 17

How can documents and media be used for qualitative research?

Answer 17

Documents e.g. medical records and patient diaries used to find answers.

Question 18

How is qualitative data analysed?

Answer 18

Analysis can often be quite LABOUR INTENSIVE.

An INDUCTIVE approach is taken, where THEMES are identified and data is assigned to these themes.

Question 19

How are the approaches to qualitative and quantitative research different?

Answer 19

Qualitative= INDUCTIVE - you identify themes and the supporting evidence. 
Quantitative= DEDUCTIVE, from the numerical data, you deduce if the evidence supports the hypothesis.

Question 20

What is QUALITATIVE research good for?

Answer 20

Understanding the PERSPECTIVE of those in a situation.
EXPLAINING the relationship between variables, not just identifying them.
ACCESSING information not easily accessed by quantitative methods

Question 21

What is QUALITATIVE research not good for?

Answer 21

Identifying the relationships between variables, better at explaining them.
The findings cannot be EXTRAPOLATED or GENERALISED. They are SPECIFIC to those participating and it would be dangerous to make more general inferences from such a small sample.

Question 22

How can QUALITATIVE research be appraised?

Answer 22

TRANSPARENCY is key! Transparency of METHODS, SAMPLING and ANALYSIS.
CASP tool: RIGOUR, CREDIBILITY, RELEVANCE.