2.1 Intro to Research Methods

Question 1

What is PRIMARY DATA?

Answer 1

Information collected by sociologists for their own purposes. These can include trying to gain a first-hand picture of a group or society to test hypothesis.

Question 2

Examples of PRIMARY data

Answer 2

Social Surveys (written questionnaires or interviews), Participant observations, Experiments

Question 3

Advantage of PRIMARY data

Answer 3

Primary data is advantageous because it can gather precisely for the needs of the hypothesis/ study.

Question 4

Disadvantage of PRIMARY data

Answer 4

But it can be very time consuming and costly.

Question 5

What is SECONDARY DATA?

Answer 5

Information that has been created by someone else for their own purposes, which Sociologists then use for their own research.

Question 6

Examples of SECONDARY data

Answer 6

Official statistics (produced by the government), Documents (letters, diaries, newspapers etc.

Question 7

Advantage of SECONDARY data

Answer 7

Secondary data is advantageous as it can be a quick and cheap way of doing research.

Question 8

Disadvantage of SECONDARY data

Answer 8

But the original researcher may not have researched exactly what is needed.

Question 9

What is QUALITATIVE data?

Answer 9

Gives you a feel for what something is like, for example what it feels like to get divorced. This type of data can be collected by using methods such as participant observations, where you can get a sense of what it feels like to be a member of a group. In-depth interview can also gather this type of data and give us an insight into what it is like to be in that persons ‘shoes’.

Question 10

What is QUANTITATIVE DATA?

Answer 10

Information in numerical form. An example of quantitative data would include official statistics on how many girls pass 5 or more GCSEs.
Information collected from opinion polls and market researchers often comes in the form of quantitative data – e.g. the number of the electorate intending to vote.

Question 11

Examples of QUALITATIVE data

Answer 11

Word based data:
• Observations
• Diaries
• Unstructured interviews
• Group interviews
• Field experiments
• Open ended questionnaires

Question 12

Examples of QUANTITATIVE data

Answer 12

Number based data:
• Lab experiments
• Official Statistics • Closed questionnaires
• Structured interviews

Question 13

QUALITATIVE: who likes it?

Answer 13

INTERPRETIVISTS:

Validity- as they have the chance to tell the truth

Question 14

QUANTITATIVE: who likes it?

Answer 14

POSITIVISTS

Reliable- easy to repeat over and over.
Representative- as it can be generalised to a larger proportion

Question 15

PRACTICAL factors influencing choice of method

Answer 15

Time and Money

Requirements of Funding Bodies

Personal Skills/Characteristics

Subject Matter

Research Opportunities

Question 16

ETHICAL factors influencing choice of method

Answer 16

INFORMED CONSENT

CONFIDENTIALITY AND ANONYMITY

HARM TO PARTICIPANTS

VULNERABLE GROUOS

COVERT RESEARCH

Question 17

THEORETICAL factors influencing choice of method

Answer 17

VALIDITY

RELIABILITY

REPRESENTATIVENESS

Question 18

METHODOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE: Positivists

Answer 18

POSITIVISTS - prefer quantitative data and seek to discover patterns of behaviour and see sociology as a science. Functionalists and Marxists take a positivist approach they see society as macro/ structural.
Positivists like their research to be reliable and representative

Positivist:
Scientific
Likes experiments.
Likes data that can give them pattens to look at like graphs.
See sociology as a science.
Likes Quantitative data.

Question 19

METHODOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE: Interpretivists

Answer 19

INTERPRETIVISTS - prefer qualitative data because they seek to understand social actors’ meanings and reject the idea that sociology can be scientific.
Interactionists favour interpretivist approaches, they take a micro level view of society and so focus on small scale.
Interpretivists value validity.

Interpretivist:
• Not Scientific
Ikes interviews
Likes data that gives them deep insight into feelings of the participant.
• Sociology is not a science.
Likes Qualitative data.

Question 20

factors influencing choice of TOPIC

Answer 20

SOCIOLOGISTS PERSPECTIVE

SOCIETY’S VALUES

PRACTICAL FACTORS

FUNDING BODIES

Question 21

Process of Research

Answer 21

Hypothesis
Research Method
Pilot Study
Sample
Research
Analysis of Data

Question 22

What is a SAMPLE?

Answer 22

A group that represent the population of your study, usually selected from a sampling frame (full list of population e.g. registers)

Question 23

Purpose of SAMPLING?

Answer 23

Generalisations: general statements and conclusion that apply to the population

Question 24

What is RANDOM SAMPLING?

Answer 24

Randomly selecting participants e.g. out of a hat or randomly-generated choice by computer.
Each member of the target population has an equal chance of being in the sample.

Question 25

What is QUASI-RANDOM/SYSTEMATIC SAMPLING?

Answer 25

For example, choosing every 4th name. Still random, but not every name on the sampling
frame has an equal chance of being chosen.

Question 26

What is STRATIFIED-RANDOM SAMPLING?

Answer 26

Method of sampling that involves the division of a population into smaller sub-groups known
as strata. E.g. colour of starburst

Question 27

What is QUOTA SAMPLING?

Answer 27

Quota sampling is defined as a non-probability sampling method in which researchers create
a sample involving individuals that represent a population (e.g. Choosing more red as more
red in the packet)

Question 28

What is SNOWBALL SAMPLING?

Answer 28

Snowball sampling is where existing study subjects recruit future subjects from among their acquaintances.

Question 29

What is OPPORTUNITY SAMPLING?

Answer 29

Opportunity sampling is where a researcher selects participants based on their availability
e.g. standing on the street asking passers by to join the research. This is a quick and easy way to access a sample