6.3 - Types of Research Methods Flashcards
LONGITUDINAL SURVEY
Studying the same group of people over a long period of time. E.G. The National Child Development Study
QUESTIONNAIRES
List of questions written that the respondent completes them self. They can have open or closed questions, a combination of both is called a semi structured questionnaire.
STRENGTHS
- reach a larger and more representative sample
- high in reliability
- postal questionnaires reach a graphically dispersed sample
- cheap and quick
- guarantee anonymity
- sociologist has minimal contact with the respondent so they do not directly influence their answers
- produces quantitative data
WEAKNESSES
- low response rates
- low in validity because real life is too complex to categorise
- low in validity because respondents may misunderstand questions
- people may lie
- closed questions lead to imposition problem
STRUCTURED INTERVIEW
Interviewer reads out a list of closed questions from a schedule and writes down the respondents answer.
STRENGTHS
- scientific and reliable
- produces quantitative data
- pre-set questions means it can be conducted quickly which increases chances of a large representative sample
- interviewer can clarify questions
- high response rates
WEAKNESSES
- interviews are not part of everyday reality so people may reply with evasive information (INTERVIEW BIAS)
- tone of voice and gestures can affect answers
- researcher’s social characteristics affect answers
- inflexible due to the schedule so cannot follow interesting leads
- closed questions = imposition problem
- it relies on people remembering or being conscious of their behaviour, but people may forget
- doesn’t show changes over time
OFFICIAL STATISTICS
Numerical data gathered by the government, E.G. Through the Census
UNOFFICIAL STATISTICS
Quantitative data collected by non-government sources, E.G. Employers
STRENGTHS
- easy and cheap to access
- up to date
- reliable facts because they have been collected scientifically
- statistical relationships can be compared
- they have a large representative sample so generalisations can be made
- trends over time can be seen
- often form the hypothesis
WEAKNESSES
- do not reflect social or sociological problems
- may have been manipulated by governments for political advantage
- they are socially constructed, E.G. government will publish stats on benefit fraud but not tax evasion
CONTENT ANALYSIS
Sociologist creates a schedule of things they are looking for and records how often the thing occurs.
STRENGTHS
- cheap
- comparative method
- can be longitudinal
- reliable
WEAKNESSES
- time consuming
- subjective
- cannot be assumed that the media has an affect on its audiences
- may only reveal the producer’s personal beliefs
ETHNOGRAPHY
The researcher inserts them self into the natural setting of the social group and participates/observes their daily activities.
UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
Informal conversation that is flexible and is carried out in the respondent’s natural setting.
STRENGTHS
- can establish rapport
- respondents are more likely to open up about sensitive experiences
- can follow up interesting leads
- anonymity is guaranteed
- highly valid and ‘speaks for itself’
WEAKNESSES
- can be biased as the researcher publishes data that supports their hypothesis
- impossible to quantify and categorise
- fewer participants so not a representative sample
- difficult to generalise
- expensive and time consuming
- dependent on what people/know remember about their behaviour
FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEW
Participants are encouraged to discuss an issue with each other with minimal interference from the sociologist.
SEMI STRUCTURED INTERVIEW
An interview with a mix of open and closed questions.
NON-PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
Researcher observes the group whilst playing no active role in their activity. It often has a schedule that focuses on paticular types of behaviour.
PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
Researcher immersed them-self into the lifestyle of the group.
OVERT- Group know they are being observed
COVERT- Researcher conceals the fact that they are doing research
STRENGTHS
- sociologist can experience verstehen which makes the results highly valid
- researcher is seeing exactly what people are doing in their natural setting
- what the researcher observes is first hand and not what they believe is important
- can reveal changes in attitudes/behaviour over time
- covert PO is good for hard to reach groups
- produces qualitative data
WEAKNESSES
- overt PO can lead to the Hawthorne Effect
- sociologists may ‘go native’ and get attached to the group which makes the observations biases
- it is a micro study so ignores the influence of structural factors
- can be dangerous (KEN PRYCE)
- time consuming and expensive
- recording observations is difficult in covert PO without arousing suspicion
- not reliable
- small and unrepresentative sample so not possible to generalise
- covert means the group cannot consent to being observed
TRIANGULATION
Combing research methods to verify validity.
METHODOLOGICAL PLURALISM
Combining primary and secondary methods AND collecting quantitative and qualitative data.
