6.3 - Types of Research Methods

Question 1

LONGITUDINAL SURVEY

Answer 1

Studying the same group of people over a long period of time. E.G. The National Child Development Study

Question 2

QUESTIONNAIRES

Answer 2

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.

Question 3

STRENGTHS

Answer 3

• 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

Question 4

WEAKNESSES

Answer 4

• 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

Question 5

STRUCTURED INTERVIEW

Answer 5

Interviewer reads out a list of closed questions from a schedule and writes down the respondents answer.

Question 6

STRENGTHS

Answer 6

• 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

Question 7

WEAKNESSES

Answer 7

• 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

Question 8

OFFICIAL STATISTICS

Answer 8

Numerical data gathered by the government, E.G. Through the Census

Question 9

UNOFFICIAL STATISTICS

Answer 9

Quantitative data collected by non-government sources, E.G. Employers

Question 10

STRENGTHS

Answer 10

• 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

Question 11

WEAKNESSES

Answer 11

• 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

Question 12

CONTENT ANALYSIS

Answer 12

Sociologist creates a schedule of things they are looking for and records how often the thing occurs.

Question 13

STRENGTHS

Answer 13

• cheap
• comparative method
• can be longitudinal
• reliable

Question 14

WEAKNESSES

Answer 14

• time consuming
• subjective
• cannot be assumed that the media has an affect on its audiences
• may only reveal the producer’s personal beliefs

Question 15

ETHNOGRAPHY

Answer 15

The researcher inserts them self into the natural setting of the social group and participates/observes their daily activities.

Question 16

UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEWS

Answer 16

Informal conversation that is flexible and is carried out in the respondent’s natural setting.

Question 17

STRENGTHS

Answer 17

• 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’

Question 18

WEAKNESSES

Answer 18

• 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

Question 19

FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEW

Answer 19

Participants are encouraged to discuss an issue with each other with minimal interference from the sociologist.

Question 20

SEMI STRUCTURED INTERVIEW

Answer 20

An interview with a mix of open and closed questions.

Question 21

NON-PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION

Answer 21

Researcher observes the group whilst playing no active role in their activity. It often has a schedule that focuses on paticular types of behaviour.

Question 22

PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION

Answer 22

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

Question 23

STRENGTHS

Answer 23

• 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

Question 24

WEAKNESSES

Answer 24

• 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

Question 25

TRIANGULATION

Answer 25

Combing research methods to verify validity.

Question 26

METHODOLOGICAL PLURALISM

Answer 26

Combining primary and secondary methods AND collecting quantitative and qualitative data.