chapter 2 Flashcards
research methods
Social research methods
The toolset that sociologists draw from in order to learn about, understand, and contribute to social life.
What are the five main goals of sociological inquiry? Explain as necessary.
- Enumeration and description - census data collection to lay out basic characteristics of society.
- Prediction
- Explanation
- Debunking
- Social Justice
In relation to the social processes, what is the job of a sociologist?
- describe
- examine
- and critique
the processes to make the knowledge more reliable and less prone to bias.
What is the seven step cycle of a research process?
- Identifying an area of study
- Formulating a research problem and questions
- Conducting a literature review
- Developing a research design
- Collecting and analyzing data
- Write-up and dissemination
- Critical reflection
Why is the literature review step of a research process important?
- Allows the researcher to understand what has been researched already
- Can further clarify the significance of the study
What are three guiding principles or formulating a research question?
- Clarity
- Specificity
- Feasibility
Variable
A measurable attribute or characteristic.
Operationalization
The process of measuring and comparing an abstract theoretical concept.
Quantitative methods
Reliance on numerical values obtained through surveys.
Primack and others (2017) conducted a quantitative study about social media, what were the findings?
The study established a correlation between frequency of use of social media and reported feelings of social isolation.
What are two important concepts to be relied on when establishing trustworthiness of a study?
- Reliability
- Validity
What is a concern when using quantitative research to draw conclusions and implement policies that affect the government’s allocation of funds? Who established this concern?
- it misses the complexity of everyday life.
- Walter and Andersen (2013)
Qualitative methods
Examines characteristics that cannot be reduced to numerical values.
Saturation
When no new data is gained from additional data analysis.
Triangulation
Involves comparing and contrasting data from varied sources.
Mixed methods
Combines the strengths of different data collection and analysis approaches.
According to Creswell, when are mixed methods necessary?
- Enable more diverse findings of a single phenomenon
- Confirm quantitative findings with qualitative data
- Better contextualize quantitative instruments and measures
- Combine small-scale and trend data
What are two challenges faced with mixed methods?
- Time consuming
- Requires a scholar to have expertise in both approaches
What are three popular places for sociologists to present their work?
- International Sociological Association
- American Sociological Association
- Canadian Sociological Association
What are two mandates of public sociology?
- To study questions of public relevance
- Engage with the public and disseminate their work widely
Cross-sectional approaches
Looking at social phenomena at one point in time and are not concerned with change.
Longitudinal approaches
Taking into account that the social world is dynamic therefore the study of change is critical.
What are three aspects of a conflict theorists approach to social research?
- Using methods that uncover and clarify inequalities
- Questions and critically examine who determines what counts as knowledge
- Researchers critically reflect and question their own role
What are three aspects of a symbolic interactionists approach to social research?
- A goal of developing methodologies to study everyday and forced social order
- Uncovers the role of symbols and their meanings
- Use of ethnomethodology
Ethnomethodology
The study of how individuals form common sense from their understanding of the everyday world.
Dorothy E. Smith (canadian sociologist, 1990) developed institutional ethnography to uncover what?
The processes, relations, and biases within an institution that shape everyday lives.
Standpoint theory
Proposes that we view the world from different social locations.
What work was published that laid out the foundation for an ethnomethodological approach?
Studies in Ethnomethodology (1967) by Garfinkel
What are three strengths of survey research?
- Questions are standardized
- Answers consist of predetermined categories
- Data from a large sample group can be obtained
The Canadian census consist of two parts, what are they?
- A brief survey regarding basic information
- The National Household survey
Ethnography
Researchers fully immerse themselves in a setting and observes participants.
Alice Goffman conducted an ethnographic study in Chicago, what was the premise of the study?
She integrated herself into a low income community by befriending young black men that were members of a gang.
What is the goal of participatory action research?
To effect social change through either:
1. increased awareness
or
2. the implementation of new social practices
Photovoice
Participatory research; the researcher aims to understand the lived experiences of marginalized peoples through their own expression of that experience.
Logan and Murdie conducted a study in 2016 through the method of photovoice, what did this study entail?
They studied 11 women living in high rise apartments in Toronto to see what it meant for these women to create a new home in Toronto.
Tri-Council Policy Statement
- Outlines in detail the standards that research in Canada needs to follow
as well as
- protects people in Canada from potential harms and risks as a result of research.
