Chapter 2; Applying Sociological Research Methods Flashcards

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1
Q

concept

A

an abstract idea expressed as a word or phase

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2
Q

variable

A

a categorical concept for properties of people or entites that can differ and change

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3
Q

deductive reasoning

A

starts with theories and follows a top-down approach that ends with research findings

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4
Q

inductive reasoning

A

data driven, bottom-up, starts with observations and ends with a theory

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5
Q

What are the 5 main purposes of Sociological research

A

explore, describe, explain, evaluate an area of interest, or help empower a disadvantaged social group
the 4 Es and 1 D

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6
Q

exploratory research

A

helps us understand more about an area that is not well established, What is it like to be x group of people? What is x social phenomenon like?

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7
Q

descriptive research

A

used to note features/characteristics of a group, event, activity, or situation

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8
Q

explanatory research

A

used to clarify aspects of a social phenomenon so that we can understand the effects it does or doesn’t have

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9
Q

evaluation research

A

used to asses the need for/ effectiveness of a social program. Includes needs assesment: asks what the nature of the problem is and what resources are needed to fix it, and program evalution: evaluates whether a program is working as intended

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10
Q

what is empowerment research and what kinds of research does it include?

A

used to improve conditions within a particular social setting or group in society, includes:
action research: generates knowledge about an area of interest to bring about social change
participatory action research: places emphasis on the target group and stakeholders, viewing issues as resting within a community and therefore can be solved with input from the community and active collaboration with the stakeholders

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11
Q

Indigenous storywork

A

ethical approach to researching indigenous people based on the 7 principles of respect, responsibility, reciprocity, reverence, holism, interrelatedness, and synergy
4 Rs and HIS

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12
Q

what the the steps for conducting sociological research

A
  1. research question
  2. literature review
  3. narrowed focus
  4. research design
  5. data collection
  6. data analysis
  7. draw conclusions
  8. report findings
    rape literally needs radical destruction don’t do rape
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13
Q

1.research question

A

what interests you?

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14
Q

2.Literature review

A

What is already known about the topic? important for identifying central concepts and framing a research question in the most relevant theoretical context

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15
Q

3.narrowed focus

A

How can you transform your research interest into a study? This step includes operationalization: process of defining variables in a precise manner that is measurable

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16
Q

4.research design

A

a detailed outline of all the proposed components of a study. should identify research interest, proposed components of a study, and how data collection will take place.

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17
Q

5.data collection

A

how will you collect your data? ex. interviews, surveys

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18
Q

6.data analysis

A

**compilation of observations into a format that helps us learn more about the problem.

Depends on what research methods were used, ex. transcription: recording all the answers in an interview and indexing/coding: identifying common themes. Then statistically software can be used to compute correlation coefficients that quantify linear relationships between variables

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19
Q

7.draw conclusions

A

What does the data tell you? Sociological research doesn’t always prove something so much as it helps us better understand it

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20
Q

8.report findings

A

How can you share the findings? Research projects conclude with a dissemination of findings, ex. presenting findings at academic conferences, write articles to publish in peer reviewed journals

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21
Q

what is reliability and how do researchers show it?

A

the consistency of a measure; to show reliability 2 different researchers should come up with the same definition of a variable

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22
Q

validity

A

how well the measure represents what it claims to/intended concept

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23
Q

hypothesis

A

a testable research statement that includes at least 2 variables

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24
Q

how do qualitative approaches differ in methods?

A

use broader questions and therefore don’t operationalize variables/ test specific hypotheses

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25
Q

nuremberg code

A

1st set of directives for human experimentation; detailed importance of

1.obtaining prior consent,
2.protecting participants from harm, and
3.acknowledging subjects right to end participation

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26
Q

Philip Zimbardo’s experiment

A

college student prison study

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27
Q

Tri-council policy statement

A

official policy for research conducted with human participants in Canada

28
Q

3 main principles for the TCPS

A
  1. Respect for persons: participants can choose if/how they are involved and consent must be freely give with the knowledge that it can be withdrawn at any time. Debriefing: the disclosure of all details in cases where participants can’t be told all the info ahead of; is mandatory.
    2.Concern for welfare: must also consider broader social, economic, cultural, and historical issues.
  2. justice: people with be treated fairly, equitable, and with respect
29
Q

anonymity

A

when a researcher can’t link any individual response to a participant

30
Q

confidentiality

A

participants should not be identifiable to the public

31
Q

what are the 2 main approaches to research?

A

qualitative and quantitative

32
Q

What are Qualitative research methods, what kind of reasoning do they use, what kind data do they use, and what is the goal?

A

uses inductive reasoning and data in the form of words or images; goal is to better understand the nature (quality) of some phenomenon. Include interviews, observations, focus groups, and document analysis.

33
Q

What are Quantitative research methods, what kind of reasoning do they use, what are they used for, and what kind of data do they use?

A

uses deductive reasoning and numerical data; used to test hypothesis and measure (quantify) social phenomenon. Need replicability, reliability, and validity (consistent measures across time and researchers). Include test-repeat and statistical measures.

34
Q

grounded theory

A

qualitative; a systematic strategy for moving from observations to general conclusions about discourse, actions, interactions, and practices

35
Q

what must qualitative approaches demonstrate and how is it demonstrated?

A

they must demonstrate rigour; this is done through triangulation, credibility, and audit trails

36
Q

rigour

A

trustworthiness of the research project and data collected

37
Q

triangulation

A

the use of multiple data-gathering techniques within the same study, ex. participant observation, interviews, and focus groups

38
Q

credibility

A

akin to validity; the degree to which the findings accurately represent the reality the participants experienced

39
Q

audit trails

A

transparent, verifiable, detailed documents outlining how research decisions were made and how conclusions were reached

40
Q

what is an experiment, what kind of research is it used for, and what theorizing is it based off?

A

a deductive research method for testing a hypothesis through the use of a controlled environment, manipulation of an independent variable, a control group and random assignment. Can infer causality from experiements.
Used for carrying out explanatory research and based on positivist theorizing.

41
Q

independent variable

A

presumed cause/ manipulated variable

42
Q

control group

A

participants that are not exposed to the independent variable

43
Q

dependent variable

A

the outcome/ variable that is measured

44
Q

field experiments

A

experimental designs constructed in real-life settings where the variables of interest occur naturally

45
Q

what is a survey and what are the strengths and weaknesses of surveys?

A

quantitative research method for gathering info using a questionnaire

strengths: high response rate, rich detailed information, relationship among many variables
limitations: low validity, respondent accuracy

46
Q

questionnaire

A

form with close-ended questions, participants choose from a list of answers

47
Q

respondents

A

people who consent to take surveys, be interviewed, or participate in a focus group

48
Q

representative sample

A

a small group that closely resembles the population of interest

49
Q

random selection

A

every person in the population has an equal chance of being selected

50
Q

sample of convenience

A

used when a representative sample isn’t available

51
Q

standardized interview

A

follows a set format of predetermined questions with no additional questions or clarification allowed

52
Q

what are unstandardized/qualitative interviews and what kind of theorizing do they rely on?

A

also called qualitative interviews; no set format, relys on interpretive theorizing because the emphasis is placed on how respondents perceive their own experiences

53
Q

semi-standardized interviews

A

mix of standardized and unstanderdized interviews; allow for some clarification and flexibility in the order/wording of questions

54
Q

focus group

A

6-10 people who share a trait relevant to the topic of interest are interviewed by a moderator, can be based on interpretive or critical theorizing

55
Q

what is archival analysis/ secondary analysis of existing dating and what purposes is it used for?

A

research method used to examine info on a topic that was collected for unrelated purposes can be quantitative to be used for descriptive purposes or qualitative for exploratory purposes

56
Q

secondary data

A

content created for purposes other than research

57
Q

what is content analysis and what kind of technique is it?

A

secondary analysis technique for systematically examining messages contained in text or portrayed in images

58
Q

what is discourse analysis and what the different types?

A

method used to analyze language and how it shapes social life, includes;

conversational analysis: transcribed conversations
narrative analysis: oral messages
media discourse: messages within images from a specific genres
historical analysis: examining/interpreting historical forms of data to better understand the past and its relationship with the present
HNM Card

59
Q

What is Ethnography and what is it used for?

A

broad term for various forms of fieldwork designed to describe everyday behaviour in natural settings; used to learn more about a group or asses a social problem with the goal of change

60
Q

Ethnographer

A

social scientist who uses multiple methods over time in order to gather info about a group while participating in that group

61
Q

systematic observation

A

naturalistic, when a researcher observers a group to see how often a social phenomenon occurs

62
Q

non-participant observation

A

when a researcher systematically observes a group but doesn’t interact with that group (non-participant observation)

63
Q

participant observation

A

researcher collects systematic observations while taking part in group activities

64
Q

what are multiple method approaches and what kind of research are they used for?

A

use more than one data collection technique; evaluation research, action research and ethnographic research use multiple methods
EERA

65
Q

single-case design

A

case study research that focuses on only 1 person, organization, event, or program

66
Q

convergent design

A

uses at least 1 qualitative and 1 quantitave method at the same time in order to compare different perspectives