choosing a research method Flashcards
what does P.E.T stand for which must be applied to every method?
Practical considerations (time,cost,money)
Ethical considerations
Theoretical considerations
what is the difference between a valid method and a reliable method?
- valid methods produce a true picture of what something is really like
- reliable methods can be repeated and produce similar results each time
theoretic influences: what is the definition positivism and interpretivism?
positivism - argue society can be studied using similar techniques to natural sciences (statistics - things that contain emotion)
interpretivism - argue people have personal beliefs, values and interpret the world in different ways (interviews, observations - how individuals react to each other and make sense of the world)
what is positivism (expanded) ?
- use quantative methods
- (questionaries / surveys/ experiments - X caused Y to happen)
- want to check for reliability (getting the same results - structure)
- do not study feelings, emotions and motives as they believe they cannot be quantified
- positivists tend to be macro theorists such as marxists and functionalists
what is interpretivism (expanded) ?
- believe that behaviour is influenced by the meanings that people give to certain social situations
- they will use qualitive methods to gain a detailed in depth knowledge of the situation they are studying
- instead of collecting statistical data, they want to get involved in the subject
- use research methods that help them to find out how people understand the world around them
- observations and unstructured interviews
what are some of the factors that influence the choice of topic?
- a feminist will always choose issues relating to gender inequality
- marxists would choose something to do with class and social inequality
- sociologists may choose something that is seen as important by society
- some topics may be impossible to study. cant find a suitable sample or the relevant information
what is a hypothesis?
- untested theory expressed as a statement
- sociologists seek to prove or disprove hypothesis by testing them against evidence
- discover a cause and effect relationship
- positivists prefer to use hypothesis
operationalising a hypothesis
- sociology uses abstract concepts such as material and cultural deprivation and you have to decide how to operationalise them
- make these concepts measurable
aim to a research project
- identifies what is being studied
- more open minded and collect data on a particular topic
- interpretivists prefer to use an aim
what is triangulation?
- the use of two or more methods in one study
- mix an interpretivist and a positivist method into one study
- for example using a large scale survey and an unstructured interview
- gives validity and reliability
what is a piolet study?
- a small-scale run conducted before the main study
- a draft questionnaire
- list of interview questions
- to identify problems
- save time and money
- check the questions/responses
