choosing a research method PET

Question 1

Primary data

Answer 1

Information collected by sociologists themselves for their own purposes. These purposes may be to obtain a first hand ‘picture’ of group or society

Question 2

Methods for gathering primary data

Answer 2

Social surveys - asking people questions in a written questionnaire or interview Participant observation - the sociologists join in with the activities of the group they’re studying Experiments - field experiments and the comparative method

Question 3

Secondary data

Answer 3

Information that has been collected or created by someone else for their own purposes, but which the sociologist can then use

Question 4

Sources of secondary data

Answer 4

Official statistics - produced by the government (eg education, crime, divorce and unemployment) as well as other statistics produced by charities, business, churches and other organisationsDocuments - letters, emails, diaries, photographs, official reports, novels, newspapers, the internet and tv

Question 5

Primary data dis/advantages

Answer 5

ADV - Sociologists may be able to gather precisely the information they need to test their hypothesis DISADV - can be costly and time consuming

Question 6

Secondary data dis/advantages

Answer 6

ADV - quick and cheaper way of doing researchDISADV - may not provide exact information that sociologists need

Question 7

Practical issues - time and money

Answer 7

Large scale surveys may employ dozens of interviewers and data in putting stuff and cost a lot of money. A small scale project involving a lone researcher using participant observation may be cheaper to carry out but it can take several years to complete. Research institutes, businesses and other organisations that provide funding for research may require the results to be in a particular form - eg a government department funding research into educational achievement may have targets to pass notes and so require quantitive data to see if these targets are being achieved

Question 8

Practical issues - skills and characteristics of the researcher

Answer 8

Each sociologist possesses different personal skills and this may affect their ability to use different methods. Not all sociologist is have these qualities and so some may have some difficulty using these methods

Question 9

Practical issues - subject matter

Answer 9

It may be harder to study a particular subject or group by one method than by another

Question 10

Practical issues - research opportunity

Answer 10

Sometimes the opportunity to carry out research occurs unexpectedly and means it’s not possible to use structured methods such as questionnaires

Question 11

Ethical issues - informed consent

Answer 11

Research participants should be offered the right to refuse to be involved. The researcher should also tell them about all relevant aspects of the research so they can make a fully informed decision. Consent should be obtained before research begins, and if the study is lengthy, again at intervals throughout the process

Question 12

Ethical issues - physical and psychological harm

Answer 12

Researchers need to be aware of the possible effects of their work on those they study. These could include police intervention, harm to employment prospects, social exclusion and psychological damage. Wherever possible, researchers should anticipate and prevent such harm - special care should be taken where research participants are particularly vulnerable because of their age, disability or physical mental health - the researchers identity and research purpose are hidden from the people being studied (COVERT)

Question 13

Ethical issues - confidentiality and privacy

Answer 13

Researchers should keep the identity of research participants secret in order to help to prevent possible negative side effects on them. Researchers should also respect their privacy. Personal information concerning research participants should be kept confidential

Question 14

Theoretical issues - qualitative

Answer 14

Interpretism - deeper insight into human behaviour Micro - in depth, small scale research into individuals Validity - produces a true or genuine picture of what something is like

Question 15

Theoretical issues - quantitative

Answer 15

Positivism - studies society using similar techniques to natural sciences Macro - focuses on large numbers of people and the structure of society as a whole rather than individuals Representatives - does the group of people being studied represent wider society - more likely in a large scale study Reliability - a reliable method is one which can be repeated by another researcher and given the same result

Question 16

Positivism

Answer 16

Positivists believe that, just as there are causes of things in the natural world, so there are external social forces, making up a society’s social structure; that cause or mould people’s ideas and actions - they believe social institutions create expectations of how individuals behave and limit their choices and options, with social control making individuals behave in socially approved ways

Question 17

Interpretivism

Answer 17

Interpretivists believe that, because people’s behaviour is influenced by the interpretations and meanings they give to social situations, the researcher’s task is to gain an understanding of these interpretations and meanings, and how people see and understand the world around them