Choosing research methods Flashcards
Primary data
Information collected by sociologists themselves to obtain a first-hand pic of a group or society
What are the methods for gathering primary data
> social surveys
participant observation
Experiments
What are social surveys?
They involve asking people questions in questionnaire or interviews
What happens in participant observations?
The sociologist joins in with the activities of the group he or she is studying
Advantages of using primary data
Sociologists are able to gather the information they need to test hypothesis
What is secondary data
Information collected by someone else for their own purpose
What are the sources of secondary data?
> official statistics
Documents
What are official statistics?
Statistics produced by government on range of issues e.g education, crime, divorce
Advantages of using secondary data
Quick and cheap way of doing research as someone has produced info
Disadvantages of secondary data
Secondary sources don’t provide exactly the info that sociologists need
Quantitative data
Information in a numerical form
What are the examples of quantitative data
Official statistics, percentages, numbers
What is qualitative data
Gives insight for what something is like
Evidence of qualitative data
Using participant observation
> in depth interviews
What are the factors influencing the choice of methods?
> Practical issues
Ethical issues
Theoretical issues
What are the practical issues of methods
> Time and money
Requirements of funding bodies
personal skills and characteristci
s
Subject matter
research opportunity
Why is time and money a practical issue
Diff methods require diff amount of time and money
E.g large scale surveys may employ many intervievuers in contrast to small-scale projects with line researcher
> researchers access to resources mf in determine the method they employ
What are the practical issues of funding bodies.
Research institutes,businesses,organisations that provide funding for research require results to be in particular form.
Personal skills and characteristics
Each sociologist possesses diff personal skills, this may affect their ability to use diff methods
Why is subject matter a practical issue
It is harder to study a group or subject by one method than by another
