Ethnography , Longitudinal Studies , Case Studies And Life Histories

Question 1

Ethnography

Answer 1

Study of a culture , a group or human behaviour
Most associated with observations as ethnographic researchers want to achieve verstehen.
Ethnographic research often wishes to understand the habitus of a particular social group

Question 2

Millenium cohort study

Answer 2

Used longitudinal studies to track impact of socialisation on children’s development. Impact of sample attrition meant sample ended up not as representative/ knowing part of study - affected parenting techniques

Question 3

Guilty knowledge

Answer 3

When researcher is good something, often in confidence which they should possibly report

Question 4

Liberty

Answer 4

Created a life history of John stands in Timber . Offered rare insight into a history of people that were disappearing

Limitations / issues : issues with whether what was learned here can be applied to any other indigenous people

Question 5

Longitudinal studies

Answer 5

Studies on which data is collected at specific intervals over a long period of time in prefer to measure changes over time

Question 6

Barker

Answer 6

Studied the monies : spent 7 years studying the way of life of the group. Observed but also examined literature of the group . Lots of time to understand the habitus of the group but subjective interpretation

Question 7

Heelas and wood head

Answer 7

Used Kendal to produce a detailed study of spirituality and religion
Kendal was small enough to investigate but large enough to have some diversity. But doesn’t mean Kendal is typical of other places in the UK

Question 8

Problem of attrition / sample attrition

Answer 8

Issue with keeping RPs for a long time which is needed for a longitudinal study of an ethnography . RPs dropping out can have a massive impact on quality of data overall

Question 9

Case studies

Answer 9

Sociologists investigate in detail a particular individual or group as opposed to trying to gather a representative sample from the target population

Question 10

Elliot and Vaitlingam

Answer 10

Followed 17000 people born in the same week in 1958 . Data collected by questionnaires and interviews. Parental consent prior to 16 year olds
Problems of attrition: only 9000 now involved / researchers change over time - not clear how impacts on data

Question 11

Wacquant

Answer 11

Spent 3 years in a Chicago boxing gym
Used PO , made field notes, collected magazines the boers read and interviewed them. Believed submersion was the only technique as only way to see how the RPs experienced the “ American back ghetto “

Question 12

Habitus

Answer 12

Socially ingrained habits , skills and dispositions - the way that individuals perceive the social world around them and react to it

Question 13

Life histories

Answer 13

A qualitative method of data collection where people are asked to document their life over a period . It is a personal account of their life , In their own words and using their own personal timelines

Question 14

Maguire

Answer 14

Bully a life history though interviews with a specialist county house burglar. RP as in prison : Maguire visited him to interview and overtime rapport established but guilty knowledge also occurred

Question 15

McDermott

Answer 15

Worked for a year as a cashier covertly to see how ethnicity impacted upon interactions between people. Able o observe race relations in a natural setting leading to detailed data but based on McDermott’s own perceptions

Question 16

Triangulation

Answer 16

The use of two or more research methods in a single piece of research to check the reliability and validity of research evidence