Factors affecting choice of Research Method LT1 Flashcards
What theoretical factors influence choice of research method ?
Being either Positivist or Interpretivists
How do Positivists study sociology ?
. Sociology should be studied scientifically
. They search for casual relationships by following experimental methods
What type of data do Positivists favour ?
Quantitative data (Numerical form)
E.g. Official stat, Experiments and social surveys
Why do positivists favour Quantitative data ?
Produces reliable, objective, replicable and generalisable
What is an example of Positivist research ?
Using official statistics on suicide rates Durkheim developed a ‘Scientific theory’ of suicide - rates relate to social control.
How do Interpretivists study sociology ?
. Sociology should not be studied scientifically
. They search for individuals meaning, feelings emotions
what type of data do Interpretivists favour ?
Qualitative data (words)
E.g. Informal interviews, observation, personal documents.
Why do Interpretivist favour Qualitative data ?
Produces valid, insightful, in depth data
What is an example of Interpretivist research ?
Dobash and Debash were able to discover the patriarchal nature of domestic violence through informational interviews.
What practical factors influence choice of research methods ?
Topic/Group being studied
Social characteristics of researcher
Time and money
Source of finance
How does topic/group being studied influence choice of research ?
. Could be sensitive to or difficult to gain access
. Qualitative methods should be used to build rapport
. E.g. Oakley used interviews to find out women’s childbirth experiences.
How does social characteristics of the researcher influence choice of research ?
. Personal skills and traits when mixing with other.
. E.g. A male 30 year old researcher, studying pupil subcultures would find it difficult as the research to pass as a pupil.
How does time and money influence choice of research ?
. Could be limited
. Quantitative methods as they are quicker and cheaper
. E.g. BCS carries out structured interviews as they are mostly closed questions
How does source of finance influence choice of research ?
. Sources like the home office are favoured
. Qualitative methods as they have more scientific credibility for governments.
How do ethical factors influence choice of research ?
. All the major ethical factors
. Makes certain methods such as lab experiments questionable.
. E.g. Serious questions have been raised about Milgram’s experiments as they break ethical guidelines.
what factors affect choice of topic ?
Sociologist perspective
Researcher values
society’s values
funding bodies
How does a sociologist perspective influence topic choice ?
E.g:
New right might look into effects of increasing wealth fare benefits as welfare dependency is a central to new right thinking.
Feminists might look into domestic violence as thy oppose gender oppression.
How does a researchers values influence topic choice ?
Researchers who are concerned about equality might choose a topic like social class differences in education.
E.g. Lisa Mckenzie based her ethnographic study in St Anns an area she grew up.
How does society’s values influence topic choice ?
As societies values change so does the focus of sociological research
E.g. the rise in feminism in the 1960’s led to a focus on gender inequality
How does funding bodies influence topic choice ?
Sociologist receive their funding from governments which request what the sociologists look into.
E.g. Police may request research into knife crime
