Factors Influencing a Sociologist’s Choice of Research Topic

Question 1

Primary data adv and disadvantages

Answer 1

advantages

1. complete control over how data is collected
2. greater control on the validity, reliability, representatives of data

disadvantages

1. time consuming to design, construct and carry out
2. expensive
3. difficult to gain access to target groups
4. respondents might refuse to participate

Question 2

Secondary data adv and disadvantages

Answer 2

advantages
1.saves time, money and effort
2.it may be the only available source e.g studying
suicide
3.useful for historical and comparative purposes

disadvantages
1. it is not produced with the needs of sociologists in
mind
2.official definitions of poverty, class or ethnicity may be different from sociological definitions
3.sources such as personal documents, can be
unreliable

Question 3

Quantitative data adv and disadvantages

Answer 3

advantages
1.abillity to express relationships statistically can be
useful if the researcher does not need to explore the
reasons for behavior
2. easy to compare numbers
3. comparisons and correlations can test whether a
hypothesis is true or false
4. reliable
5. easier to remain objective

disadvantages (lacks validity)

1. quantification often involves placing respondents in an artificial setting thus it is impossible to capture “normal” or “real” responses
2. asks a narrow range of info “who, what, when and where” of peoples behavior
3. it is surface level and superficial because it lacks depth

Question 4

Qualitative data adv and disadv

Answer 4

advantages
1. captures complex reasons for behavior
2. greater freedom to study people in their normal
setting e.g observation
3. shows how people really behave and what they
really believe (valid)

disadvantages
1. ability to generalise and show representativeness
is limited
2. difficult to compare with previous works
3. difficult to repeat (unreliable)

Question 5

official statistics adv and disadvantages

Answer 5

advantages
1. may be the only source of data available about a particular study e.g suicide
2. data that may be costly and time consuming is readily available
3. representative
4. have a high level of accuracy e.g statistics on
number of divorces can be seen as (hard evidence)

disadvantages

1. lacks validity (dont reveal real or true reasons)
2. not all info is available to those collecting e.g crime statistics do not show unreported crimes dark “figure of crime “

Question 6

personal documents adv and disadv

Answer 6

advantages
1. give the researcher access to expensive data
2. provide data on things the researcher might not be
able to find on their own e.g historical diaries
3. can be used to compare and contrast e.g how people lived in the past and how people live today
4. give qualitative data of great depth and detail (e.g Ann franks diaries on life hiding from Nazis in Amsterdam)

disadvantages

1. not always easy to find
2. paper documents can be fake researcher has to know if its an original or copy that has been altered
3. the validity can be questioned, did the author have first hand experience or they heared info from someone else
4. unreliable
5. unrepresentative

Question 7

questionnaires adv and disadv

Answer 7

adavantages

1. .High in reliability.
2. .No requirement for highly trained/skilled interviewers.
3. Cost and time efficient compared with other methods.

disadvantages

1. low response rate
2. nothing researcher can do if respondents dont answer certain questions
3. its structure makes it difficult to examine complex issues and opinions
4. researcher has to decide what is and what isnt significant no time to change later

Question 8

structured Interviews adv and disadv

Answer 8

advantages

1. response rate is 100%
2. researcher can explain terms not understood 3.Overcomes problems with illiteracy

disadvantages
1. involve assumptions about peoples behavior
2. can contained biased questions
the interviewer effect (respondents might try to help the interviewer by providing answers determined to please)
3. researcher effect (aggressive interviewers and status considerations a female may find it embarrassing to answer certain questions truthfully because of the researcher is male, vice versa)

Question 9

lab experiments advantages and disadvantages

Answer 9

advantages

1. easier to replicate
2. control over both the research conditions and variables being tested
3. can create valid statements about behavior based on cause and effect relationships

disadvantages
1. difficult to control all possible variables e.g
Hawthorne effect may create an independent variable

Question 10

field Experiments adv and disadv

Answer 10

advantages
1. can manipulate situations in the real world to understand underlying reasons for behavior

disadvantages
1. not easy tp replicate

Question 11

unstructured Interviews adv and disadv

Answer 11

advantages

1. the researchers limited input means the data reflects the interests of the respondents
2. allowing respondents to talk freely avoids the problem of the researcher pre-judging what makes important or irrelevant data
3. allows sensitive issues to be explored in depth

disadvantages

1. requires skill
2. researcher must avoid temptation to influence, encourage and interrupt
3. researcher has little control of direction of the interview
4. reliability is low
5. interviewer effect

Question 12

semi-structured interviews adv and disadv

Answer 12

advantages

1. no specific questions prepared there is less risk of the researcher deciding what will be discussed
2. possible to pick up ideas and info that may not have occurred to researcher before hand or what they had no previous knowledge
3. researcher can find out what respondents really mean, think or believe
4. high in validity

disadvantages

1. demands good interviewer skills
2. time consuming (conducting and analysing results and concluding)
3. lack standardisation (not all the same questions will be asked) this will make analysing and generalising data more difficult

Question 13

group interviews adv and disadvatages

Answer 13

advantages
1. researchers control the pace and extent of the
discussion
2. ask questions, stop or change the focus of discussion
3.creates a situation that reflects how people naturally share and discuss ideas

disadvantages

1. researcher must control the behavior of the group to allow people to speak freely while also maintaining the focus of the research
2. problems with representativeness
3. a type of interview effect called groupthink effect

Question 14

overt participant observations adv and disadv

Answer 14

advantages
1. recording data is easy because the group knows they are being studied
2. researcher can ask questions, take notes and observe openly
3. high in validity (the researcher has the ability to ask questions and experience day to day lives of respondents)
4. less risk of involvement in unethical, criminal,
dangerous or destructive behaviors for example
researcher can pull back from risk without raising
suspicion

disadvantages

1. if group refuses to be studied then research cannot be carried out
2. requires time, effort and money
3. hawthrone effect

Question 15

covert participant observation adv and disadv

Answer 15

advantages

1. only way to study people who would not normally allow themselves to be studied
2. avoids observer effect
3. ability to experience things on the pov of those involved
4. better understanding of respondents meanings and understandings

disadvantages

1. getting in is difficult (researcher may need to be invited in, or fulfill entry requirements, the characteristics of the researcher must match those being observed e.g a man cannot covertly participate in a group of nuns)
2. staying in (once inside researcher might not have access to all areas)
3. researcher has to quickly learn culture and dynamics of a group
4. the researcher might have to choose btwn participation and observation e.g criminal activity
5. the researcher might go native and join the group

Question 16

non-participant observation adv and disadv

Answer 16

advantages

1. it allows research on people who may not want to be studied e.g criminals
2. respondents are studied in a natural setting
3. get to see everyday behavior

disadvantages

1. cannot be easily or exactly replicated
2. can fail to give in depth, richness and personal details of the groups behavior

Question 17

Case Studies adv and disadvantages

Answer 17

advantages

1. Intensive Study. It is the investigation and exploration of an event thoroughly and deeply.
2. Continuous Analysis. It is valuable in analyzing continuously the life of a social unit to dig out the facts.
3. Comparisons. It compares different type of facts about the study of a unity.
4. Increase in Knowledge. It gives the analytical power of a person to increase knowledge about a social phenomena.

disadvantages

1. Limited Representatives. Due to as narrow focuses a case study has limited representatives and generalization is impossible.
2. Possibility of Errors. Case study method may have the errors of memory and judgment.
3. Subjective Method. It is a subjective method rather than objective.
4. Not Easy and Simple. This method is very difficult and no layman can conduct this method.
5. Bias Can Occur. Due to narrow study the discrimination & bias can occurs in the investigation of a social unit.

Question 18

longitudinal studies adv and disadvantages

Answer 18

advantages

1. They allow researchers to trace developments over time, rather than just taking a one-off ‘snapshot’ of one moment.
2. By making comparisons over time, they can identify causes. The Millennium Cohort study, for example suggests a clear correlation between poverty and its early impact on low educational achievement

disadvantages

1. Sample attrition – people dropping out of the study, and the people who remain in the study may not end up being representative of the starting sample.
2. People may start to act differently because they know they are part of the study
3. Because they take a long time, they are costly and time consuming.
4. Continuity over many years may be a problem – if a lead researcher retires, for example, her replacement might not have the same rapport with respondents.

Question 19

pilot study adv

Answer 19

advantages

1. A test run on the feasibility of the full study, thereby saving the researcher time and money.
2. Overcoming potential problems with the research design e.g. how questions are worded, its language and format.
3. Might reveal the need to shorten questionnaire or interview in order to complete the research in a timely manner.
4. Problems with non-cooperation or non-response by respondents.
5. The suitability or otherwise of a sampling frame.
6. May help to highlight deficiencies in the researcher’s skill set.

Question 20

stages in the research design or conducting research

Answer 20

1.identify research problem
2.researching hypothesis or question
3.collecting data through sampling frame (choosing
sampling technique)
4. conduct a pilot study
5.operationalisation
6.interpreting results

Question 21

mixed method approach to research includes

Answer 21

1. methodological pluralism

2. triangulation

Question 22

debates about whether sociology can/should be based on the methods and procedures of the natural sciences

Answer 22

defining science: science is reliable and it is valid

procedural rules: scientific knowledge if created by following a set of procedures agreed by the scientific community. scientific knowledge is plausible because it is based on tested facts rather than untested opinions it has the ability to make predictive statements like if something is going to happen in the future

ethical rules (a scientific ethos):science has to be
1. universal (knowledge is evaluated using
universally agreed criteria )
2.communal: it is public knowledge that must be
shared
3.disinterested: objectivity
4. sceptical: must be evaluated and criticked

Question 23

sociological perspectives on research being value free

Answer 23

husk

Question 24

research issues when caring out research

Answer 24

theoretical considerations
practical considerations
ethical considerations

Question 25

theoretical considerations in research

Answer 25

hkd

Question 26

practical considerations in research

Answer 26

ways in which research can be influenced by sources of funding

Question 27

ethical considerations in research

Answer 27

bajh