Factors influencing topics and methods

Question 1

What factors may influence the choice of topic?

Answer 1

Practical considerations
Ethical considerations
Theoretical considerations

Question 2

What are the different practice considerations

Answer 2

Time
Cost and funding
Access
Characteristics

Question 3

Practical considerations- time?

Answer 3

Different methods may require different accounts of time to conduct
-Secondary sources more time efficient
-Sample size in study can increase and or decrease amount of time

Question 4

What’s a longitudinal study?

Answer 4

A study conducted over a large period of time

Question 5

Practical considerations- cost/funding?

Answer 5

Methods may involve a lot of money. e.g. to train interviewers, have to pay p’s

Question 6

What are funding bodies?

Answer 6

Charities or govts that will fund reaserch that meets their interest

Question 7

Practical considerations- access?
what are gatekeepers?

Answer 7

Researcher access to resources
Can be decided by a gatekeeper, they will provide restrict or deny you access

Question 8

Practical considerations- characteristics?

Answer 8

A researchers characteristics like age, ethnicity, gender, accent, appearance may mean some methods may be challenging to gain info

Question 9

Researcher characteristics- Laboy?

Answer 9

Sociolinguistics using different interviewers
young, old, black, white men and women to talk to black young males in community’s

Question 10

Researcher characteristics- Rich?

Answer 10

Says women are less likely to engage in talking to male researchers about their experiences in male sexual harassment, also says this is a similar issue with female rape victims when being interviewed by male police officers

Question 11

What are the different ethical considerations?

Answer 11

Right to withdrawal
Informed consent
Confidentiality
Harm
Anonymity
Regulatory boards
Deception

Question 12

Ethical considerations- right to withdrawl?

Answer 12

All participants should have the right to withdraw from a study, this should be made serious from the beginning

Question 13

Ethical considerations- Informed consent?

Answer 13

We should get concept from the participant
When we have vulnerable individuals we need guardians and parents
This ultimately means researcher can work freely meaning p’s know everything that’s going on

Question 14

Ethical considerations- Confidentiality and anonymity?

Answer 14

Upholding protection and privacy of the participants
Due to the data protection act

Question 15

Ethical considerations- Protection from harm?

Answer 15

P’s should be in the same state of mind that they walked in
Shouldnt be put into physical or emotional harm

Question 16

Ethical considerations- regulatory boards?

Answer 16

Ethics committe
Can be sued if anything goes wrong
Reaserchers should engage in disreputing activity for reasrcher e.g. criminal acts
-In the UK british sociological association

Question 17

Ethical considerations- Deception?

Answer 17

Providing false or incomplete informations to participate for researchers intentions
Interpretivists believe its necessary
Linked for informed consent

Question 18

Other ethical considerations?

Answer 18

Going native
Debriefing

Question 19

What is going native- ethical?

Answer 19

Dangers for observers and ethnographers to be involved in community and objectivity, can be unreliable + discreated, however interpretivists believe it’s necessary to gain valid data

Question 20

Example of going native- Dick Hobbs?

Answer 20

petty crimes in east london
ethnographic researchers to observe
In depth interviews
Gained subjects through going to pubs where CID officers where, football coaching where CIA officers children did football
Hobbs spent tie drinking in pubs, some argued hibs study enriched due to his own background as he was born and raised in east london
However many disagreed as he was drinking a lot and giving hunger making him go native and affecting memory therefore affecting reliability

Question 21

Ethical considerations- debriefing?

Answer 21

Refers to the post experimental process if revealing all aspects of the study such as deception
P’s should always be informed and given the conclusion

Question 22

Theoretical considerations?

Answer 22

The theoretical perspective can have a large significant impact on their choice
Positivist and Interpretivist

Question 23

Theoretical issues positivists?

Answer 23

Sociologists believe human behaviour is caused by socialisations into norms and values, to discover what these norms and values are they need to look for large scale patterns in behaviour
This leads to quantitative methods of reserch

Question 24

Interpretivists on theoretical considerations

Answer 24

Means sociologists believe human behaviour is caused by individuals interpretations of what’s going on around them. To discover how people are able to do this they need to look for an large scale understanding of the process
Leading to qualitative data

Question 25

Theoretical definitions- Validity?

Answer 25

Is the data collected a ture picture of what is being studied
Does it show the real truth, does it show why people behave as they do, if it does then its valid

Question 26

Theoretical terms- Reliability?

Answer 26

Would the data collected be the same if it was collected again, if it is then it’s reliable
Consistency

Question 27

Theoretical terms- Representativness?

Answer 27

Is the data generalisable to the population, does it study a cross section if society?

Question 28

Theoretical terms- Objective?

Answer 28

A researchers not allowing their opinions and emotions interfere with their research, in this was a scientific stud can be achieved

Question 29

Theoretical terms- Subjective?

Answer 29

All individuals perspective or point of view about something
The individuals’ own view influences the approach taken to an issue

Question 30

Theoretical terms- Rapaport?

Answer 30

Feeling of identity and relationship between researcher and the researched which helps the sociologist to obtain the necessary information, a rappaport is often a friendly understanding relationship

Question 31

Theoreical term- Vestehen?

Answer 31

The idea of understanding human bheaviour by putting yoursled in the position of those being studied and trying to see their experiences and meaning from their point of view. Achieveing high levels of validtu and in-debth understanding