HOW DO SOCIOLOGISTS COLLECT DATA? Flashcards
Primary data
Data that is collected by researchers themselves, first hand.
> e.g. if a researcher conducts a questionnaire by distributing them.
sociologists can be more certain of the validity of their data
and can get data on what they want precisely to investigate.
EVALUATION - incredibly time-consuming
Secondary data
Data already collected by another sociologist or organization.
> a sociologist studying something from the past may want to use historical records and use the information for their own research.
an advantage is that secondary research already exists, therefore it is easy to come across.
sometimes secondary
Quantitative data
This is data that is numerical.
> An example here is divorce statistics, school league tables, or the number of pupils who obtain 5 9-1 grades at GCSE.
> Quantitative data is valued by positivist sociologists since they like to use numerical data to produce patterns and trends.
> Patterns point to strong reliability within data since data can be double-checked quite easily, and comparisons can be made over time.
Qualitative data
This is data that is non-numerical. It gives us detail, depth, and a clear insight into something.
> Interpretivists prefer this data as it is detailed and informative. It helps to uncover the meaning behind data, rather than simply presenting statistics
> It is seen to get a sociologist to really get a feel for what it is they are investigating.
Positivism
Positivist sociologists regard sociology as a human science and believe human behavior can be explained scientifically.
> Positivists are interested in discovering objective facts about the social world, which are not influenced by the researcher’s beliefs, ideas, or values.
> They believe data should be free from bias, which is sometimes referred to as value-free, if the data is influenced by the researcher, it may not be accurate or truthful.
> Positivists prefer numerical data, it can be used to plot patterns and trends, and the data is reliable since it can be replicated and re-tested easily.
> Patterns of cause and effect can easily be identified and the data is highly representative in that it can be used to make generalisations about a wide range of different people.
Interpretivism
Interpretivists and sociologists reject the claim that human behaviour can be explained scientifically.
> They feel that we construct a sense of ‘reality’ through the meanings we create in our social interactions with other people. Therefore, there are ‘no facts’ about society.
> Sociology can never be value-free (non-biased) since the researcher will always have some type of influence on the collection of evidence and the interpretation of findings.
Interpretivism prefers non-numerical, qualitative data which is rich in depth, detail, and meaning. This data is high in validity since it gives a true and accurate description of what the sociologists are studying.
