Key words

Question 1

Primary data

Answer 1

• Info collected by sociologists that serves their own purposes eg questionnaires and interviews

Question 2

Secondary data

Answer 2

• Info that has been collected or created by someone else for their own purpose eg official statistics or government reports

Question 3

Quantitative

Answer 3

• Info that is in numerical form which is often collected in surveys and questionnaires eg % of people that are employed

Question 4

Qualitative

Answer 4

• Gives a feel for what something is like often in written, visual or audio form
• Collected in interviews experiments and observations

Question 5

The 5 practical factors

Answer 5

1. Time and money
2. Funding bodies
3. Skills and characteristics
4. Subject matter
5. Research opportunity

Question 6

the 5 ethical factors

Answer 6

1. Informed consent
2. confidentially/privacy
3. harm to participants
4. vulnerable groups
5. Covert research

Question 7

4 theoretical factors

Answer 7

1. Validity
2. reliability
3. representativeness
4. Methodological perspective

Question 8

4 types of data

Answer 8

1. Primary data
2. Secondary data
3. quantitative
4. qualitative

Question 9

Time and money (P)

Answer 9

• Different methods require different amounts of time and money
• This can be a major factor when deciding what methods to use

Question 10

Funding bodies (P)

Answer 10

• Research institutions may require results to be in a particular format to get the funding

Question 11

Skills and characteristics (P)

Answer 11

• Each sociologist possesses different strengths and weaknesses so this effects their ability to use different methods

Question 12

Subject matter (P)

Answer 12

• It may be harder to study a certain group by one method or another eg male sociologist for an all female group or a new adult with children

Question 13

Research opportunity (P)

Answer 13

• Some research groups are more difficult to gain access to eg pupils with deviant behaviours in schools

Question 14

Informed consent (E)

Answer 14

• Research participants should have the right to refuse
• Should be told all relevant aspects of the research
• Consent should be obtained throughout

Question 15

Confidentiality and privacy (E)

Answer 15

• Identities of participants should be kept secret to avoid negative consequences
• Privacy and personal information must also be kept confidential

Question 16

Harm to participants (E)

Answer 16

• Researchers should be aware of potential side effects eg psychological damage
• Whenever possible researchers should anticipate and prevent harm

Question 17

Vulnerable groups (E)

Answer 17

• Special care and extra precaution should be taken with vulnerable groups eg children, people with disabilities and health issues

Question 18

Covert research (E)

Answer 18

• When the researchers identity is hidden and so is the purpose
• Could potentially deceive people in order to gain an insight and trust

Question 19

Validity (T)

Answer 19

• The extent to which an indicator measures the concept under the investigation

Question 20

Reliability (T)

Answer 20

• The consistency of a measure of a concept

Question 21

Representativeness (T)

Answer 21

• The extent to which a sample mirrors a researchers target population and reflects its characteristics

Question 22

Verstehen

Answer 22

• Empathetic understating (this is what interpretivists believe we should gain through qualitative data)

Question 23

Hawthorne effect

Answer 23

• When participants know the are being observed so change their behaviour