METHODS Flashcards
what are the goals of positivism?
positivism aims to collect quantative data in a scientific way, much like that of the natural sciences
believes there are social facts which exist outside the person, for example socialisation and laws
what types of research methods may positivists use?
structured interviews
comparative method
social surveys
what are the goals of interpretivism?
aims to understand the feelings and interpretations that people attach to things
want to get into people’s minds
use process of verstehen - believe research methods should show POV for that individual/group
what type of research methods do interpretivists use?
unstructured interview
participant/non-participant observation
personal accounts (E.G diaries)
open ended questionnaires
practical issues
access
time
funding
data availability
safety
ethical issues
harm and wellbeing
anonymity, confidentiality, privacy
presenting findings accurately
informed consent
theoretical issues
sociological perspective will influence the types of questions asked about society
define reliability
the extent to which repeatability is possible
define validity
how far the findings of research provide a true picture of being studied
explain Sudhir Venkatesh’s research method
researching lives of urban poor in South Side Chicago
originally did questionnaire, then took ethnographic approach
lived with gang for decade
What is operationalisation?
operationalisation is turning abstract ideas into measurable observations
What is the Hawthorne Effect?
caused by a participant having the knowledge that a study is taking place and subsequently changing their behaviour
Describe an example of a study when The Hawthorne Effect took place
Research led by Mayo
tried to investigate productivity of workers- environmental factors had less of an affect than the presence of a researcher
give an example of a field experiment
Rosenthal and Jacobson: pygmalion in classroom: 1968
randomly selected 20% of students who were high flyers - they did much better
describe and evaluate a structured interview
interviewer asks same questions in same order and do not probe beyond basic answers
+most effective way of getting questionnaires complete
+data more reliable
+easy to put into quanatative form
+reduces interviewer bias
+problems of illiteracy overcome
-may impose limits on what respondent can say
-not suitable for sensitive/personal topics (rapport can not be formed)
describe and evaluate a unstructured interview
a guided conversation, consisting of open ended questions, allowing interviewer to obtain further detail
+greater flexibility increases validity
+possibility for more detail, gain insight
+group interview/focus groups can spark discussion
-time consuming and costly
-may be less reliable as questions phrased differently
-difficult to compare responses
explain what interviewer bias is
refers to way answers in an interview may be influenced/distorted in some way by the presence/behaviour of interviewer
affected by interviewers personality, sex, age - interviewees may adapt answers
What are the uses of a pilot study?
identify issues with method, ensuring data collected is valid and not wasted
save money
test sampling method
give interviewers practice
What is a sample?
Why is this necessary?
A sample is a smaller group that is selected from the population
necessary as:
researchers may not have money to study whole population
ensure data collected is representative
reflect wider population , results can be generalised
outline and evaluate random sampling
random sampling means every individual in the population has an equal opportunity of being selected
number all names, randomly select
+no bias
-relies on chance menthods, may be unrepresentative
outline and evaluate systematic sampling
names are selected from sampling frame (nth numbers) until sample size is reached
+quick and cost effective
-may be unrepresentative
outline and evaluate stratified sampling
subdivides sampling frame into number of sampling frames based on shared characteristics
+ensures some groups aren’t overlooked
- difficulty selecting strata
outline and evaluate snowball sampling
researcher identifies one/two people and ask them to introduce them to other people similar who are willing to cooperate in the research
example : Laurie Taylor , used when investigating criminals
+true insight
-not representative
outline and evaluate quota sampling
sample created to mimic the characteristics of a market (eg sampling males who are over 50)
+cheaper as less respondents are required
-hard to eliminate bias in selection process
outline and evaluate covert observation
give example
covert observations is used when researchers may be seen as a threat, means participants are unaware they’re being studied
+reduces Hawthorne effect
-ethical? can’t give informed consent
A Glasgow Gang Observed (1973) - Patrick, covert role for 4 months
outline and evaluate overt observation
give example
overt observation means researcher declares true identity
+ethical, people may be honest as they don’t need social approval
-demand characteristics
Street Corner Society (1955) , Whyte was gang leader and during overt observation said ‘now when i want to do something, i have to think’
Barker, The Making of a Moonie (1984), studied members of Unification church for 6 years
evaluate participant observation
+rich qualitative data
observe people in different contexts and for long period of time (longitudinal)
gain access to hard to reach groups = rare opportunities
high validity
-accessing group
researcher bias
researcher interpretation is based on theoretical background
reliability- difficult to repeat
qualitative - positivists against this
time consuming so only one group , not representative
outline and evaluate non-participant observation
observing a group but not participant
+allows people to be observed in normal setting, reduces Hawthorne effect
-can’t follow up with discussions/meanings, researcher has to interpret
