METHODS

Question 1

what are the goals of positivism?

Answer 1

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

Question 2

what types of research methods may positivists use?

Answer 2

structured interviews
comparative method
social surveys

Question 3

what are the goals of interpretivism?

Answer 3

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

Question 4

what type of research methods do interpretivists use?

Answer 4

unstructured interview
participant/non-participant observation
personal accounts (E.G diaries)
open ended questionnaires

Question 5

practical issues

Answer 5

access
time
funding
data availability
safety

Question 6

ethical issues

Answer 6

harm and wellbeing
anonymity, confidentiality, privacy
presenting findings accurately
informed consent

Question 7

theoretical issues

Answer 7

sociological perspective will influence the types of questions asked about society

Question 8

define reliability

Answer 8

the extent to which repeatability is possible

Question 9

define validity

Answer 9

how far the findings of research provide a true picture of being studied

Question 10

explain Sudhir Venkatesh’s research method

Answer 10

researching lives of urban poor in South Side Chicago

originally did questionnaire, then took ethnographic approach

lived with gang for decade

Question 11

What is operationalisation?

Answer 11

operationalisation is turning abstract ideas into measurable observations

Question 12

What is the Hawthorne Effect?

Answer 12

caused by a participant having the knowledge that a study is taking place and subsequently changing their behaviour

Question 13

Describe an example of a study when The Hawthorne Effect took place

Answer 13

Research led by Mayo

tried to investigate productivity of workers- environmental factors had less of an affect than the presence of a researcher

Question 14

give an example of a field experiment

Answer 14

Rosenthal and Jacobson: pygmalion in classroom: 1968

randomly selected 20% of students who were high flyers - they did much better

Question 15

describe and evaluate a structured interview

Answer 15

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)

Question 16

describe and evaluate a unstructured interview

Answer 16

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

Question 17

explain what interviewer bias is

Answer 17

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

Question 18

What are the uses of a pilot study?

Answer 18

identify issues with method, ensuring data collected is valid and not wasted
save money
test sampling method
give interviewers practice

Question 19

What is a sample?
Why is this necessary?

Answer 19

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

Question 20

outline and evaluate random sampling

Answer 20

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

Question 21

outline and evaluate systematic sampling

Answer 21

names are selected from sampling frame (nth numbers) until sample size is reached
+quick and cost effective
-may be unrepresentative

Question 22

outline and evaluate stratified sampling

Answer 22

subdivides sampling frame into number of sampling frames based on shared characteristics
+ensures some groups aren’t overlooked
- difficulty selecting strata

Question 23

outline and evaluate snowball sampling

Answer 23

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

Question 24

outline and evaluate quota sampling

Answer 24

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

Question 25

outline and evaluate covert observation

give example

Answer 25

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

Question 26

outline and evaluate overt observation

give example

Answer 26

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

Question 27

evaluate participant observation

Answer 27

+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

Question 28

outline and evaluate non-participant observation

Answer 28

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