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methods Flashcards

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Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

what are the 4 types of data

A

primary, secondary, quantitative qualitative

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2
Q

what is primary data

A

data that was not present before the study began- interviews surveys observations

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3
Q

what is secondary data

A

already exists, may have been produced for different reasons. newspapers diaries ect, quick fast and cheap

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4
Q

what is qualitative data

A

all non numerical data, sources, quotes ect, rich and more depth, MICRO, preferred by interpretivists

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5
Q

what is quantitative data

A

numerical form MACRO, official stats and league tables, preferred by positivists

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6
Q

what is validity

A

data is valid if it presents a true and genuine picture. it allows the researcher to get closer to the truth

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7
Q

what is reliability

A

different researchers using same method get the same results

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8
Q

what factors impact on choice of research method

A

practical, ethical and theoretical

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9
Q

what are some examples of practical issues

A

time and money, funding body, personal skills and social status, research opportunities

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10
Q

what are some examples of ethical issues

A

informed consent, confidentiality and privacy, protection, vulnerable groups

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11
Q

example of ethical breech

A

Laud Humphreys 1970 ‘tearoom trade’

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12
Q

positive theory

A

sociology as a science, top down society, measure society’s impact on people, detached objective data, MACRO, quantitative

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13
Q

interpretivist theory

A

reject sociology as a science, bottom up approach, social actors meanings, understanding behaviours, MICRO, qualitative data

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14
Q

types of representative sampling

A

random sampling, quasi random/ systematic, quota

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15
Q

random sampling

A

chance, drawn out of hat- not all samples are large enough

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16
Q

quota sampling

A

need 20 males and 20 females- fill with people who fit

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17
Q

quasi random/ systematic sampling

A

every nth person is selected

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18
Q

types of non representative data

A

snowball sampling, opportunity sampling

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19
Q

snowball sampling

A

key number of individuals suggest others to participate- lots of similar people

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20
Q

opportunity sampling

A

choose those who are easiest to access- unlikely to be representative

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21
Q

issues researching schools

A

different types of schools- undermines representation, heads may deny permission, data may be confident

schools are data rich environments and have a premade sampling frame

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22
Q

issues researching parents

A

P- not in one place, sample may be unrepresentative
E- some parents may only give informed consent if they benefit from research
T- manage impressions, exaggerate positives

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23
Q

issues researching teachers

A

P- accessible, in one place, but may lack time to respond/ partake
E- confidentiality, incriminating evidence
T- unwilling to admit to bad behaviour, unrepetitive

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24
Q

issues researching classrooms

A

P- closed setting, more control
T- hawthorn effect, student or teacher behaviour may change

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25
Q

issues researching students

A

P- easy access as they have to legally attend school, lots of records, may be reluctant to admit behaviour, time consuming
E- vulnerable group, informed consent, report abuse, no harm
T- power difference, hog limelight peer pressure undermines validity

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26
Q

comparative method

A

thought experiment, carried out in mind of sociologist, designed to discover cause and effect relationships. ethical and avoids artificially, can only be used to observe past events.

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27
Q

what does the comparative method entail

A

identify 2 groups of people alike apart from what we want to look at
compare 2 groups, do their difference have any effect

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28
Q

lab experiments

A

scientists can examine cause and effect relationships, easy to replicate and identify patterns and trends. detached, reliable and valid. favoured by positivists

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29
Q

field experiments

A

natural environment, valid and realistic, less control, subjects are generally unaware they are being observed- ethically questionable

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30
Q

lab in context- harvey and slatin 1976

A

teacher expectations- found teacher are prejudice and label different social classes

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31
Q

lab in context- mason 1973

A

impact of positive and negative expectations, he found negative expectations had more affect than positive

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32
Q

issues regarding field experiments in education

A

E- deception of students, CPO, informed consent
reliability-easy to repeat,
broader focus- number of teachers opinions rather than just one, many elements to look at

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33
Q

concerns regarding lab experiments in education

A

E- working with young people, but most do not involve real children
narrow focus- usually examines one aspect of behaviour
P- teacher expectations, uncontrollable variables

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34
Q

field in context- rosenthal and jacobson 1967

A

labelling and SFP

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35
Q

what are questionnaires

A

list of predetermined questions, handed out, posted or online, they are a MACRO method and are preferred by positivists

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36
Q

closed questions

A

pre determined answers (ticky box) these produce quantitative data

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37
Q

open questions

A

own words, freedom and detail, these produce qualitative data

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38
Q

practical advantages of questionnaires

A

quick and cheap, no need to recruit and train people, easily quantifiable. Dewson, posted nearly 4000

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39
Q

questionnaires- reliability

A

standard and fixed yardstick, all asked the exact same question. easily repeatable, ne researcher present to influence

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40
Q

questionnaires- detachment and objectivity P

A

remove interviewer bias, preferred by positivists, detached

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41
Q

questionnaires- hypothesis testing

A

measure cause and effect relationships with ease, scientific approach- positivists

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42
Q

questionnaires- representative

A

large sample size, allows findings to be generalised

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43
Q

questionnaires- ethical issues

A

may ask intrusive or personal questions, but under no obligation to answer and anonymity is assured

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44
Q

questionnaires- practical problems

A

limited and superficial, brief. was it completed by who it says?

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45
Q

questionnaires- low response rate
example

A

100,000 sent out but 4.5% returned. those who took the questionnaire may be very different to those who didn’t- un representative

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46
Q

questionnaires- inflexibility

A

new areas of interest cant be explored, surface level answers

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47
Q

questionnaires- detachment I

A

interpretivists, sociology is not a science. no way to clarify meaning or probe deeper

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48
Q

questionnaires- lying forgetting and right answerism

A

saying what they think is right, respectable answers rather than the truth

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49
Q

questionnaires- imposing the researchers meaning

A

wording of questions , what questions are included- what is important

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50
Q

questionnaires methods in context- practical advantages

A

easily compared and gather data from different schools

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51
Q

questionnaires methods in context- sampling frames

A

ready made sampling frames, school already has lists of all pupils

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52
Q

questionnaires methods in context- response rate

A

higher, authority and students are used to completing survays

53
Q

questionnaires methods in context- researching pupils

A

short attention span, limits and influences ability to gather info

54
Q

questionnaires methods in context- operationalising concepts

A

turning abstract concepts into manageable form- make children understand

55
Q

what are interviews

A

compromise between more structured research (questionnaires) and unstructured, in-depth methods (PO)

56
Q

questionnaires methods in context- validity

A

unable to answer questions so may not be a good result

57
Q

types of interviews

A

structured/ formal
unstructured/ informal
semi- structured
group interviews

58
Q

structured/ formal interviews

A

verbal questions, same questions same tone, objective

59
Q

unstructured/ informal interviews

A

variety of questions and wording

60
Q

semi- structured interviews

A

same set of questions, but interviewer can probe for more detail
‘how do you mean’ cicorel and kituse

61
Q

structured/ formal interviews advantages

A

higher response rates, large sample, good for hypothesis testing, fast and efficient, reliable

62
Q

group interviews

A

12-15 people, focus groups discuss topics and record views

63
Q

structured/ formal interviews disadvantages

A

closed questions lack validity, may not be representative, more expensive than questionnaires, participants may be atypical, females may feel intimidated

64
Q

unstructured/ informal interviews disadvantages

A

time consuming, unable to generalise as sample will be small. cannot be replicated or quantified, interviewer bias, hawthorn effect

65
Q

group interviews advantages

A

help people not feel singled out, casual setting comfort, quicker as multiple people at once, more inclined to share- piggyback response

66
Q

unstructured/ informal interviews advantages

A

rapport, comfortable and honest- tackle sensitive topics and hard questions. probe deeper and formulate new ideas, MICRO

67
Q

group interviews disadvantages

A

may be reluctant to answer, intimidated by group setting. conform with dominant response. social status difference

68
Q

advantages of unstructured interviews in education

A

overcomes power and status inequality, sensitive topics such as bullying made approachable, can clarify, rapport, space and time to talk, probe further

69
Q

disadvantages of unstructured interviews in education

A

change answers for approval, cannot be standardised or replicated, long and can be too demanding for children

70
Q

advantages of structured interviews in education

A

less time consuming than UI and less disruptive easy to replicate, more success than questionnaires as better verbal than literacy

71
Q

disadvantages of structured interviews in education

A

power inequalities- seeking adult approval, parental permission, unable to clarify

72
Q

what are the 4 different types of observation

A

non participant observation- researcher observes without taking part
participant observation- researcher joins group while observing
cover observation- ‘undercover’ real identity and purpose concealed
overt observation- true identity is known and the subjects know they are being studied

73
Q

overt non participant observation

A

observation with consent, sit with observation schedule and systematically record observations without pre empting what to look for

74
Q

strengths of ONPO

A

repeatable, ethical, un obtrusive, researcher can stay detached- field work. valid findings

75
Q

weaknesses of ONPO

A

can result in the Hawthorn effect and invalid data

76
Q

participant observation- getting in

A

to study a group the sociologist must gain access to them, age nationality, class ect can impact their ability to get in

77
Q

participant observation- staying in

A

danger of staying in the group- going native or getting over involved. over identifying leads to biased results, can also be over detached and not understand what they are observing

78
Q

participant observation- getting out

A

it can be difficult as you are re entering society, loyalty to cause may lead to researcher being unwilling to disclose information

79
Q

advantages of interviews as a social interaction

A

can relate to interviewee, personal questions, follow up questions, can culturally match interviewees

80
Q

disadvantages of interviews as a social interaction

A

may change answers to gain approval, power inequality, interviewer bias

81
Q

issues of CO

A

P-requires S to keep up an act, cover can be easily blown, cannot make notes. presence of new member can affect behaviour
E-immoral to deceive people, immoral to partake in illegal activities to keep cover

82
Q

advantages of PO

A

validity- what people say in interviews is not always true, po shows truth
insight- best way to understand is to experience it (verstehen)
flexibility- no fixed hypothesis, open mind
practical- only viable method, rapport, reveal realities

83
Q

disadvantages of PO

A

P- time consuming, personally stressful and demanding
E- cpo is deceiving people and participating in illegal activities
representativeness- small sample, no bias for generalisation, valid but cant generalise

84
Q

quote about flexibility of PO

A

WHYTE ‘i learned answers to questions i would not have had the sense to ask’

85
Q

methods in context practical issues of structured PO

A

class room is well suited, short lessons, quicker cheaper but schools have many personalities

86
Q

methods in context reliability of structured PO

A

range of classroom behaviour limits reliability

87
Q

methods in context validity of structured PO

A

interviews lack in validity as it can only fit into a number of predetermined categories

88
Q

methods in context observer presence of structured PO

A

presence of stranger can be off putting

89
Q

methods in context practical issues of unstructured PO

A

schools are complex places and it may take weeks or years to understand functions, less disruptive than interviews but restricted by timetables ect

90
Q

methods in context ethical issues of unstructured PO

A

pupils are vulnerable and may not give informed consent- poor reputation for school

91
Q

methods in context validity of structured PO

A

overcome status differences, rapport however may be invalid as scared of researcher

92
Q

what are official statistics

A

quantitative data collected by the government- births deaths, marriages, divorces, exam results, suicide, unemployment ect

93
Q

2 ways of collecting OS

A

registration and official survays

94
Q

registration

A

law requires parents to register their children at birth (marriages and deaths too)

95
Q

official surveys

A

census or general house hold survey

96
Q

practical advantages of secondary data

A

free source of huge amount of data, compels citizens to answer, patterns and treads and easy comparisons

97
Q

practical disadvantages of secondary data

A

may not be available on some topics- definitions can change over time

98
Q

representativeness of secondary data

A

large numbers, representative sample, hypothesis testing, stats are soft so less

99
Q

reliability of secondary data

A

generally reliable, completed in a standard way but subject to human error

100
Q

validity of secondary data

A

does it measure what it claims to?
hard stats- yes
soft stats- no

101
Q

positivists and secondary data

A

valuable source of data, true and objective, test hypothesis comparative methods

102
Q

marxists and secondary data

A

OS serves the interest of capitalism, the state is not neutral,

103
Q

interpretivists and secondary data

A

regard OS as lacking validity, social construct and subjective

104
Q

methods in context, practical issues of OS

A

gov already collects stats, cheap and readily available

105
Q

methods in context, validity of OS

A

social construct, school may manipulate stats, undermining their validity

106
Q

methods in context, reliability of OS

A

replicated by gov each year, easy comparison

107
Q

methods in context, representativeness of OS

A

all state schools have to do one 3 times a year, virtually every pupil is seen

108
Q

what is a document

A

any written text- personal diaries, gov reports, novels, letter, blogs ect

109
Q

public documents

A

produced by organisations such as gov departments, schools ect. some of these may be available for sociological use

110
Q

personal documents

A

includes letter, diaries, photo albums. first person accounts of events. ‘the polish peasant in europe and america’

111
Q

historical documents

A

personal or public, if studying the past this is usually our only source. parish records, census or parliamentary reports

112
Q

assessing documents

A

scott puts forward criteria for a good document- authenticity, credibility, representativeness and meaning

113
Q

assessing documents authenticity

A

are they who they claim to be, free from errors, missing pages?

114
Q

assessing documents credibility

A

author sincere, accurate, eg politicians may inflate their importance with the intent of publishing

115
Q

assessing documents representativeness

A

is the evidence typical, can it be generalised. 30 year rule, those who dont write may be un represented

116
Q

assessing documents meaning

A

may need special skills to interpret, bias and subjective interpretation

117
Q

advantages of documents

A

personal docs allow insight into social actors reality, rich source of qualitative data. cheap and time efficient, checking results against primary methods

118
Q

what is content analysis

A

systematically dealing with documents, allows S to produce quantitative data

119
Q

methods in context, documents, practical issues

A

publicly available as schools produce them to compete with others

120
Q

methods in context, documents, ethical issues

A

few ethical concerns, public docs but there is a problem with using personal documents

121
Q

methods in context, documents, reliability

A

systematic so researchers can draw direct comparisons

122
Q

methods in context, documents, credibility

A

public docs give official picture of what happens- most positive light- makes them less valid

123
Q

methods in context, documents, validity

A

insight into meanings held by teachers and teachers, more valid- but open to interpretation

124
Q

what is a longitudinal study

A

sample of people over an extended period of time. research and collect data at regular intervals

125
Q

7 up study

A

douglas, 5632 pupils born in the first week of march 1946. studied at 7 year intervals

126
Q

positives of longitudinal studies

A

ethical as participants are aware, easy to compare and see patterns and trends, insight into life of children, long lasting effects, MICRO

127
Q

negatives of longitudinal studies

A

long and costly, limited and small sample- cant generalise, could lose contact as participants can change their minds

128
Q

case studies

A

examines a single case or place. good way to research social phenomena, not representative

129
Q

triangulation

A

using more than one, typically 3 methods to study a case. methodological pluralism. enables a method to overcome the shortcoming of another

Sociology theories and methods (2 decks)

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