Methods in context

Question 1

What is methods in context

Answer 1

-link together knowledge of research and methods with the study of education, testing application skills
-try imagining what real researchers experience
-PET!

Question 2

Longitudinal Studies PET

Answer 2

Advantages:
> can trace developments over time, other methods cannot do this - practical
> allows researcher to build rapport with the participants over time - allows them to be honest - theoretical
Disadvantages
> positivists claim that - with so much detail, analysis is very difficult - it will take a long time to process results - PRACTICAL
> if some people drop out, people who remain may not be representative of population in general - THEORETICAL
> hawthorne effect may occur - undermines validity - THEORETICAL
> difficult to know whethere it is ageing effect or generation effect that cause these findings.
>

Question 3

Secondary Sources: official stats

Answer 3

Advantages
> can be quick and easy to find - can be used as a foundation for further research - PRACTICAL
> hard statistics are quantitative date that is as close to 100% accurate as you can get - valid data - THEORETICAL
> positivists claim they are high in reliability as they are put together by well trained staff, with strict procedures - THEORETICAL
> sociologists can make good use of statistics without offending people/causing harm - ETHICAL
> official statistics are very high in representativeness as they cover large amounts of people
Disadvantages
> interpretivists claim official statistics too easily trusted, but in reality lack reliability and validity - THEORETICAL

Question 4

Secondary Sources: Documentary evidence

Answer 4

Adv
> interpretivists like them as they are rich in depth and meaning - help sociologist get a feel for what something is like - THEORETICAL
> interpretivists like as personal documents can allow understanding of the personal, private thoughts and feelings of individual that cannot be found any other way
DisAdv
> highly subjective - people can interpret findings in different ways therefore there is no truth - effects how things are recorded etc. - THEORETICAL PRAC?
> documentary evidence may sometimes have missing or incomplete pieces - no guarentee how efficient record keeping was back then
> ethical - the creator of personal document may not have wanted other people to see this.
> positivists say researchers may be selective in their findings of what they leave out and include - can create misleading information - THEORETICAL

Question 5

Questionnaires

Answer 5

Postal questionnaires
Adv
> can be distributed over a large geogrphical area, easy to get a lot of data - PRACTICAL
> can be done at home in respondents own time, no pressure on them to do it - they will therefore have an open mind and ne honest - THEORETICAL
> cheap to produce - PRACTICAL
> representative findings - THEORETICAL
> highly relible - all respondents have identical questions - THEORETICAL
>
DisAdv
> researcher not present therefore respondent cannot seek clarification whenever a misunderstanding occurs - invalid data? - THEORETICAL
> alot of questionnaires wasted, which means waste of spending money and als waste of time - PRACTICAL
> researcher imposition - researcher may make the questions based around what tjeu think is important - bias ca creep in - THEORETICAL
> some people can lie when answering questions exaggerate etc. - THEORETICAL
> questions asked may be unethical - they may cross the line