Methods In Context Flashcards
What is a pilot study?
A preliminary small-scale study that researchers conduct in order to help them decide how best to conduct research. Using this, a researcher can identify/refine a research question, what methods to use etc
Advantages of a pilot study
Sampling techniques can be tested
Questions,interview schedules+procedures can be checked
Training can take place
Early results can be used to obtain funding
Disadvantage of a pilot study
Time, cost and extra work
Advantages of questionnaires (in general)
Large samples can be used
Self-completion questionnaires avoid interviewer effects
Standardised questions can be repeated to test reliability
Disadvantages of questionnaires (in general)
Generally there’s a low response rate, especially in postal questionnaires
The validity of a questionnaire rests on the quality of the question wording
Respondents may be forced into artificial categories they may not be honest+it’s not always clear who has answered the questionnaire
What is a closed questionnaire?
Very structured w/the participant having a few set if answers to choose from
Advantages of closed questionnaires
Quick to complete
Data is quantitative so easy to analyse and compute
Allows comparison to be made w/other sets of data
The research is easy to repeat
Disadvantage of close questionnaires
Can’t explain questionnaire to a participant- could be confusing
Can’t follow up w/extra questions to get richer data
Participant might not agree w/any of the answers they have to choose from
What is a postal/self-completion questionnaire?
When the participants picks up/is sent one which they fill out themselves+return by post/via internet
Advantages of postal questionnaires
They’re cheap
Results are obtained quickly
People can respond whenever they want, not just when an interviewer is present
Participants are more likely to give personal/embarrassing responses as they have privacy
Less risk of interviewer bias
Disadvantages of postal questionnaires
V low response rate as there’s no real pressure to complete them
Interviewer isn’t there for follow up questions and explain if participant is confused
No way of knowing whether the right person did it, or whether someone else did it
What is an open questionnaire?
Less structured than closed, no pre-set choice of answers, so participant can say whether they want.
Advantages of an open questionnaire
Participant isn’t limited by set answers, so they can express what they really want+explain this
Interviewer can follow up w/more questions which gets more rich data
Get richer data as the answers will be longer and more in depth
Disadvantages of open questionnaires
Get qualitative data, which is hard to quantify and analyse
Interviewer has to interpret data,they could interpret it differently to how the participant meant
What is a structured interview?
Interviewer asks questions using a pre-determined questionnaire
What is an unstructured interview?
Interviewer has some questions but the interview depends on the answers, like convo
Advantages of interviews
Presence of researcher enables any issues to be clarified
Structured interviews can be replicated+produced quantitative data
Unstructured interviews enable probing+help to establish rapport w/interviewee
Qualitative data provides rich insight into behaviour, interview may be used as ethnographic research
Truthfulness of respondent can be assessed, they achieve higher response rates than questionnaires
Disadvantages if interviews
Validity of an interview rests on quality of question wording
All types of interviews are more time-consuming than questionnaires
Interviewees may wish to please interviewer
Unstructured interviews: difficult to replicate+they use small samples
Structured interviews: may force people into artificial categories
What is a longitudinal survey?
An observational research method in which data is gathered for same subjects repeatedly over a period of time
Advantage of longitudinal surveys
Can be used to obtain quantitative/qualitative data over time and to analyse change w/out the sample fully changing
Disadvantages of longitudinal surveys
Requires long-term funding, requires commitment for participants+research team
For questionnaires, validity of the research rests on the question wording
For interviews, the validity of the research rests on the effectiveness of interview
What is covert observation?
A method which involves a researcher joining the group in which he/she’s status isn’t made known to the group
What is overt observation
Is when the researcher being open about their intentions, ensuring all members of the social groups are aware of what’s happening
Advantages of observations
Researcher observes behaviour in its true setting, so their evidence is likely to be valid
Researcher can pursue new avenues of research as they emerge in the research
Research is based on Vertsehen, where behaviour is seen from viewpoint of the actor
Qualitative data is often interesting to read+reveals meanings+motives behind behaviour
Disadvantages of observations
Often time-consuming
Research often studies small groups so it may not be representative, its often difficult to corroborate +replicate
Presence of researcher may alter behaviour of the group, objectivity may be undermined as researcher becomes involved in the group/native
Covert research faces distinct limitation on lack of informal consent, breaking cover+engaging in morally reprehensible/illegal activities
Advantages of case studies + community studies
Case studies are in-depth studies of a particular event
Community studies are in-depth studies of a whole community, generating rich insight
In both, multiple methods are used to gain data in workings of the group
Disadvantages of case studies+community studies
May not be possible to generalise the data from one case/community to other case/communities
Presence of researcher may alter the behaviour of case/community
In using multiple methods, researcher may encounter problems w/each specific research method
Advantages of life histories
Generates in-depth history of a socially interesting individual
Multiple methods e.g. Interviews,observations and diaries are used to build up valid picture of events
Disadvantages of life histories
When using multiple methods, each method may have its own set of problems
There may be interviewer bias and effects in documents
A life of history of a marginalised individual may be difficult to generalise
What is a laboratory experiment?
Experiment which allows researchers to manipulate possible variables/causes to test the hypothesis
Researcher will set up two groups
1. Control group(subjected to normal condition)
2. Experimental group(has its conditions manipulated)
Advantages of laboratory experiments
Enables scientists to test hypothesis under controlled conditions
Makes it easier to isolate+manipulate possible causes events
Preferred by positivists, they’re v scientific, reliable and objective- repeatable+excludes personal bias
Produces lots of scientific data: compared for correlation
Disadvantages of laboratory experiments
Difficult to use experiments in sociological research as social events aren’t the result of a single variable
Experiments are only possible for small-scale research
Unethical to experiment w/out ppls knowledge
-> may have negative effect
May be hawthorne effect: factory became the laboratory - manipulated by researcher
What is a social/field experiment?
Involves researcher in a process whereby a situation is set in naturalistic context, control group is made up of similar groups who aren’t taking part in the experiment
Advantages of social/field experiments
Interpretivists like using these as they can uncover meanings that underpin social behaviour
Allow sociologist to unravel the process+rules of natural everyday social life+behaviour
Enables researcher to get v close to ppls interpretations of everyday experiences
Disadvantages of social/field experiments
Researcher may not be representative as often only small samples are used
Hawthorne effect: behaviour being observed may be result of the actual experiments
Don’t involve informal consent of these being experimented therefore, concerns w/ethical issues
-ve effect on respondent: emotionally/physically damaged
Advantages of official statistics
Useful source of existing info
Info easy to access+widely available
Use large samples: tend to be representative
Enable comparisons
Disadvantages of official statistics
Soft statistics don’t give valid picture as data has missing categories
Interpretivists argue statistics aren’t facts but product of a complex process of definitions+decision-making @various levels
They may not operationalise concepts in the researcher wants
May not be available for researchers specific topic
Advantages of documents
Can provide quantitative/qualitative data
Can be used as the basis of context analysis to give access to data that isn’t held in official stats
Gregson+lowe(1994) used newspaper to build up picture of an overall national trend
Provide first hand insight into previous events
May be personal documents,expressive+formal public documents
Disadvantages of documents
They many not be a credible, authentic or representative
The meanings may be difficult to comprehend (Scott 1990)
Name the key theorists for positivism
Comte - ‘social facts’
Durkheim - ‘suicide’
What methods do positivists use?
Quantitative data
Produce data thats reliable and representative
What is a positivists purpose of research?
Scientific
Objective: value free
Investigate cause and effect
Social change/process
Name the key theorists for interpretivism
Weber - ‘verstehen/understanding’
Blumer - placing ‘meaning’ to ‘action’
Atkinson - ‘common sense’ ideas
What methods do interpretivists use?
Qualitative methods
Produce data that’s valid
Gain rich,insightful detail and understanding
What is interpretivists purpose of research?
Non-scientific Subjective: own values not ignored Discover daily interaction Understand motive, intention and purpose Seek to understand social action meaning
What does CHILD stand for?
C - confidentiality H - harm I - informed consent L - legality D - deception
