Methods keywords Flashcards
What is a quantitative method?
research method focusing on data and statistics, favoured by positivists
What is a qualitative method?
research method focusing on verstehen and in depth human understanding, favoured by interpretivists and interactionists.
What does Verstehen mean?
German word for deep empathetic understanding
What is primary data?
New data that is gathered through research
What is secondary data?
Data that already exists, that can be used to aid in research
What does practical mean?
to do with the application in real life context
What does ethical mean?
to do with the morality of actions
What does theoretical mean?
to do with the form of the resulting methods, quantitative or qualitative
What is validity?
how sound and accurate the results of research are
What is reliability?
how repeatable the research is in terms of finding the same results
What is representativeness?
How widely the research findings are accurate
What is triangulation?
uses a qualitative and quantitative method in a study
What is methodological pluralism?
using more than one method in research
What is the hawthorne effect?
acting different under the knowledge you are being observed
Define sampling
Technique aimed to reduce the number of participants in research whilst retaining validity and representativeness.
Define a sampling frame
a list of the items or people forming a population from which a sample is taken
Define sampling technique
a method used to select a sample e.g snowball sampling
Define a sampling unit
one member of a sample
What is the survey population?
the group of people you are interested in studying
What is Access?
how a researcher gains access to the group they’re interested in studying
What is a gatekeeper?
Sometimes required for a sociologist to gain access to an area
What is generalisation?
a general statement or concept obtained by inference from specific cases
What are the general advantages of primary sources?
Easy control over data and how to consider reliability and validity
What are the general disadvantages of primary sources?
Access may be difficult, time consuming and expensive
What are the general advantages of secondary sources?
Cheap, easy, useful for historical perspective and making comparisons
What are the general disadvantages of secondary sources?
May not be valid/reliable, may be biased or just one possible interpretation of events
What are the general advantages of quantitative data?
Easy for comparison, reliable, easy way to identify change. No personal involvement/going native
What are the general disadvantages of quantitative data?
Does not provide verstehen or validity
What are the general advantages of qualitative data?
Validity and verstehen, researcher less likely to impose their opinions on others
What are the general disadvantages of qualitative data?
Loses relevance quickly, unreliable and hard to compare. Requires skilled researchers
