Paper 2: Section A - 2. What are the main stages of the research process?

Question 1

What is random sampling?

Answer 1

REQUIRES A SAMPLING FRAME
Definition: When all members of a target population have an equal chance of being selected.
How it’s carried out: For small samples, names are drawn out from a hat. For large samples, computer programs can be used to generate random lists.

Question 2

Evaluate random sampling.

Answer 2

Representative? - Not necessarily, the law of probability suggests that random sampling can still produce an unrepresentative sample.
Bias? - NO BIAS.
Needs a sample frame? - YES
Is it hard to access samples? - NO, as those selected are a fixed number.
Favoured by:

Question 3

What is volunteer sampling?

Answer 3

NO SAMPLING FRAME REQUIRED
Definition: Individuals select themselves as they volunteer to take part in research.
How it’s carried out: Depending on the scenarios. Adult participants respond to promotion about the sample in newspaper/leaflet/online ads, whilst students are prompted to look at posters or QR codes, or teachers responding to messages in a staffroom.

Question 4

Evaluate volunteer sampling.

Answer 4

Requires a sampling frame? - NO.
Representative? - NO, you tend to get the same profile of people who volunteer.
Bias? -
Is it hard to access samples? - As there’s no sample frame, it’s harder to get access to participants as only extremists will respond. For example, in a survey about a school, only people who either really love their school or who are angry about something in the school will respond.
Favoured by:

Question 5

What is opportunity sampling?

Answer 5

NO SAMPLING FRAME REQUIRED
Definition: Selecting participants who are available and willing to take part at a given time. It’s only by chance they’re selected.
How it’s carried out: Most commonly it’s passer-by’s on the street.

Question 6

Evaluate opportunity sampling.

Answer 6

Requires a sampling frame? - No
Representative?- No, as people in a given
Bias? - Slightly if you’re sticking to one area.
Is it hard to access samples? - No, as people will possibily in an area, it is a chance though.

Question 7

What is systematic sampling?

Answer 7

REQUIRES A SAMPLING FRAME
Definition: Uses a predetermined system to select the participants.
How it’s carried out: Participants are selected from a list of a population. The sample is selected by skipping through the list at regular intervals and choosing every nth person (ie 4th person) from the population.

Question 8

Evaluate systematic sampling?

Answer 8

Requires a sampling frame? - YES
Representative?- Fairly representative
Bias? - NO BIAS!
Is it hard to access samples? - Can be if the participants selected refuse to take part.
Favoured by: POSITIVISTS because they like representativeness to gain more stats.

Question 9

What is stratified sampling?

Answer 9

REQUIRES A SAMPLING FRAME
Definition- Classifying the population into categories and then choosing a sample from each category in the same proportions as they are in the population.
How is it carried out: It’s carried out in 3 stages
1. Identify the categories in the target groups.
2. Work out the percentage that each subgroup represents in the total population you’re studying.
3. You’ll then select a RANDOM sample from each subgroup that reflects the percentage the represent in the total population.

Question 10

(INCOMPLETE) Evaluate stratified sampling.

Answer 10

Requires a sampling frame? - YES
Representative?- 
Bias? - NO BIAS! 
Is it hard to access samples? - 
Favoured by: POSITIVISTS

Question 11

What is quota sampling?

Answer 11

NO SAMPLING FRAME REQUIRED
Definition: Quota sampling means to take a very tailored sample that’s in proportion to some characteristic or trait of a population chosen by the researcher. The population is divided into groups and samples are taken from each group to meet a quota. For example, choose two people from each Monoux pathway.

Question 12

(INCOMPLETE) Evaluate quota sampling

Answer 12

Requires a sampling frame? - 
Representative?- YES, quota sampling gives some representativeness without a sampling frame.
Bias?-
Easy to access a sample? -
Favoured by - POSTITIVISTS

Question 13

What is snowball sampling?

Answer 13

NO SAMPLING FRAME REQUIRED
Definition: One person is interviewed (used on tough topics ie marijuana use). Then the researcher asks them to ask a friend to come be interviewed, and then they tell their friend, abd they tell their friend etc….

Question 14

(INCOMPLETE) Evaluate snowball sampling

Answer 14

Requires a sampling frame?
Representative?
Bias?
Easy to access a sample?

Question 15

What is a pilot study?

Answer 15

A pilot study is a mini version of what the sociologist would do in a full scale study.

Sociologists carry out pilot studies when they’re unsure if inital research will work out or if the research is too expensive to carry out.

Question 16

What’s a hypothesis?

Answer 16

A statement someone can test with research. It outlines what needs to be investigated.

Question 17

What’s an example of a pilot study?

Answer 17

If a sociologist wants to do a questionnaire, they may send the questionnaire to 10 friends to check it makes sense before sending it to 200 participants.

Question 18

What are the six main ethical issues?

Answer 18

IDCRDP

Question 19

ETHICS - Explain ‘informed consent’

Answer 19

Participants must give consent prior to an experiment. Participants under 16 require parental consent. In longitudinal studies (studies over several years), consent is needed more than once.

Question 20

ETHICS - Explain ‘deception’

Answer 20

Participants should not be misled or have information withheld against them. If deception is used, the participant shouldn’t be harmed more than expected in everyday life.

Question 21

ETHICS - Explain ‘debriefing’

Answer 21

At the end of an experiment, the researcher reveals the true nature of the experiment and helps the participant understand the study. It’s an opportunity to discover issues the participant may have. Participants should be made to feel valued for their contribution.

Question 22

ETHICS - Explain ‘confidentiality’

Answer 22

Unless agreed in advance, information obtained about a participant during an investigation is confidential. If published, participants wont be identified with this information. If confidentiality cant be guaranteed, the participant must be warned in advance. If information has been accidentally revealed, it must be reported.

Question 23

ETHICS - Explain ‘right to withdraw’

Answer 23

Participants have the right to leave the experiment at any time.
Even if the experiment is complete, they can still withdraw as their data can be destroyed.

Question 24

ETHICS - Explain ‘protection of participants’

Answer 24

Investigators have a primary responsibility to protect participants from physical and mental health during the investigation.
Participants may be asked about potential risk factors ie pre existing medical condition.
Research with children stresses that great caution should be exercised when discussing the results with parents and teachers, since their statements may carry weight.
Participants should leave in the same state of mind as when they entered the experiement.

Question 25

How do you calculate a sample? Use Monoux as an example.

Answer 25

If 96% of Monoux is ethnic, then there needs to be 96% of ethnic people in the sample.