Practical Ethical and Theoretical concerns

Question 1

what are ethics

Answer 1

• the right or wrong way of behaving during research
• BSA outlines principles that sociologists should consider

Question 2

what is consent in ethics

Answer 2

• subject should know they are being researched and agree to take part
• should be informed consent so that they know the aims and potential risks of research
• consent can be withdrawn at any time

Question 3

what is deception in ethics

Answer 3

• if subject is mislead or unaware of research they have been deceived
• covert observation breaks this but has exception if essential info cant be collected in any other way

EXAMPLES:
Laud Humphreys tea room trade study

Question 4

what is anonymity in ethics

Answer 4

• names of people, organizations and places not usually provided
• this should encourage honest and openness

Question 5

what confidentiality in ethics

Answer 5

• protect the information collected during research
• make sure information cant be linked back to individuals

Question 6

what is sensitivity in ethics

Answer 6

• many research topics are sensitive and need to be treated with care
• need to avoid putting participants under emotional pressure

Question 7

how to avoid causing harm in ethics

Answer 7

• those agreeing to be apart of a study shouldn’t be disadvantaged because of it
• concerns the participant and the researcher
• protecting the emotional and physical wellbeing of the team is part of the planning and management of a research project

Question 8

how do sociologists get funding for projects

Answer 8

• government departments may directly commission for topics they consider important
• businesses also fund research to know more about society and create new goods and services
• Economic and social research council had a budget of £213 million in 2014/15 supports research which contributes ‘to the economic competitiveness of the UK or the effectiveness of public services and policy and quality of life’

Question 9

what is a gatekeeper

Answer 9

• people who give permission for research to take place for a group or organization
• could be principle of a school etc.
• can also be key member of a informal group who can ‘sponsor’ the researcher

Question 10

what is positivism

Answer 10

• based on assumption that there are ‘social facts’ waiting to be identified and studied
• requires quantitative data
• as data is collected trends and data can be identified e.g. age of marriage has rose in last 150 years positivists argue this is due to changes in social expectations about marriage which influence people decisions

Question 11

what is interpretivism

Answer 11

• prefers to collect detailed data in words which is qualitative data
• researcher finds out about peoples feelings, attitudes and experiences
• want to know why people get married what it means and how it changed
• believe humans consider what things mean and then decide to act

Question 12

what is realism

Answer 12

• bets way to proceed is to recognize that both positivist and interpretivist are both useful and use the methos that is the most useful at the time
• combine approaches as they aren’t just interested in what or how many but the meaning and significance
• use methodological pluralism which recognizes no singular approach has all the answers to questions about society and triangulation which recognizes that all methods have their strengths and weaknesses so its necessary to use a range of techniques