Pre-Release concepts

Question 1

Breadwinner

Answer 1

The main male figure who does hard physical jobs and as a result were able to opt out of domestic duties

Question 2

Multicultural Britain

Answer 2

Multicultural society is one in which 8.9% of the population are from minority ethnic backgrounds, all ethnic groups of same status and preserving own cultural heritage

Question 3

Lone parent family

Answer 3

one in which either the mother looks after the children or the father does. Do not set out to be single parents and will often establish new relationships and subsequently new families e.g. reconstritued

Question 4

socialisation via ethnicity

Answer 4

the family in particular gives a first name and surname which can portray ethnic identity e.g. Patel = indian background. the languages spoken in the family home, food and clothing selected for children.

Question 5

Assimilation

Answer 5

When certain ethnic groups abandon their own culture to fit in with the new.

Question 6

Sex

Answer 6

determining people as male or female, based on biological/ physical factors

Question 7

Hegemonic masculinity

Answer 7

Connell described hegemonic masculinity as being associated with male supremacy (power and authority), heterosexuality, aggression and ‘laddish culture’

Question 8

Mixed methods/ methodological pluralism

Answer 8

shows all the methods as equal, it uses more than one type of data to build up a more coherent study

Question 9

Qualitative data collection methods

Answer 9

based on descriptions of events and social interactions, they are words rather than numerical data, commonly used by interpretivists, collecting open ended data, WEBER e.g. observation, ethnography, interviews, focus groups

Question 10

Semi-structured interviews

Answer 10

the interviewer is present and has a clear list of topic/ issues to be addressed and questions to be answered. the interviewer has greater control than unstructured

Question 11

Time-use diaries

Answer 11

written diaries depicting how the individual has spent their time and who they interacted with.

Question 12

Quantitative data

Answer 12

based on numbers, mostly used by positivists GARTELL AND GARTELL e.g. questionnaires

Question 13

Topic guide

Answer 13

a set of topics a sociologist sets out to cover when conducting a semi-structured interview to ensure the conversation still extracts the information needed of the study

Question 14

Joesph Rowntree Foundation

Answer 14

a british social policy research and development charity, that funds a UK wide research and development programme, particularly into poverty

Question 15

Thematic analysis

Answer 15

widely used qualitative data analysis method, a cluster of methods that focus on identifying patterned meanings across a data set

Question 16

Triangulation

Answer 16

it involves using more than one method or source of data in the study, allowing findings to be cross checked (Bryman 2004), gives a true position of the two or more co-ordinates

Question 17

Validity

Answer 17

The extent to which the researcher provides a true picture of the social reality of those being studied. The extent to which the research does what it set out to do

Question 18

Ecological validity

Answer 18

means that the methods, materials and setting of the study must be appropriate the real world that is being examined.

Question 19

Temporal validity

Answer 19

refers to how the relevant the time period is in affecting the findings e.g. a study on attitudes towards fathering conducted decades ago cannot be expected to have temporal validity due to changing attitudes in society

Question 20

Face validity

Answer 20

validity at face value, the simplest form, it is essentially what gets affected by confounding and extraneous variable and lack of control over these factors.

Question 21

Reliability

Answer 21

research said to be reliable if the method used to collect the data is standardised e.g. questionnaires, structured interviews, because they can easily be repeated.

Question 22

Representativeness

Answer 22

concerned with whether the group of individuals being studied is a fair reflection of the target population in terms of social characteristics, age, gender, ethnicity and class.

Question 23

Generalisability

Answer 23

The extent to which it is possible to apply the findings from the research sample to the wider target population

Question 24

Verstehen

Answer 24

the german word for ‘understanding’ and is closely related to the process of achieving empathy for another group, used by interpretivists

Question 25

Operationalisation

Answer 25

the process of defining key terms and concepts

Question 26

Ethical issues

Answer 26

things that may effect the safety of the sociologist e.g. informed consent, deception, the researcher must make sure the ethical issues as eliminated and that they abide to the BSA guidelines

Question 27

BSA

Answer 27

a set of guidelines set out by the British Sociological Association, it states that researchers must abide to the ethnical guidelines presented.

Question 28

Respondent validation

Answer 28

When a participant is checked by the researcher on their results to go over and validate the information, check for accuracy and reliability, used by interpretivists

Question 29

Ethnocentric research

Answer 29

a focusing of research to one particular ethnicity and practicing it in a way that portrays that ethnicity as dominant over all others by imposing its values.

Question 30

Researcher bias/ imposition

Answer 30

similar to value laden where the researcher imposes their personal values on the participant when conducting research possibly to get a different result.

Question 31

Positivistic research

Answer 31

They try to carry out research in a logical, systematic and objective way, using methods similar to that of natural sciences, using quantitative data.

Question 32

Interpretivistic research

Answer 32

they take a more open-ended approach to the collection of data, seeking understanding and looking for meanings attached to actions using qualitative data.

Question 33

Value free

Answer 33

free from biases of the researcher, no values imposed on participants, objective. postivistic

Question 34

Value laden

Answer 34

when the researcher imposes their own values on questions and may influence participant response. Interpretivistic

Question 35

Fit for Purpose

Answer 35

means researchers will only select the methods most suitable for their data collection as long as the method fits the purpose of what they are trying to find out, purposive sample

Question 36

Access

Answer 36

how a sociologist gathers a sample of people required for the study, for positivists it is harder because they usually study socially isolated groups (e.g. gang crime)

Question 37

Rapport

Answer 37

establishing a solid working relationship where information can be accessed and articulated in a trusting way between the researcher and participant

Question 38

Practical issues

Answer 38

time, cost and access, which may determine the choice and the extent of a piece of research