Primary and Secondary collection methods Flashcards
What is a questionnaire
List of questions either on paper or increasingly online. Primary quantitative method the respondent reads the question and answers them on their own no need for researcher present
why would a researcher use questionnaires to collect data
can ask large number of people relatively quick and cheap and because all respondents answers the same questions makes the method more reliable
advantages of questionnaires (8)
- very short questions allow answers to be quantified allowing trends and patterns to be discovered
- relatively cheap and easy method
- answers to closed questions easily quantified
- because researcher doesn’t have to be present large sample can be researched in short time
- because questions standardized reliability not affected by different people administering questionnaire
- usually anonymous so more honest
- due to internet researcher no longer restricted to geographical area
- revisiting new sample allow for identification of change over time
disadvantages of questionnaires (7)
- respondents may not understand question
- don’t allow explanation of answer
- what researcher decides is important may not be important to respondent
- postal questionnaires have poor response rate affecting quality of sample and ability to generalize
- cant be sure if everyone interprets question the same way e.g. one person satisfactory may be someone’s poor
- difficult to create a good questionnaire often need to use pilot study
- respondents may not tell the truth especially on sensitive topics
what is an interview
an interview can be unstructed structured or semi structured therefore it can be either quantitative or qualitative but is a primary method of collecting data where the researcher asks questions to the respondent
why would a researcher use an interview
flexible as there are different kinds of interviews which can mix qualitative and quantitative data to be collected
advantages of structured interview (4)
- if the respondent is unsure of anything researcher can clarify
- standardized approach makes it more reliable
- quicker than other interview methods
- presence of interviewer helps respondent rates
disadvantages of structured interview (3)
- more time consuming than questionnaire
- presence of interviewer may lead to interviewer bias where respondent gives socially accepted answer over truth
- rigid interview structure limits opportunity for respondent to explain or discuss answers
advantages of unstructured interview (5)
- absence of tightly defined schedule allow discussion to develop allowing issues to be explored in great detail
- more natural setting encourages more openness and honesty making more valid data
- respondent able to answer in own words
- interviewer may be able to spot if respondent is lying due to body language
- respondent can elaborate on feelings and views
disadvantages of unstructured interview (6)
- very time consuming so smaller samples used
- interviewer has to be very skilled
- analyzing data is more complicated and subjective
- data less reliable as each interview different
- interviewer bias as respondent may want to please interviewer with the answer they think is the correct socially accepted answer
- way ethnicity, age or sex of respondent and interviewer can affect the relationship and thus answers given
advantages of semi structured interview (4)
- avoid disadvantages associated with other two methods
- gives opportunity for interviewer and respondent to discuss topics in detail, qualitative data can be collected
- researcher able to prompt respondent to give fuller answers
- interviewer can follow up on issues mentioned by respondent so not confined to what researcher thought in advance was important
disadvantages of semi structured interview (4)
- don’t have all the advantages of other two methods
- interviews not standardized affecting reliability
- interviewer bias may be a problem
- can be expensive and time consuming
what is a focus group
- used in field of consumer research
- group of people encouraged to discuss a topic
- researcher acts as moderator keeping on topic and encouraging everyone to participate
- usually recorded to avoid distraction of note taking
what are the advantages of focus groups
- views and opinions of group members can be explored in detail
- can be more informative and revealing
- useful when it is a group and their views are what’s being studied
- quicker and cheaper than regular interviews as multiple respondents than interview
- can introduce topics that researcher may not have thought of
what are the disadvantages of focus groups
- moderator needs to be very skilled to keep topic on point and stop it being dominated by individuals
- some participants may feel unable to share views in group setting
- unlikely to be representative
- as each group unique unlikely to be reliable
- a dominant group member could damage validity
- as with other qualitative methods can be difficult to analysis
what is observation
researcher watches participants in natural setting to see how the behave in regular situation
advantages of covert participant observation
- enables research on otherwise difficult to research groups collecting detailed qualitative data about those who may not cooperate normally
- valid if group acts normally
- often involves sitting back and seeing how things develop which can be very effective
- records what actually happens rather than hoping for honesty
disadvantages of covert participant observation
- researcher has to rely on memory for events and can therefore subconsciously decide what is important and potentially miss out details
- has to use gatekeeper most of the time who therefore knows about the research and may act differently
- researcher needs to be careful not to draw attention or interfere with normal behavior
- ethical issues around consent and deception and for researcher if something illegal occurs
- researcher may not be safe during study
- danger of ‘going native’ losing objectivity and identifying with group being studied
advantages of overt participant observation
- ethical issues resolved
- researcher can openly ask questions
- note taking easier data more accurate
disadvantages of overt participant observation
- Hawthorne effect likely due to awareness of participants
- question about how far researcher should be involved especially for deviant activities
advantages of overt non participant observation
- easier to keep record of events
- ethical issues resolved
- can openly ask questions
- can collect quantitative and qualitative data
- not likely to be involved in illegal activities
what are official statistics
- secondary quantitative method
- most widely used secondary method
- data collected by government organizations e.g. ONS or from other sociological research data
what are the strengths of official statistics
- Availability: government and other public bodies collect and publish vast amounts of freely available data e.g. Census
- easy to identify trends and patterns being collected for many years such as the census shows family change
- ability to make international comparisons such as Durkheim’s study on suicide started using official statistics across Europe
what are the weaknesses of official statistics
- categories used in prior research may not be what sociologists are interested in
- way stats are collected dover time and definitions used change makes it difficult to compare contemporary statistics with ones from the past
- those responsible for collecting data may not do so in a uniform way e.g. what a school considers unauthorized absence changes from school to school
- doesn’t explain why something happened only the result
what are personal documents used for in sociological research
- secondary qualitative method
- documents like diaries or letters to gain insight into day to day life
- often used when participant drops out of longitudinal studies due to illness, death or another reason
what are the strengths of using personal documents
- availability of the material especially if its several years ago
- difficult for older people to remember feelings from 40-50 years ago so letters and diaries more valid
what are the weaknesses of using personal documents
- not representative as not everyone writes letters or diaries
- content and explanations in letters change depending on audience e.g. compare language between talking to parents and talking to friends
