Qualitive Research Methods Flashcards
Suggest two reasons why unstructured interviews may lack reliability.
Every interview is unique – they are not standardised; they are impossible to replicate;
interviewers may differ in personal characteristics and the way they conduct the interview.
Why are unstructured interviews particularly useful when investigating unfamiliar subjects?
The researcher can learn what questions and lines of enquiry are useful as s/he goes along.
What is ‘Rapport’ and why is it important?
A relationship with trust and understanding. It means the interviewees are likely to reveal more
of their feelings because they like and trust the interviewer.
Suggest two advantages and disadvantages of using group interviews in research.
Advantages: participants may ‘feed off’ each other’s comments; they may feel more
comfortable; group interviews may generate ideas to investigate. Disadvantages: some
individuals may dominate and others say little or nothing; participants may not say what they
really think because of peer group pressure; data is difficult to analyse.
What is structured observation schedule?
This is a pre‐determined list of the types of behaviour the sociologist is interested in. Each time
the behaviour occurs, the observer records it on the schedule.
Suggest two reasons why participant observation might not produce (a) representative data and (b) reliable data.
(a) The group studied is usually very small. The ‘sample’ is often selected haphazardly, for example
through a chance encounter with someone who turns out to be a key informant. This means that
the group studied may be unrepresentative of the wider population
(b) it is not a standardised, scientific measuring instrument. Instead, the success of the research
depends heavily on the personal skills and characteristics of the lone researcher. This means it is
impossible for any other investigator to check the original study by replicating it, so we cannot
be as confident its findings are true. The fact that participant observation usually produces
qualitative data also makes comparisons with other studies difficult.
Identify two ethical problems of using covert participant observation.
It may involve deception of participants; there is little possibility of obtaining informed consent;
the researcher may become involved in or know about illegal or immoral activities; it may be
dangerous; the researcher may leave the group without an explanation; the researcher may
publish information about the group without their knowledge.
Explain why participant observation is attractive to ‘Action’ approaches in sociology.
It allows the researcher to see things through the eyes of the group; it focuses on small‐scale
interaction; it focuses on the meanings behind actions.
Identify three advantages of using overt rather than covert observation.
- Morally more ethical
- Not pressured into partaking into activities that may be dangerous
- More open to ask questions.
Why do secondary sources usually present fewer ethical problems to the sociologist than other methods of research?
Because the sociologist is not involved in their initial collection.
Explain what is meant by content analysis.
A method used to investigate the way material is presented by the media, involving the
classification of material into different categories. All could be used by sociologists, but the
Census is a set of statistics, not a written document. All the others are documents.
What does Scott mean by the ‘Credibility’ of a document?
Whether what the document says is believable.
