Quantitative Research Methods Flashcards
Quantitative Research Methods
Quantitative research methods are favoured by positivists because they are objective and numerical, which means data can be cross-examined to generate cause and effect relationships, and generalisations can be made. Quantitative research methods include laboratory experiments, field experiments, questionnaires, structured interviews and official statistics.
Laboratory Experiments
Favoured by positivists, lab experiments test hypotheses in a controlled environment where the researcher changes the independent variable and measures the effect on the dependent variable.
Advantages of Laboratory Experiments
> Highly reliable - the original experiment can specify precisely what steps were followed in the original experiments.
> Can easily identify cause and effect relationships.
Disadvantages of Laboratory Experiments
> Artificiality - lab experiments are carried out in a highly artificial environment and may not reveal how people act in the real world, any behaviour in these conditions may be artificial.
> The Hawthorne effect - a lab is not a formal or natural environment - If people know they are being studied, they may act differently.
> Ethical issues - the researcher needs informed consent of the participants - this may be difficult to obtain.
> Unrepresentative: the small-scale nature of lab experiments reduces their representativeness.
> It would be impossible to identify and/or control all the variables that might exert an influence on certain social issues (e.g. a child’s education).
Field Experiments
Field experiments take place in the real social world, whereby the sociologist either creates a situation or adapts a real-life situation to their research purpose. Those involved are usually unaware of the research taking place.
Advantages of Field Experiments
> Less artificiality - field experiments are set in real-world situations.
> Validity - people are unaware of the experimental situation (no Hawthorne effect) and are in their usual social environment, they will act normally.
Disadvantages of Field Experiments
> Ethical issues - involves carrying out an experiment on people without their informed consent.
> Less control over variables than laboratory experiments.
> Limited application - field experiments can only be applied to a limited number of social situations.
Questionnaires
Favoured by positivists, written or self-completed questionnaires are a form of social survey and can be distributed in a range of ways - notably, via post, email or handed out in person. Questionnaires are typically a list of pre-set questions that are closed-end questions with pre-coded answers.
Advantages of Questionnaires
> Practical - questionnaires are cheap and quick.
> Quantifiable data.
> Representative - reach a geographically widespread research sample.
> Reliable - the questionnaire can be easily repeated due to how the questions are pre-set.
> Limited ethical issues - the respondent is under no obligation to answer the question.
Disadvantages of Questionnaires
> Response rate - postal questionnaires in particular obtain a low response rate, which may hinder the representativity.
> Low validity - People may be more willing to lie.
> Unrepresentative - You are likely to get a certain group of people who would be more willing to answer the questionnaire.
> The interviewer isn’t there to ask follow up questions and explain questions the participants if they don’t understand.
Structured Interviews
The positivist favoured method of structured interviews involve face-to-face or over-the-phone delivery of a questionnaire. In turn, they use a list of pre-set questions designed by the researcher and asked of all interviewees in the same way.
Advantages of Structured Interviews
> Practical - training interviewers and administration is easy and cheap.
> Representative - can reach a geographically wide research sample.
> Results are easily quantifiable because they use closed-ended questions with coded answers.
> Reliable - the structured process provides a ‘recipe’ for reproducibility.
Disadvantages of Structured Interviews
> Lack of validity: People may lie or exaggerate.
Official Statistics
Official statistics are quantitative data collected by government bodies. This method is favoured by positivists because data is quick, cheap and easy to access, and it covers a wide range of social issues.
Advantages of Official Statistics
> Practical - Cheap and easy to obtain.
> Practical - easy to access.
> Allow to cross-examine, and deduce cause and effect relationships.
> Collected at regular interviews, so you can compare trends over time.
> Representative - often cover large groups of people.
> Reliable - have to be filled out by law.
