RDs, quality Flashcards
Cross sectional designs
- Uses a “snapshot” of the SAME DATA set at ONE POINT OF TIME.
- Most common in polsci
Internal validity: lower (cannot prove that change is happening if not repeater across time)
External validity: high
Longitudinal
- RD that follows the SAME SET OF DATA over MULTIPLE points of times.
Internal validity: high
External validity: lower
Experimental
- RD that tries to control all the variables (if possible) = prove that what you say is right in any way.
- Can take many forms: in the lab, in the field etc
- Internal validity: high - researchers can control all the variables
- External validity: low (cannot prove that what you are doing in the lab is actually applicable outside of it)
Repeated cross sectional
MULTIPLE snapshots across time AND DIFFERENT DATA SETS.
Case study definition
The intensive study of a single case where the purpose of that study is to shed light on a larger class of cases (a population).
Single case study
analysing one phenomenon, no matter of the time
internal validity: mid
external validity: mid
Comparative case study
comparing two or more things
internal validity: high
external validity: low
reliability is also low
Quality criteria:
- Validity
- Reliability
- Measurement
Internal validity: the extent to which I can prove that what I say is actually true.
External validity: the extent to which the knowledge I (researcher) have gathered is generalisable and applicable elsewhere.
Reliability: definition = free from random errors, how accurately we have measured our indicators.
— The methods we use need to be explicitly related to the aims of the studies,
Case definition
a spatially and temporally defined phenomenon of theoretical significance
Methods (uses in interpritist, positivist and realist research)
Qualitative: research based on a discursive analysis of more loosely coded information for few cases
Quantitative: converting knowledge into statistical data
Positivism = quantitative
Realism = both quantitative and qualitative
Interpritivism = usually qualitative
Internal validity and interpritivist research
Interpretivists focus on meaning that provides reason to action
look for credibility - the extent to which the presentations by the researcher match the constructed realities of the respondents
External validity and interpritivist research
Interpretivists do not believe that there are regularities to the social world that social scientists can uncover to explain or predict human behaviour
From this point of view, generalization doesn’t make sense
Researchers should offer ‘thick description’ of findings within context
Thick descriptions enables readers to assess transferability of the findings to other cases
Large C studies
- Small number of data set?
NEED TO FINISH
