Research Flashcards
Describe the two main types of data.
Types of data:
Quantitative
- More relevant to macro research
- Structured
- Numerical/statistical data
- Looks to uncover patterns
- Gives an overall picture by calculating patterns in research
- e.g. surveys, statistics etc.
- Quick and easy to analyse
- Sometimes lacks detail/explanation
Qualitative
- More relevant to micro research
- Unstructured
- Descriptive and explanatory
- Rich in detail
- Personal accounts that cannot be easily quantified
- e.g. group discussions, unstructured interviews etc.
- Can be expensive and time consuming to gather
What are the two key qualities that sociological research aims to have?
Key qualities of sociological research:
Empiricism - Knowledge based on actual experiences and/or observations
Objectivity - Having a judgement that is not clouded by personal feelings or opinions
How can you tell if a study is valid?
Validity:
- Is the research relevant to the question?
- Are you testing what your meant to be testing?
- If the research is logical then it is valid
How can you tell if a study is reliable?
Reliability:
- For research to be reliable it has to be consistent
- If the study was conducted again, would it produce similar results? If so then it is reliable
State three examples of primary data.
Primary data is new data collected 1st hand by the researcher e.g.
- Observations
- Questionnaires
- Interviews
State three examples of secondary data.
Secondary data is data that already exists, collected by someone else e.g.
- Statistics
- Media
- Diaries
- Photographs
- Letters
Name the 5 stages of the research process.
The research process:
- Theory
- Hypothesis
- Operationalisation
- Fieldwork
- Analysis
Describe the first stage of the research process.
Stage 1 - Theory:
- Choose a field of interest to study
- Conduct a literature review of past studies
- Identify any related sociological theories or concepts
Describe the second stage of the research process.
Stage 2 - Hypothesis:
- The researcher makes a statement about the expected outcome of the research
- Research will either prove or disprove the statement
Describe the third stage of the research process.
Stage 3 - Operationalisation:
- The research design is formulated
- The researcher should consider..
- Research method (e.g. participant observation)
- Specific definitions (e.g. class defined by occupation)
- Sampling method (e.g. random sampling)
- The method for measuring behaviour
Describe the fourth stage of the research process.
Stage 4 - Fieldwork:
- Research is conducted following the design
- Sometimes prior to this stage, the sociologist may conduct a pilot (trial) study
Describe the final stage of the research process.
Stage 5 - Analysis and presentation:
- Results are organised before being analysed
- Conclusions are drawn from the organised results
- Hypothesis is either confirmed or rejected
- Research methods are evaluated
- Data is often presented in the form of a book or journal article
Evaluate participant observation as a research method
Participant observation evaluation:
Pro’s
- Observer is within the group of participants, giving them an in-depth view of behaviours
- Good for gaining insight into closed groups in society e.g. gangs etc.
- Good for explaining feelings, meanings and personal interactions within a group; verstehen can be achieved by the researcher
Con’s
- Researcher is highly involved meaning this method can cost a lot of time and money
- There is a risk of the Hawthorne effect i.e. participants altering their behaviour due to presence of the researcher
- It can be dangerous for the researcher if entering a closed group e.g. gangs
Evaluate non-participant observation as a research method.
Non-participant observation evaluation:
Pro’s
- If the group is unaware of the researchers presence this method can be good for gaining insight into ‘natural’ behaviour
- Can be used for a huge variety of study types e.g. classrooms, football hooligans etc.
- Can give a very in-depth, detailed information about behaviour
Con’s
- Can be very time consuming and costly as the researcher must be present for the study
- Behaviour is subjective and results can be subject to researcher bias
- It can be hard to quantify the behaviour of participants, making it difficult to draw conclusions from results
Evaluate structured interview as a research method.
Structured interview evaluation:
Pro’s
- Pre-set questions make data easy to quantify and form into conclusions
- Because the researcher is present participants are able to ask for clarification on questions
Con’s
- Participants are not given the opportunity to expand on their answers because questions are pre-set
- This method can be costly in time and money as the researcher must be present
Evaluate unstructured interview as a method of research.
Unstructured interview evaluation:
Pro’s
- Interviewer can gather rich, in-depth information by asking follow up questions
- Information gathered may be more relevant and insightful as questions are flexible and can be tailored to the participants
- Questions can be clarified by the researcher if the participant doesn’t understand something
Con’s
- The person being interviewed may go off-track when expanding on answers, this is a waste of the researchers time and makes results less relevant
- It can be difficult to organise and quantify results as data is qualitative/descriptive
- Can be expensive and time consuming
Evaluate the use of official statistics as a research method.
Official statistics evaluation:
Pro’s
- Relatively inexpensive method in comparison to others and can be less time consuming as data is secondary
- Good for studies that require an overall (macro) view of behaviours
Con’s
- Data can be out of date
- Usually no way of telling if the research is biased
- Research is not always reliable; people can lie or give the easiest response
- Data cannot be explained
Evaluate visual sources as a method of research.
Visual sources evaluation:
Pro’s
- Relatively inexpensive and easy to conduct
- Allows a sociological criticism of already existing works, giving a new perspective
Con’s
- It can be hard to quantify data as information is often descriptive
- It can be very time consuming to conduct a detailed analysis of visual sources
- Interpretation of behaviours is subjective meaning results may be subject to researcher bias
- Information cant always be generalised
Evaluate use of personal documents as a research method.
Personal documents evaluation:
Pro’s
- Provides a unique personal insight into behaviour
- Can be used to support other findings from that time
Con’s
- Is personal and not necessarily fact-based; may be opinion based and unreliable
- The individual may be dead, in which case information cannot be followed up
- There may be information making it hard to conduct a detailed analysis and draw sound conclusions
Evaluate case study as a method of research.
Case study evaluation:
Pro’s
- Provides a rich, detailed collection pf data which can be very insightful
- Can be used to back up further research studies
- Can sometimes open up new areas for research
Con’s
- Very time consuming and as a result is also expensive to conduct
- Data may be very specific to the study and as a result cannot be generalised
- Information is usually qualitative making it hard to quantify
Evaluate postal questionnaire as a research method.
Postal questionnaire evaluation:
Pro’s
- Can easily cover a large area meaning results provide a wider perspective
- Relatively inexpensive in comparison to other methods
- Less time is requires as the researcher does not need to be present throughout the whole study
- Obtains factual information that can be easily organised and quantified
Con’s
- There may only be a small number of responses making the study less valid
- It can be hard to gain large amounts of information as a large number of questions can put people off
- People cannot expand on answers meaning information may not be as insightful
- Respondents cannot ask for clarification on questions meaning results may not be as valid
