Research

Question 1

Describe the two main types of data.

Answer 1

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

Question 2

What are the two key qualities that sociological research aims to have?

Answer 2

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

Question 3

How can you tell if a study is valid?

Answer 3

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

Question 4

How can you tell if a study is reliable?

Answer 4

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

Question 5

State three examples of primary data.

Answer 5

Primary data is new data collected 1st hand by the researcher e.g.

• Observations
• Questionnaires
• Interviews

Question 6

State three examples of secondary data.

Answer 6

Secondary data is data that already exists, collected by someone else e.g.

• Statistics
• Media
• Diaries
• Photographs
• Letters

Question 7

Name the 5 stages of the research process.

Answer 7

The research process:

1. Theory
2. Hypothesis
3. Operationalisation
4. Fieldwork
5. Analysis

Question 8

Describe the first stage of the research process.

Answer 8

Stage 1 - Theory:

• Choose a field of interest to study
• Conduct a literature review of past studies
• Identify any related sociological theories or concepts

Question 9

Describe the second stage of the research process.

Answer 9

Stage 2 - Hypothesis:

• The researcher makes a statement about the expected outcome of the research
• Research will either prove or disprove the statement

Question 10

Describe the third stage of the research process.

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Describe the fourth stage of the research process.

Answer 11

Stage 4 - Fieldwork:

• Research is conducted following the design
• Sometimes prior to this stage, the sociologist may conduct a pilot (trial) study

Question 12

Describe the final stage of the research process.

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Evaluate participant observation as a research method

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Evaluate non-participant observation as a research method.

Answer 14

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

Question 15

Evaluate structured interview as a research method.

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Evaluate unstructured interview as a method of research.

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Evaluate the use of official statistics as a research method.

Answer 17

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

Question 18

Evaluate visual sources as a method of research.

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Evaluate use of personal documents as a research method.

Answer 19

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

Question 20

Evaluate case study as a method of research.

Answer 20

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

Question 21

Evaluate postal questionnaire as a research method.

Answer 21

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