Research Methods #1: Choosing a research method

Question 1

Summary

Answer 1

• Positivists and interpretivists differ on their choice of research methods, depending on the type of data they produce, as well as their theoretical issues.
• The choice of research method is also determined by the practical, ethical and theoretical issues associated with it.

Question 2

How do Interpretivists and Positivists differ?

Answer 2

• Positivists prefer scientific, quantifiable data that is quick and easy to obtain, and is rich in reliability and validity.
• Interpretivists, on the other hand, value qualitative data that provides in-depth meaning of a small-scale research group, and is therefore rich in validity.

Question 3

What are three practical issues associated with choosing a research method?

Answer 3

TIME

• Some methods take more time than others because of, for example, more detailed data being recorded. Research methods that take more time may lead to a smaller research sample size.

MONEY

• The money available to conduct the research affects the number of researchers, respondents and amount of research time.
• Equipment, travel and people’s time are often not cheap.

ACCESS

• Some groups of respondents and location are easier to access than others. For example, to enter a school to do research, permission is required.

Question 4

What are three ethical issues associated with choosing a research method?

Answer 4

INFORMED CONSENT

• Researchers should have the informed consent of their research subjects, because of the effects that the research may have on them.

CONFIDENTIALITY

• Research subjects have a right to anonymity, so they should not be identifiable when the research is published.

PSYCHOLOGICAL HARM

• Some research groups are more vulnerable to psychological harm than others (eg. children).

Question 5

Acronym to remember ethical issues

Answer 5

C-DRIP

• C - Confidentiality
• D - Deception
• R- Right to Withdraw
• I - Informed Consent
• P - Protection from Psychological Harm

Question 6

What are three theoretical issues associated with choosing a research method?

Answer 6

RELIABILITY

• For a research method to be reliable, it must be able to be repeated and obtain similar results. Positivists favour reliable research and therefore use methods such as questionnaires and structured interviews, that can be repeated by any researcher due to the structured conditions.

REPRESENTATIVENESS

• For a research method to be representative, the sample group must have similar characteristics to those of the wider population. Positivists value representativeness because they wish to discover general patterns and make cause and effect statements about social behaviour.

VALIDITY

• Validity refers to how true the data is. Interpretivists emphasise the need to use research methods rich in validity, such as unstructured interviews and participant observations because they reveal the real meanings in which people hold.