Research Methods

Question 1

Practical Issues of methods [3]

Answer 1

• Time
• Money
• Access

Question 2

Ethical Issues of methods [3]

Answer 2

• Informed consent
• Confidentiality
• Psychological harm

Question 3

Theoretical issues of methods [3]

Answer 3

• Reliability
• Representativeness
• Validity

Question 4

P.E.R.V.E.R.T Structure

Answer 4

Practical Issues
Ethical Issues
Reliability
Validity
Examples - actual studies (1 per method)
Representative
Theory

Question 5

Laboratory Experiments

Answer 5

Takes place in highly controlled environment using scientific experiments.

Practical: Very expensive, participants may have to be compensated
Ethical: Have to maintain consent & lack of informed consent may cause harm
Theoretical: May cause Hawthorne effect due to controlled environment.

Question 6

Field Experiments

Answer 6

Experiments that take place in real-life settings.

Practical: Access may be problem e.g. schools, but relatively inexpensive
Ethical: Reaching consent may be difficult as unaware of experiment
Theoretical: Higher in external validity (more natural behaviour)

Question 7

Questionnaires

Answer 7

Research method consists of a list of pre-set questions

Practical: Easily distributed & cover large sample size.
Ethical: Attempting to interpret written questionnaire may be difficult, hard to achieve verstehen
Theoretical: If used w/ large samples it’s more likely to be representative

Question 8

Structured Interviews

Answer 8

Interviews using pre-set questions, usually have structured responses

Practical: High response rate & training interviewers easy + cheap
Ethical: Hard to comfort vulnerable students in group interviews, may be uncomfortable
Theoretical: less valid as interviewer has to keep with same line of questionning

Question 9

Unstructured Interviews

Answer 9

Interviews without pre-set questions or answers

Practical: Requires a skilled interviewer to ask correct questions
Ethical: Easy to develop a rapport with interviewee due to feeling ‘natural’
Theoretical: Not easily repeated, cannot ask same questions

Question 10

Participant Observation

Answer 10

Where researcher joins in with the group being studied & observes their behaviour

Practical: Issues of getting into/staying/leaving the group
Ethical: Difficulty ensuring anonymity of participants & maintaining consent
Theoretical: Groups are observed in a natural environment

Question 11

Non Participant Observation

Answer 11

Where the observer avoids any direct involvement with the research group

Practical: Not representative, small-scale sample.
Ethical: Hard to obtain consent, may cause Hawthorne effect if aware being observed
Theoretical: Limited risk of researcher ‘going native’ compared to participant observations

Question 12

Official Statistics

Answer 12

Quantitative data collected by government bodies

Practical: Cheap & easy to access, e.g. via ONS website
Ethical: Some statistics may not be in public access
Theoretical: ONS cover large groups of people, e.g. crime statistics cover whole country

Question 13

Documents

Answer 13

Secondary data mainly containing qualitative data that expresses beliefs & meanings held by an individual/organisation

Practical: Save researchers time but may be hard to access
Ethical: Personal documents may require consent, especially children’s
Theoretical: Personal bias is likely to be present in personal documents, may not be representative

Question 14

Topics of methods in context [4]

Answer 14

• Gender/ethnic/class differences in achievement
• Parents’ attitudes towards school
• Completion of homework
• Labelling in classrooms

Question 15

Themes of methods in context [5]

Answer 15

• Pupils
• Teachers
• Parents
• Schools
• Classrooms

Question 16

Structure of Methods in Context 20markers

Answer 16

Point - strength/limitation
Explain - why is it a strength
Apply - to context of research
Elaborate - Therefore it may limit/help
Evaluate - However…