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sociology > Research Methods > Flashcards

Research Methods Flashcards

1
Q

advantages of primary data:

A
  • reliable way to collect data as the researcher themselves
  • more up to date
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2
Q

disadvantages of primary data:

A
  • time consuming
  • more costly
  • researchers can be subjective
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3
Q

advantages of secondary data:

A
  • lot of information since it already exists
  • used for making comparisons over time
  • sometimes only means of reassigning the past
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4
Q

disadvantages of secondary data:

A
  • official stats may reflect the biases of those in power: limiting what you find out
  • documents may lack authenticity/ not valid
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5
Q

practical issues:

A
  • relates to time, logistics and money
  • T: ime
  • R: esearch opportunities
  • A: ccess
  • M: oney
  • P: ersonality of the researcher
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6
Q

ethical issues:

A
  • issues of whether the research could cause and harm or discomfort, or whether it includes any illegal activity
  • D: eception
  • R: ight to withdrawal
  • I: nformed consent
  • P: rotection from harm
  • C: onfidentiality
  • A: nonymity
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7
Q

conducting a social survey:

A
  1. choose topic
  2. determine aim/hypothesis
  3. operationalise concepts
  4. conduct pilot study
  5. select sample
  6. decide whether face to face , postal etc.
  7. create survey
  8. conduct study
  9. analyse data
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8
Q

aim:

A
  • is a statement about what the researcher intends to study and what they want to achieve
  • is more generic
  • advantage = can be very broad ( interpretivists favour an aim)
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9
Q

hypothesis:

A
  • more specific
  • is a possible explanation that can be tested through evidence to support is as being true or to falsify it
  • advantage = can provide a sense of direction and focus ( positivists favour this)
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10
Q

pilot study:

A
  • used as a survey before the start of the research
  • used for social surveys (questionnaires, structured interviews)
  • Young & Wilmcott (1962) conductors 100 pilot studies to help with wording and design
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11
Q

sampling methods:
1. simple random

A
  • every member has an equal chance of being selected
  • advantages: scientific and objective
  • disadvantage: expensive, time consuming to locate the sample, chance that it can be unrepresentative
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12
Q
  1. systematic random:
A
  • when every nth name is taken from the sampling frame e.g every 5th
  • advantages: quick, cheap and simple
  • disadvantages: sample to likely be unrepresentative
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13
Q
  1. stratified random most representative:
A
  • sampling frame is split into social groups.
  • a random sample is then taken from each group so each is equally represented
  • advantages: more likely to be representative sample as the researcher controls the variables
  • scientific and objective
  • disadvantages: may not have enough info necessary to divide the sample into stratification
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14
Q
  1. snowball sampling:
A
  • no sampling frame available, gains a sample through making contact with one member in hope they will access the others through them
  • advantages: sample can be constructed without a sampling frame
  • disadvantages: it provides an unrepresentative sample
  • does not claim this and is favoured by interpretivists
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15
Q
  1. volunteer sampling:
A
  • researcher announces through newspapers, radios etc.
  • advantages: quick and simple
  • may be the only way to gain a sample
  • disadvantages: usually biased due to the volunteers being involved in the research
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16
Q
  1. opportunity sampling:
A
  • researcher selects first available people
  • advantages: can be used to gain info for quantitative data
  • pilot studies to assess the usefulness of the questionnaire
  • disadvantages: not likely to gain a representative sample
  • set over a time period basis
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17
Q

sampling:

A
  • refers ti the process of selecting the studies sample group
    sample:
  • a smaller sub-group who are sketched and used from the wider target group
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18
Q

sampling frame:

A
  • is a list of people from the population we are interested in studying
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19
Q

unstructured interviews:

A
  • no set questions to ask the participant, more like a conversation
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20
Q

structured interview:

A
  • set questions to follow throughout the interview
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21
Q

advantages of structured interviews:

A
  • Effective way of getting questionnaires completed.
    Reliable
    Useful
    less risk of interviewer bias
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22
Q

disadvantages of structured interviews:

A
  • impose limits on what the respondents say
    not suitable for sensitive topics, and vulnerable people. time consuming can be expensive possibility of interviewer bias
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23
Q

advantages of unstructured interviews:

A
  • greater flexibility for validity there can be trust and rapport created between the interviewers and participant
    Interviewers can adjust
    questions for sensitive topics, if it is getting uncomfortable for the participant.
    group discussion can probe more of a in-depth discussion
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24
Q

disadvantages of unstructured interviews:

A
  • time consuming
  • expensive
  • difficult to replicate interviews, so can be seen a invalid difficult to compare and measure responses. peer pressure in group discussions and interviews interviewer bias
25
Q

problems of pilot surveys:

A
  • Interpretivists would argue their artificial situation hawthorne effect interviewer bias
26
Q

Questionnaires- open ended questions-advantages:

A
  • valid and detailed data can be taken from these types of questionnaires
27
Q

closed ended questionnaires advantages:

A
  • quick to complete
    easy to quantify the results reliable
28
Q

close ended (multiple choice) disadvantages:

A
  • there can be a confused meaning of data
    imposing their own views, so it could researcher bias.
29
Q

open ended questionnaires disadvantages:

A
  • hard to quantify in to results meaning of results can be confused with researchers
30
Q

self completion questionnaires- postal or email advantages:

A
  • cheap
  • quick
  • people can reply at their own leisure, no pressure vulnerable questions are more likely to be answered because they dont feel pressured no interviewer bias
31
Q

self completion disadvantages:

A
  • no representative responses, may be hard to quantify the data people may not even send back the questionnaires, only 10% of questionnaires are sent back invalid
    they may not have answered it themselves, so not reliable
32
Q

Positivism:

A
  • Scientific
  • believes society can be studies using similar scientific techniques to hose used by natural sciences.
  • Usually use quantitative data, interested in the macro approach. -Usually focuses on the objectivity on the topic.
33
Q

Interpretivism:

A
  • emphasising the personal beliefs, values and interpretations and they influence the way we act.
  • Usually uses qualitative data, and focuses on Verteshen (understanding and empathy).
  • The micro approach is used as well as the subjectivity of the topic.
34
Q

triangulation:

A
  • use of 2 or more research methods in a single piece of research to check the validity and reliability of research evidence.
35
Q

advantages of content analysis:

A
  • Relatively cheap.
  • No involvement of people, no harmful effect.
  • Reliable
  • Enables discovery of things that may not be obvious.
36
Q

disadvantages of content analysis:

A
  • depends on if the researcher interprets in the best way.
  • Doesn’t explain what is found or studied.
  • Different interpretation for different sociologists.
37
Q

qualitative data: micro approach

A
  • provides in depth and detailed research
  • sociologists can explore a certain topic while building rapport
  • insight to another person’s life or experience
38
Q

quantitive data: macro approach

A
  • information in a numerical form
  • objective language
  • larger scale research to study and wider issue of area
39
Q

primary data:

A

questionnaires:
- closed ques (quant)
- open ques (qual)

experiments:
- lab (quant)
- field (qual)

interviews:
- structured (quant)
- unstructured (qual)
- semi (qual)
- focus group (qual)

observations (all qual):
- overt
- covert
- participant
- non-participant

40
Q

secondary data: all quantitative

A

statistics:
- official
- unofficial

diaries:
- journals

media products:
- newspapers
- radio
- films
- novels
- music
- internet
- ads

41
Q

experiments:

A
  • aim to measure the effect which one or more independent variables have on a dependent variable
  • aim to test a hypothesis
  • scientific procedure to demonstrate a factb
42
Q

three types of experiments:

A
  • laboratory
  • field
  • comparative methods
43
Q

variables

A

independent:
- social class: middle and working

dependent:
- parental attitudes to education

controlled:
- gender
- age
- ethnicity
- family type
- geographical location

44
Q

laboratory and field experiments:

A

laboratory:
- artificial environment which the researcher is able to control the different variable to see the effect

45
Q

validity:

A
  • is a measure of how truthful data is
  • is concerned with verstehen (empathy)
  • interviews, observations and diaries
46
Q

reliability:

A
  • is a measure of how repeatable a method is
  • repeated research
  • questionnaires, official stats and lab experiments
47
Q

theoretical approach:

A
  • positivists: macro
  • prefer quantitative data
  • assumes that society has an objective factual reality
  • believes that society influences its members shapes their behaviour
48
Q

interprevitists:

A
  • prefer qualitative data
  • subjective : believes that our actions have meanings
49
Q

positivism:

A
  • durkheim: marxist functionalist
  • influenced by the natural sciences and believes human behaviour should only be understood
50
Q

interprevitism:

A
  • Weber (classical sociological theorist)
  • priorities being subjective
  • rejects the idea that human beings can be treated like objects
51
Q

questionnaires:

A

self completion or postal questionnaires evaluations:
advantages:
- practical: cheap, quick and easy. obtain large sample size

disadvantages:
- validity: people may not always answer trustfully
- research is unable to build rapport

52
Q

continuation: advantages

A
  • representative
  • reliable
53
Q

disadvantages of questionnaires:

A

open:
- ambiguous ques
- time consuming
- difficult to generate stats
- difficult to make comps
- lacks reliability

54
Q

continued:

A

closed:
- ambiguous ques
- restricts responses
- research bias
- lacks validity

self-complete:
- ambiguous ques
- potentially low response rate
- not being taken seriously
- no guarantee who is filling them out
- costly

interview:
- time consuming
- possible of interview bias
- possible that respondents may feel intimidated

55
Q

practical issues:

A
  • time and money
  • requirements of funding bodies
  • personal skills and characteristics
  • subject matter
  • research opportunity
56
Q

ethical issues:

A
  • informed consent
  • confidentiality and privacy
  • harm to participants
  • vulnerable groups
57
Q

theoretical issues:

A
  • validity
  • reliability
  • representativeness
  • methodological perspective
  • interactionists
58
Q

official statistics:

A
  • are figures collected by the government or other official bodies and are produced in vast quantities
    two types:
  • hard stats: birth and death rates
  • soft stats: unemployed and poverty
59
Q

positivists and interprevitists on official stats:

A
  • positivists: see stats as true and objective
  • interprevitists do not represent social facts
  • socially constructed
  • goal and validity here: do not show or explain trend or true meanings

sociology (15 decks)

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