Research Methods

Question 1

Primary data

Answer 1

Collected by sociologist themselves for their own research purpose. To gather it they use methods such as questionnaires, interviews, observations and experiments.

Question 2

Secondary data

Answer 2

Collected or created by someone else for their own purpose but which the sociologist can then use. Sources include official statistics , documents.

Question 3

Quantitative data

Answer 3

Statistical/numerical data- sources include (primary sources)-closed questionnaires, structured interviews and experiments and (secondary sources)- official stats

Question 4

Practical

Answer 4

Time,costs and access

Question 4

Qualitative data

Answer 4

In depth data- feelings/thoughts/interpretations- (primary sources)- unstructured interviews,open questionnaires and unstrucutred observation & (secondary sources)- magazines

Question 5

Ethical

Answer 5

Moral principles that govern a persons behaviour when conducting an activity
-Anonymity- Privacy must be respected
-Must give consent-Made aware of goals and risk

Question 6

Theoretical

Answer 6

Validity- a valid method is one that produces a true picture of what something is.
Reliability- A reliable method is one that when repeated by another researcher gives the same result.
Representative- If the sample we study is a typical cross section of the wider population.

Question 7

Adv/Dis quantitative data

Answer 7

Adv: Easy to analyse and interpret- They allow the numbers to be quantified and summarised which make it easy to analyse and interpret the data to see if they identify patterns or casual links.
Dis: Time consuming - It reduces thoughts and feelings to numbers which limits a deeper understanding of human behaviour and experience. Quantitative data cannot explain why people do things just identify trends or relationships

Question 8

Adv/Dis of qualitative data

Answer 8

Adv:Deep understanding-They provide a deeper understanding of human behaviour such as experience, values, attitudes and beliefs that cannot be achieved by quantitative methods.
Dis: Time consuming- Information gathered is most often in written form which is difficult to code, analyse and interpret. Therefore it is less easy to form conclusions than when using quantitative data.

Question 9

Evaluating research methods

Answer 9

Reliability- refers to the replicability of a research method to check if the findings are consistent.
-Close ended questionnaires, structured interviews, controlled observations, experiments are viewed as reliable because they are conducted and collect data in a structured way. The ‘unstructured’ methods such as open ended questionnaires, unstructured interviews and participant observations are less reliable .
-Exam tip: write high or low in reliability.

Question 10

Evaluating research methods

Answer 10

Validity- Refers to how accurate and true the findings of the study is. A study that is valid is one that produces a true picture of what is aiming to investigate

Question 11

Evaluating research methods

Answer 11

Representativeness: The aim of a sample is to allow the findings collected from a study to be representative of the target population. Therefore when the findings are representative it means they reflect the views of the target population. A study that is representative allows the researcher to make generalisation from it about the target population.

Question 12

Adv/Dis of primary data

Answer 12

adv- Control over the research- The sociologist has complete control of their investigation which means they can collect the information they want rather than using existing information that may not be relevant
Original data- Often no secondary data exist on particular issue which mean that the sociologist has no choice but to undertake their own research study
Dis- cost and time- Sociologists may not be able to carry out their own research investigation because doing so can be time consuming and costly.

Question 13

Adv/Dis Secondary data

Answer 13

Adv- Quick and cheap: Using secondary data is much cheaper and less time consuming then carrying out your own research
Only source available- Existing secondary source may be the only option available for sociologist. This is true if they are investigating something that has happend in the past
Dis- Different purpose- Secondary information is collected by non sociologists for very different purpose than those which sociologist have in mind. This may mean that sociologists may find some of the information unsuitable for what they are trying to find out.

Question 14

What is positivism?

Answer 14

Positivists believe the social world is made up of social facts that exist out there outside our mind and that are real just like the physical world.
- Positivists prefer quantitative data because they can analyse them to see if there are patterns in the information such as seeing if there is a cause and effect link
-Positivist claims that methods of collecting quantitative data more objective, reliable and representative which they see as being more important characteristics than validity.

Question 15

What is interpretivists?

Answer 15

Sociologist who use interpretivist research are interested in achieving a deeper insight into human behaviour they want to get a better understanding of the meanings and reasons we give to situations that influence our behaviour.
- Interpretivist prefer collecting qualitative data because this allows them to achieve a deeper insight into and understanding of the meanings and motives that govern people’s behaviour and attitudes. Interpretivists claim unstructured methods of collected qualitative data produce a more valid account of human behaviour and regard validity as more important than reliability or representatives.