Research Methods Flashcards
Positivists
-More scientific sociologists
-Behaviour as a result of wider forces + think research should uncover behaviour causes
-Favour quantitative data
Interpretivists
-More artsy, emotional sociologists
-Value understanding people’s behaviour, focusing on meaning
-Favour qualitative data
Reliablity
-Research can be repeated + obtain same/similar results
-creates data that can be used to systematically re-test hypotheses about social behaviour
-positivists strive for reliable research- fits with scientific approach
Representativeness
-research = representative- generalised to fit wider population
-important = rarely possible to study an entire population
-sample might be selected which shares characteristics of wider population being studied
-positivists emphasise its importance because it allows general conclusions to be drawn
Validity
-represents an accurate picture of what’s happening- how true the data is
-interpretivists emphasise validity - often associated with small-scale research methods
Primary data + their advantages
-collected first-hand by sociologists themselves for their own purposes
-e.g. social surveys, experiments, observations
-Advantages = study what you want to, control over variables/sampling, know whats gone wrong + how representative it is
Secondary data + its advantages
-already been collected by someone else
- e.g. official stats, diaries, newspapers, previous research
-Advantages = more representativeness, quicker + cheaper, good starting point to research,
Practical factors
-Time + money = large-scale- more expensive but quicker, different people have different access to these resources
-Source of funding = funding organisations may require results to be in a certain form- have to use certain methods
-Personal factors = not all sociologists have right skills/qualities e.g. confidence, recall from observations
-Research subjects = hard to study certain groups/subjects by a particular method
-Research opportunity = opportunity can be unexpected + may mean can’t use structured methods
Ethical factors
-Informed consent = allowed to refuse right to be involved, must be told about all aspects of research
-confidentiality + privacy = identity kept secret, personal info- confidential, researchers should respect privacy
-Effects on research subjects = need to be aware of possible effects, e.g. psychological damage, should anticipate/prevent harm
-Vulnerable groups = special care should be taken, child protection issues
Covert research
-Researchers identity + research purpose hidden from people being studied -> ethical problems (can’t gain informed consent)
Theoretical factors
-Validity
-Reliability
-Representativeness
The process of research
-State an aim
-State a hypothesis
-Operationalise key concepts
-Pilot study
Random sampling
-Selected purely by chance
-Everyone has equal chance
-Large enough sample should reflect characteristics of whole population
-Strengths = easy, quick + cheap, good chance of being representative, no bias
-Weaknesses = small sample means may X be representative, may be impractical, can’t generalise results
Systematic Sampling
-every nth person in the sampling frame
-Strengths = good chance of getting representative sample with random list, easy + cost/time effective, samples evenly distributed across population
-Weaknesses = bias may be present in not random list, greater risk of data manipulation
Quota Sampling
-population is stratified + each interviewer given quota which they have to fill with respondents with these characteristics until quota is reached
-Strengths = easy analysis of results as set sample used, may be cheaper (uses less sample subjects)
-Weaknesses = hard to eliminate bias, not randomised at all
Stratified Sampling
-researcher breaks down population in sampling frame e.g. age, gender class
-Strengths = more representative (reflects characteristics of pop), can compare results for each group, everyone has equal chance of being selected
-Weaknesses = social characteristics may not be known so may not reflect pop, may be difficult/time-consuming to select groups to stratify people
Experiments
-Research situation where researcher has a high degree of control
-Variables are identified + some are controlled
-can discover cause + effect relationships
Two types of experiments
-Lab = hypothesis tested under controlled, created environment- independent + dependent variables
-Field = hypothesis tested in real world, those involved usually unaware
Strengths + weaknesses of laboratory experiments
-Strengths = highly reliable (can specify precisely what steps were followed), can easily identify cause + effect relationships (BOTH THEORETICAL)
-Weaknesses = artificiality, Hawthorne effect, consent (usually involves deception), (THEORETICAL,
Strengths + Weaknesses of field experiments
Strengths:
-less artificial than lab experiments- have more ecological validity
-people don’t know they’re in experiment -> won’t be the Hawthorne Effect
Weaknesses:
-less control over variables- aren’t scientific
-limited application- very few situations that can be adapted to be a field experiment
-don’t gain consent of participants (would change behaviour)
Questionnaires
-Set list of questions, asked in same way every time
-usually self-completion but can be phone/face-to-face
-consist of mainly closed questions -> creates quantitative data
Strengths + weaknesses of questionnaires
Strengths:
-relatively cheaper + quicker to conduct compared to interviews
-obtain quantitative data- easy to compare
-can be geographically widespread
Weaknesses:
-no way of stopping if someone upset
-questions may be misunderstood
-obtain quantitative data- lacks detail
-response rate may be low- < likely = representative (can offer incentives)
Documents
-secondary data created by individuals, groups + organisations
-usually contain qualitative data- express beliefs/meanings
-favoured by interpretivsts (unless statistical)
-analysed through content analysis
-public = official stats, reports, documentaries- from gov, charities + businesses
-personal = letter, diary, autobiography, notes, photographs
Strengths + weaknesses of personal documents
Strengths:
-written for personal purposes- high in validity
-usually cheap + quick (if you can access)
Weaknesses:
-not all groups produce personal documents e.g. vulnerable members
-hindsight may change data
-if an audience = in mind -> may change data
