Research Methods

Question 1

What are practical issues that affect Research Methods?

Answer 1

• Factors affecting the Sociologist as they carry out the research
  
  • Time and money
  • Personal Skills
  • Gaining access to group

Question 2

What are ethical issues that affect Research Methods?

Answer 2

• Moral issues and guidelines that the Sociologist should follow
  
  • Informed Consent
  • Right to withdraw
  • Confidentiality

Question 3

What are theoretical issues affecting Research Methods?

Answer 3

• Factors affecting the outcome of the data and what it achieves
  
  • Representativeness
  • Verstehen
  • Validity and Reliability 📈📉

Question 4

What is Positivism?

Answer 4

Sociologists that prefer objective and quantitative data. They use macro research to look at trends/patterns.

Question 5

What is Interpretivism?

Answer 5

Sociologists that prefer qualitative and valid information. They want to gain verstehen with their participants to give them an understanding.

Question 6

What key terms should be considered when discussing questionnaires?

Answer 6

• “Right Answerism”: Respondents changing their answers to what they feel is correct and not what they think is correct
• Leading Questions: Questions that encourage you to give a specific answer

Question 7

What are the 2 studies of Questionnaires?

Answer 7

• The Census: a legally required questionnaire
• Connor and Dewson: were investigating working class university choices

Question 8

What are the positives of the Census?

Answer 8

• Legal requirement raises response rate
• No deception
• Representative of the whole population

Question 9

What are the negatives of The Census?

Answer 9

• Not time efficient to send and collect
• Answers aren’t confidential to the govt
• Sometimes not taken seriously (Jedi as a religion in 2001)

Question 10

What are the positives of Connor and Dewson’s Questionnaire?

Answer 10

+ No need to train interviewers
+ Data was processed by computers because of closed questions

Question 11

What are structured interviews?

Answer 11

Conversations with standardised (pre set) questions. The interviewer is given strict instructions

Question 12

What are the 2 key studies of Structured Interviews?

Answer 12

• Young and Wilmott: they researched 933 people’s extended family in London, using standardised questions to limit alternative answers
• British Crime Survey for England + Wales: Since 1981, it asks participants their experiences of crime over the last 12 months. 75% of 40,000 people took part

Question 13

What are unstructured interviews?

Answer 13

Guided conversations between the interviewer and interviewee

Question 14

What are the key studies of Unstructured Interviews?

Answer 14

• Dobash and Dobash: used 8hr unstructured interviews with domestic violence survivors and found the main trigger was challenging male authority
• Dean and Taylor Gooby: Used 90 min unstructured interviews with claimants about their experiences of unemployment. Inappropriate questions were removed