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Sociology > Research methods > Flashcards

Research methods Flashcards

1
Q

Define:

Positivism

A
  • Scientific approach
  • Reliable, generalisable, representative
  • Quantitative
  • Functionalism + Marxists
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2
Q

Define:

Interpretivism

A
  • Understand context
  • Validity
  • Qualitative
  • Feminism, Postmodernism, Interactionism
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3
Q

Reflexivity

A
  • Interpretivist
  • Keep research journal to reflect on process
  • Document mistakes, social background, social context
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4
Q

Verstehen

A
  • Interpretivism
  • Place self physically into the position/situation of the participants
  • Participant observation
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5
Q

Strengths of Interpretivism

A
  • Provides context
  • Building relationships - High in validity
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6
Q

Weaknesses of Interpretivism

A
  • Less ethical due to less consent
  • Data less reliable and generalisable
  • Only gathers a small amount of data
  • Relationship can bias results
  • Takes longer
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7
Q

Strengths of Positivism

A
  • More ethical - consent gained
  • Data is reliable, representative, generalisable
  • Detatchment from participants decreases bias
  • Faster to produce
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8
Q

Weaknesses of Positivism

A
  • Does not provide context - people become statistics
  • Data is less valid due to clearer consent
  • Detatchment from participants can decrease validity
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9
Q

Stages of the research process

A
  • Sociological research aim
  • Interests and values of the researcher
  • Current debates
  • Funding
  • Access to participants and gatekeeping
  • Choice of research method
  • Practical factors
  • Ethics
  • Academic literature and hypothesis
  • Operationalisation
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10
Q

Sociological research aim

A
  • Purpose of the research
  • Descriptive, Explanatory, Evaluative
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11
Q

Descriptive

A

Giving a set of facts

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12
Q

Explanatory

A

Giving a reasoning for facts

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13
Q

Evaluative

A

Proposing a solution

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14
Q

Interests and values of the researcher

A
  • Researcher picks topic they are interested in
  • Can create researcher bias
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15
Q

Current debates

A

Research will be impacted by things happening in the real world

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16
Q

Funding

A
  • Get money from a funding agency
  • E.g. Government, University, Charities
  • Can create bias as they expect a certain result
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17
Q

Get access to a community through a gatekeeper

A

Access to participants and gatekeeping

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18
Q

Gatekeeper

A

Someone who has direct access to a population

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19
Q

Research methods

A
  • Primary data
  • Secondary data
  • Qualitative data
  • Quantitative data
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20
Q

Practical factors

A
  • Cost - available funding
  • Time - Longer research costs more
  • Subject matter - Participants must feel comfortable with sensitive topics
  • Researchers social background - Age, Gender, Ethnicity, Class
21
Q

Ethics

A
  • Rights of participants
  • Responsibility of researcher
22
Q

Academic literature and hypothesis

A
  • Research studies that have already been conducted
    – Avoid repeating research
    – Provide researcher with further ideas
    – Generate a hypothesis
23
Q

Operationalisation

A
  • Break down the hypothesis
  • Turn subjective words into concrete measurable things
24
Q

Hypothesis

A

Prediction of what will happen

25
Q

Ethical considerations

A
  • Informed consent
  • No deception
  • Privacy
  • Protect participants from harm
  • No illegal or immoral activity
  • Avoid risk to researcher
26
Q

Informed consent

A
  • Participants are aware they are part of research
  • Informed on purpose of research
  • Some participants cannot give consent - ask parent/carer
27
Q

No deception

A
  • Do not keep information from participants
  • Do not lie about purpose of research
  • Do not befriend participants to increase validity - some argue validity outweighs ethics
28
Q

Privacy

A
  • Participants should be safeguarded
  • Keep participants anonymous
  • Participants will be more honest if they are anonymous
29
Q

Protect participants from harm

A
  • Participants protected from physical, mental, or emotional harm
  • Some topics may be upsetting
30
Q

No illegal or immoral activity

A
  • Researchers must make sure their behaviour is always legal + moral
  • Avoid situations where they may observe crime
  • Crime must be reported to relevant authorities
31
Q

Avoid risk to the researcher

A
  • Researchers do not put themselves at risk of physical, emotional, or mental harm
32
Q

Sampling techniques

A
  • Opportunity
  • Purposive
  • Snowball
  • Stratified random
  • Systemic random
  • Volunteer
33
Q

Opportunity sampling

A
  • Select participants based on ability
    (+)
  • practical
    (-)
  • Less representative
  • Less valid
34
Q

Purposive sampling

A
  • Select candidates based on characteristics
    (+)
  • More relevant findings
    (-)
  • Less generalisable
35
Q

Snowball sampling

A
  • Participants recruited by other participants
    (+)
  • wider group
    (-)
  • Less variation in group
  • Less representative - biased to outgoing participants
36
Q

Quota sampling

A
  • Divide population into strata, select randomly from each group
    (+)
  • More cheap
    (-)
  • Less representative
37
Q

Systemic random sampling

A
  • Participants selected from random group at periodic intervals
    (+)
  • Simple
    (-)
  • selection interval can line up with trends in original sample
38
Q

Self selected/volunteer sampling

A
  • Participants sign up to participate
    (+)
  • Reach many participants easily
    (-)
  • Self sampling bias - certain type of person is more likely to sign up
39
Q

Name:

Sampling methods

A
  • Opportunity
  • Purposive
  • Snowball
  • Stratified/quota
  • Systematic
  • Volunteer
40
Q

Opportunity sampling

A

Select participants based on availability

41
Q

Purposive sampling

A

Select candidates based on charactereristics

42
Q

Snowball

A

Participants are recruited by other participants

43
Q

Stratified/quota sampling

A

Population divided into strata and randomly selected from each group

44
Q

Systemic random sampling

A

participants selected from random groups at periodic intervals

45
Q

Volunteer sampling

A

Participants sign themselves up

46
Q

Name:

Research methods

A
  • Longitudinal surveys
  • Questionnaires
    *
47
Q

Longitudinal surveys

A

Study the same group over a period of time

48
Q

Questionnaires

A

List of questions given to participants for self completion

Sociology (20 decks)

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