Research methods Flashcards
Name 3 types of research method that Positivists would prefer to use
Lab/ field experiments
Questionnaires
Structured interviews
Define reliability
A method that can be repeated- eg lab/ field experiments, questionnaires, structured interviews
Name 3 methods that could be high in validity
covert observations,
unstructured interviews
personal documents
What are official statistics?
Data produced by the government and the agencies that work for the government. Eg, schools, universities, hospitals, police.
This data is usually published frequently on a website that is free to access
When you have to cover PET in a research methods essay, what does T stand for?
Theory.
This means whether they are a positivist or an interpretivist.
This will effect whether they want to focus on research that is reliable and representative or valid.
NO METHOD IS BOTH RELIABLE & VALID
Name 3 ethical issues that a researcher will have to consider
Is the person vulnerable?
Are they able to give full consent (do they understand fully what they are being asked to do?)
Will the researcher promise confidentiality?
What will they do with ‘guilty knowledge’?
Will there be a de-brief after the research to mitigate any harm done.
If the research could be harmful- do the ends justify the means?
What is a gatekeeper?
A person who protects vulnerable groups. They decide whether a researcher may have access to those groups.
In a school, the gatekeepers would be the head teacher, teachers and parents.
What is the Hawthorne effect?
People change their behaviour when they know that they are being observed.
What is a sampling frame?
A list of people that you choose your research group from. In a school, this would be the school roll. In a classroom, this would be a register
Name 3 types of sampling
random, snowball, stratified
Name 3 practical issues that a sociologist may have to consider
Time, cost, access, language, social characteristics of the researcher (gender, age, social class, ethnicity). Think of Labov’s study in Harlem.
Name one sociological field experiment
Rosenthal and Jacobsen (the effect of a teacher and self-fulfilling prophecies)
What methods did Paul Willis use in Learning to labour?
Group interviews and non-participant, overt observation
Define validity
Understanding the truth from the perspective of the person being researched.
Name 3 methods that interpretivists would choose to use.
covert observations,
unstructured interviews
personal documents
NOTE: this is the same answer as the 3 research methods likely to be high in validity.
Validity is the major goal of interpretivists.
