Research Methods Flashcards
Positivists
Argue there is a measurable, objective reality
See our behaviour as a result of social forces shaping what we do
Use standardised methods of research (questionnaires, structured interviews and observation and official statistics)
Interpretivists
Claim there is no objective social reality
Use open ended methods that produce valid qualitative data
Unstructured interviews, participation observation and personal documents
Understanding by experiencing the group’s lifestyle for themselves
Reliability
A method that has to be repeatable to obtain same results
Using standardised forms of measurements
Positivist so favour scientific approach such as experiments, questionnaires and structured interviews
Regard participation and unstructured interviews as unreliable due to it being unrepeatable
Representatives
Characteristics need to be same as those of a wider group
They will be able to make generalisations on the basis of evidence
Positivists emphasise the importance of representativeness because they want to find general patterns and cause-and-effect
Primary and Secondary Data
Primary- collected themselves for own sociological purposes
Secondary- Any information that has already been collected by someone else for their own purposes
Methodological preference
Positives prefer quantitative data -> identify patterns and trends in behaviour
Interpretivists prefer qualitative data -> aim to uncover the meanings people hold
Practical Factors
Time
Finance
Source of funding
Personal factors
Research subjects
Research opportunity
Personal danger
Ethical factors
Informed consent
Confidentiality
Effects on the research subjects
Vulnerable groups
Covert research
Evaluation- Which factor is most important?
Theoretical- Positive influence, prefer to have quantitive or qualitative
Practical and ethical- More limitation on choice of method
Triangulation- Combines quantitive and qualitive methods so that strengths of one balance the weakness of the other
Choice of topic
Practical factors
Funding bodies
Society’s values
Sociologists theoretical perspective
Chance
Process of research
Aims
Hypothesis
Operationalising concepts
The pilot study
Samples and representativeness
Have same characteristics, proportions as the wider population. Cross section of whole group
What is true of sample, likely to be true for the whole group
Important to positivity because they want to make generalisations and laws of social behaviour
Are all samples representative?
Small samples are less likely to be representative of large populations
Interpretivists it’s feel they are less important (social actors)
Random sampling
Every member of sample has an equal chance
Should reflect characteristics of whole research population
Systematic or quasi-random sampling
Selecting every nth person in the sampling frame
This can reduce the chance of bias
Stratified sampling
Researcher stratifies population by age, class, gender
Created same proportions
Quota sampling
The population is stratified
Given quota -> fill with respondents who fit characteristics
Labaratory experiments
Positivists argue measurable objective social reality ‘out there’
Take a scientific approach using standardised methods of research to obtain quantitative data
Produce generalisations and cause-and-effect, statements
Interpretivists- Do not translate easily to study
Problems with laboratory experiments
Hawthorne Effect
Identifying and controlling variables
Ethical problems- Blind to conceal the real aim and cannot contain informed consent
Artificiality- High artificial
Free will
Limited application
Advantages of field experiments
Less artificiality
Validity- Unaware of situation and are in their usual social environment
Disadvantages of Field Experiments
Less control over variables
Limited application
Ethical problems- Not gained the inform consent
Advantages of Questionaires
Reliability
Hypothesis Testing
Detachment and objectivity
Practical advantage
Representativeness
Disadvantages of Questionaires
Inflexibility
Detachment
Imposing the researcher’s meaning
Lying, forgetting and right answerism
Practice problems
Response rate
Advantages of Structured Interviews
Reliability
Representativeness: Quick to conduct, larger sample can produce more representative results
Cost: Cheapest form
Interviewer-interviewee contact
Limited ‘interviewer effect’
