Research Methods Flashcards
Positivist approach
What type
What methods do they use
Type of data
Top down approach- structure of society influences individuals behaviour
Hypothetico-deductive process
Questionnaires - closed question
Quantitative data
What positivist assume
Believe society is more important to study as that influences individual behaviour shaped by social forces (Durkheim = social facts)
Society can be studied in the same way natural sciences are studied
People’s behaviour can be observed, counted and measured
Patterns and trends
People behaving in similar ways and the behaviour can be seen and catalogued
Objectivity
Research should not be bias but factual - not opinion led
Reliability
Research is consistent and replicable
Value freedom
Ability of the researcher to keep their own values, political preference and religious views from interfering with the research process
Quantitative data
Numerical data not words or phrases
Representative
Has characteristics that are typical of the larger population being studied
Generalisability
If research findings can be applied to settings other than the ones it was originally tested in
Evaluation
Pros of positivists
> Quantitative data makes it more reliable, easy to compare and spot patterns and trends
Replicable
no bias as it is objective so it increases validity
large scale methods so representative and generalised
Evaluation
Cons of positivists
> Ignores subjective experiences of people as there is less detail - decreasing validity
too narrow mindset and straightforward
lacks rapport and verstehen ( don’t understand how participants feel)
Rapport
A close and harmonious relationship where you understand each other’s feelings and communicate well
Verstehen
Empathic understanding of human behaviour
Meanings and experiences
Giving labels to things
Events that impact our lives
Validity
The quality of being accurate
Subjectivity
Influence of personal views
Imposition bias
Personal interference
Reflexivity
Form of self evaluation in the way of diaries (eg to document all stages of research)
Interpretivists
Bottom up approach - individuals give labels to things which influences society
Qualitative data
Less scientific
Interpretivists assumptions
Human beings cannot be treated like objects
People have free will
Interaction with people give meaning to their own behaviour
Can interpret what is going on
Evaluation
Pros of interpretivists
Increase in verhesten as it considered emotions which increases validity
High rapport increase validity as more likely to have honesty in an answer
Evaluation of interpretivists
Cons
Hard to replicate
Lacks objectivity - decreasing reliability as some may interpret it differently & increase in bias due to no value freedom
Less generalisable as they believe that everyone is individual
Small scale less representative
Hypothetico deductive process Stage 1 (Positivists)
Background reading + personal experience - theory Hypothesis formation Study Data collection Analysis of data using stats Accept or reject hypothesis Theory confirmation
Is the hypothetical deductive process bias? or reliable ?
May have imposition bias - already have an idea of what they are looking for
Replicable can be more consistent and its factual
Grounded theory
Interpretivists
Coding - categorising and describing the details of the categories ~ there is open and selective
Memoing - process for recording thoughts and ideas
Integrative diagrams - used to pull all of the detail together
Is the grounded theory bias? or reliable ?
Experimenter bias - can unfounded the answer through facial expressions and body language
Less reliable as it is often long so society may change
Reliable as they au find consistency across the years
Pilot study
A small scale premliminary study conducted in order to evaluate feasibility , cost, time
Operationalisation
Defining key terms and concepts - need to define variables that facilitate accurate replication of research process
Evaluation of pilot studies
Advantages
Can make sure study’s accurate increase validity
Can use the results if findings are the same as it will increase reliability as the results are consistent
Evaluation of pilot studies
Cons
It is expensive
May be a waste of time if there are no significant results
Ethics
Set of principles of right conduct
Ethical guidelines in sociology
Informed consent Anonymity and privacy assured Confidentiality Participant and researcher safety Right to withdraw
Primary data
Data that can be collected by the sociologist themself
Secondary data
Data that already exists , collected by other sociologists not for the purpose of your investigations
Evaluation of primary data
✔️ collected for your research purpose = increased validity
✔️ better control over research process = ethical or valid
✖️time consuming
✖️researcher bias , Hawthorne effect
Evaluation for secondary data
✔️less time consuming, easy to find
✔️allows you to examine and compare sets of data for reliability
✖️data might not be valid or ethical - unfalsifiable
✖️not for you specific purpose
✖️a lot of data to analyse
Sampling frame
A list of most of the people in the target population
Eg registers
Random sampling techniques
Simple
Stratified
Systematic
Cluster
Non random sampling
Quota
Snowball
Volunteer
Opportunity
Gatekeeper
Someone who has the power to to let a sociologist have access to the sample
Simple random sampling
Every person has an equal chance of being selected usually done by computer
Systematic (random) sampling
Every nth name / unit
Stratified (random) sampling
Dividing the population according to the numbers of the social characteristics randomly selecting within those groups (proportional selection)
Cluster (random)sampling
Taking a random sample at various stages of the sampling process
Quota (non random) sampling
Sociologists malting a decision about the numbers of people they want from certain social characteristics and then selecting them personally
Snowball (non random) sampling
Sociologists Finding one person they’re interested in asking them if they know anyone else who would be willing to take part
Volunteer (non random) sampling
This involves a sociologist using volunteers for a study usually through responses to an advert
Opportunity (non random) sampling
Where anyone available I’m the right place at the right time is used to participate
