Research Methods - Choosing a research method Flashcards
Primary Data
Information collected by sociologists themselves for their own purposes, which may be to obtain a first hand “picture” of a group or society, or to test a hypothesis.
What are some methods of collecting primary data?
Social Surveys, Participant observation, experiments
Whats an advantage of using primary data?
Sociologists may be able to gather precisely the information they need to test their hypothesis.
Secondary data
Information which has been collected or created by someone else for their own purposes, but which the sociologist can then use
What are some sources of Secondary data?
Official Statistics , documents etc.
What is Quantitative data?
Information in a numerical form. Examples of this include official statistics, information collected by polls etc.
What is Qualitative Data?
Data which gives a feel for what something is like - for example what it feels like to get good GCSE results, or a marriage to end in divorce.
What are means of collecting Qualitative data?
Participant observation, In-depth interviews etc.
Practical issue - time and money
Some methods of research will require different amounts of time and money and this may influence the sociologist’s choice
Practical issue - Requirements of funding bodies
Research institutes, businesses and other organisations that provide the funding for research may require the results to be in a particular form e.g. government funded research in educational achievement may have targets for pass rates and therefore will want quantitative data
Practical issue - personal skills and characteristics
Each sociologist possesses different personal skills and this may affect their ability to use different methods
Practical issue - Subject matter
It may be harder to study a particular group or subject by one method than by anther. For example it might prove difficult for a male sociologist to study an all-female group by means of participant observation
Practical issue - research opportunity
Sometimes the opportunity to carry out research occurs unexpectedly and this means that it may not be possible to use structured methods like questionnaires which take longer to prepare
Ethical issue - informed consent
Research participants should be offered the right to refuse to be involved. They should also be informed about all aspects of the research so they can make an informed decision as to if they would want to participate or not
Ethical issue - confidentiality and privacy
Researchers should keep the identity of research participants secret in order to help prevent possible negative side effects on them
Ethical issue - harm to research participants
Researchers should be aware of the possible side effects of their work on those they study e.g. police intervention, harm to employment prospects, social exclusion etc.
Ethical issue - Vulnerable groups
Special care should be taken where research participants are particularly vulnerable because of their age , disability, or physical/mental health
Ethical issue - Covert research
The researcher’s identity being hidden can become a serious ethical problem, such as deceiving or lying to people in order to win their trust or obtain information.
Theoretical issue - Validity
Some sociologists argue that qualitative methods like participant observation give us a more valid or truthful account of what it is like to be a member of a group than quantitative methods.
Theoretical issue - reliability (aka. replicability
A reliable test is easily repeatable. In sociology, quantitative methods such as written questionnaires tend to produce more reliable than qualitative methods such as unstructured interviews.
Theoretical issue - Representativeness
This refers to wether or not the people being studied in an experiment are typical sample of the group of interest. If it is not , the data found can’t be generalised and applied to the rest of the group of interest.
Theoretical issue - Methodological perspective
A sociologist’s methodological perspective may affect their choice of methods when researching. These two types of perspectives are: Positivists and Interpretivists
What are Positivists?
Sociologists who prefer quantitative data, and who seek to discover patterns of behaviour and see sociology as a science.
What are Interpretivists?
Sociologists who prefer qualitative data, and seek to understand social actor’s meanings and reject the view that sociology can model itself on the natural sciences.
