Research Methods Examples Flashcards
Unstructured Interviews - Dobash and Dobash (1980)
Dobash and Dobash (1980) - Unstructured interviews with victims of domestic violence.
Findings: The majority of the women believed that the abuse would stop once they were married. Conflict within the marriage was largely due to the male’s sexual jealousy. Few women responded to the physical attacks that they received.
Strengths: Unstructured/ interviews broke down master client relationship empowering victims.
Weaknesses: This method lacks both reliability and representativeness due to practical constraints.
Semi-structured Interviews - Fuchs (2008)
Fuchs )2008) - 27 semi-structured interviews with full-time undergrad In Thailand.
Findings: All of the participants reported that they engaged in the use of social media at least once per day. There’s difference between instant messaging with their peers and their lecturer Accessing the learning space or learning management system (LMS) was the second most common type of social media usage reported by the respondents.
Strengths: Most research into this was quantitative so this was ground breaking.
Weaknesses: All interviews were conducted in English; however, none of the participants (or the principal investigator) were native English speakers. Communicative problems similar to that you would see when interviewing children.
Structured Interviews - Young and Wilmott (1962)
Young and Wilmott (1962) - “Importance of the extended family” - was based on structured interviews. They wanted to focus on the whole of London, so structured interviews were a good choice in terms of time efficiency. Structured interviews also provided high generalisability in their research on the extended family.
Strengths: 987 people approached, only 54 refused to be interviewed. The higher response rate may be due to people finding it harder to turn down a face-to-face request and some may welcome the opportunity to talk.
Weaknesses: Structured interviews rarely provide in-depth information, especially on sensitive topics. And therefore it can be argued they don’t obtain Verstehen (Weber).
Group Interviews - Wright et al. (2005)
Wright et al. (2005) - conducted research on the educational experience of African-Caribbean boys. They used group interviews. The students felt more comfortable among their friends and gave fuller answers to the questions. Wright et al. found out that the boys felt excluded and discriminated against in school.
Strengths: This study breaks down the master-client relationship of a largely marginalised groups allowing the researcher to be a voice for the voiceless.
Weaknesses: This study has been criticised for being too deterministic and showing the students as passive victims. More so, this study lacks reliability according to positivists as group interviews are not precise, accurate nor replicable.
Participant Covert Observation - Laud Humphreys (1975)
Laud Humphreys (1975) - Participant Observation on men partaking in the tea room trade ( gay sex in public bathrooms) later covertly followed them home acting as a health inspector and asked intrusive questions in their families. Findings. Many of the men partaking in the tea room trade were not gay they had families and wives only 14% were exclusively homosexual and identified themselves as gay.
Strengths: This was ground-breaking in changing LGBTQ+ stereotypes in not only the government and policy but also in society, arguably the gains cancel the ethical problems.
Weaknesses: Very unethical, not only due to the covert/ stalkery nature but also legality was compromised.
Non-participant Overt Observation - FIAC (1978)
Flanders System of Interaction Analysis (FIAC) (1978) which has been used to measure pupil and teacher interaction quantitatively. The researcher uses a standard chart to record interactions at three second intervals, placing each observation in one of three overall pre-defined behaviour categories: Teacher Talk, Pupil talk and silence. Findings=American classroom is taken up by teacher talk 68% of the time, pupil talk 20% of the time with 12% spent in silence or confusion.
Strengths: This has increased reliability as if a rigorous observation framework has been used, this is precise and repeatable.
Weaknesses: This is subject to the Hawthorne effect as coined by Elton Mayo, as teacher and pupils are likely to act differently when an observer is in the room.
Field Experiment - Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968)
Rosenthal and Jacobson Pygmalion in the classroom (1968) - They selected a random sample of 20% of the student population and informed teachers that these students could be expected to achieve rapid intellectual development.
Findings: ‘spurter’ group had, on average, gained more IQ than the other 80%.
Strengths: Should have increased reliability as its a positive method, as observer isn’t involved and this is a scientific method.
Weaknesses: Rosenthal and Jacobson research has been proved unreliable – other similar experimental studies reveal no significant effects (Fuller).
Laboratory Experiment - Bandura (1961)
Bandura’s Bobo dolls (1961) - showed three groups of children real, film and cartoon examples of a bobo-doll being beaten with a mallet. A further group of children were shown no violence and analysed difference. Findings. children who had seen the violent examples (whether real, film, or cartoon) imitated the violence.
Strengths: Variables were well controlled, so it effectively established cause and effect relationships.
Weaknesses: Unethical to insight violence in children.
Comparative Experiment - Murdock (1949)
Murdock (1949) - study of 250 societies of various types Murdock provided a definition of the family and a theory suggesting that the nuclear family was a universal social unit. Both G.P. Murdock’s definition of the family and his theory suggesting the universality of the nuclear family have subsequently been the subjects of considerable debate and controversy within Sociology.
Strengths: Discovers cause and effect relationships (Positivists).
Weaknesses: Has low levels of reliability as there is no control over variables as this is what is referred to as a thought experiment.
Questionnaire - Connor and Dewson (2001)
Connor and Dewson (2001) posted nearly 4000 questionnaires to students at 14 higher education institutions in their study of the factors which influenced working class decisions to attend university. Findings: many issues can affect decisions to go on to HE study, and that there is no one overriding factor of influence for students from lower social class backgrounds.
Strengths: Quick and cheap means of gathering large quantities of data, Increasing representativeness.
Weaknesses: Imposition problem.
Questionnaire - Chubb and Moe
Chubb and Moe conducted a survey of parental attitudes by asking a set of fixed questions through written questionnaires of interviews. Finding: They argue that American state education has failed and they make the case for opening it up to market forces of supply and demand.
Strengths: This method so as to make generalisations about parental views good for positives due to large number of respondents.
Weaknesses: Lacks Verstehen and any true depth due to the positivist method.
Document - McRobbie (1993)
McRobbie (1993) (2012)- Thematic magazine covers from the 70’s onward to the 90’s. Findings. Shift from the promotion of women being married and cooks to nowadays where women are seen as powerful and achievement orientated.
Strengths: Sometimes only method for comparisons over time.
Weaknesses: Researcher bias through content/thematic analysis of documents.
Document - Green (2017)
Green (2017) - content analysis of books over time, but focusses interestingly on doodle in the margins of the pages, Findings. Doodles are not only a modern day phenomenon but have been used as an educational aid (or distraction) over time.
Strengths: Ethics - who gave her consent to look at students drawings?
Weaknesses: She uses qualitative analytical tools and therefore gains some level of Verstehen.
Document - GUMG (1981)
GUMG (1981) - Semiotic research -They found that the language and images used by the media are more sympathetic to the interests of the powerful and often devalue the points of view of less powerful groups. Protestors vs Business owners.
Strengths: Allows us to gain some indexicality from the world surrounding us.
Weaknesses: Semiotics lack methodological rigour because there are few methodological guidelines for practising semiotics.
Ethnomethodology - Crossman (2020)
Crossman (2020) - college students were asked to pretend that they were guests in their own home without telling their families what they were doing. They were instructed to be polite, impersonal, use terms of formal address (Mr. and Mrs.), and to only speak after being spoken to. This experiment allowed the students to see that even the informal norms that govern our behaviour inside our own homes are carefully structured. By violating the norms of the household, the norms become clearly visible.
Strengths: Allows us to obtain a high level of indexicality.
Weaknesses: Doesn’t pay enough attention to the structures of society and how they have an affect on us, not all individuals have free choice.
