research methods - researchers need to consider Flashcards
what is primary data?
first hand data
what is secondary data?
second hand data
what is quantitative data?
data in numerical form
what is qualitative data?
data expressed in words
whats does positivist prefer?
reliable and representative data
e.g. P = R+R
objective data (free from bias)
what do interpretivists prefer?
valid data
e.g. I=V
subjective data (bias data)
why does positivists prefer quanititative data?
positivists prefer quanititative data - behaviours influence by external factors + data should be scientific and analyse social facts (things affect behaviour that is easily measured)
they use statistics to measure relationship between different factors
what research methods does positivist Prefer?
- questionnaires
- structured interviews
- official statistics
- experiments
why dos interpretivists prefer quanitative data?
interpretivists prefer quanitative data - to undestand human behaviour using empathy or verstehen (weber)
analyse through micro scoiology - focus on individual not social facts - understand meaning to the actions by them
what research method does interpretivists use?
- participant observation
- ethnography
- unstructured interviews
what does PERVERT stand for?
- Practical
- Ethnical
- Reliable
- Valid
- Example
- Representative
- Theory
what are the 5 types of practical issues?
- time and money
- funding bodies
- characteristics
- subject matter
- access
patrick research on gangs
patrick research method: participant observation - hung out with gangs in glasgow and relied on memory
what are the 5 types of ethic issues?
- informed consent
- confidentially and privacy
- psychological harm
- vulnerable groups (elderly, children)
- illegal activities
jacobson and rosenthal research on self fulfilling prophecy
jacobson and rosenthal research method: observation of the ‘spurters’ but deception by lieing to both teacher and student about the IQ test
what is valid?
research method produces a true picture of society
requires to get closely involved with their participant to have a deeper understanding of their picture
what is reliable?
research is repeated it produces the same results.
what is representative?
the true cross section of wider population - you can make generalisations
what is a macro perspective?
taking the large scale approach and see the wider social strucutre shape individual behaviour
- functionalists
- marxists
what is a micro perspective?
taking the small scale approach and establish valid accounts of individuals meaning as they see reality as socially constructed by individuals and their interaction
what are the 5 areas researchers are interested in?
- pupils
- teachers
- parents
- classrooms
- schools
what are the 4 main problems of researching pupils?
- power and status — children have less status and power in school, diffucult for them to state their opinion openly.
- ability — childrens vocab, expression and confidence are likely to be limited, need to make sure questions are clear
- vulnerability — children are vulnerble to physical and psychological harm
- parents permission — permission to research their child
what are the 3 problems of researching teachers?
- they have more power and status
- teachers opinions and actions influence by the pressure of the headteacher, ofsted etc
- teacher overwork and are less likely to cooperate with the research
what are the 2 problems of researching classroom?
- high conrolled settings with restrictions and behavioural codes (gate keepers)
- interactions not real - teacher and student good at hiding their real feelings
