Test #3 (chapter 10)

Question 1

What are the two approaches to research methods?

Answer 1

Top-down (deductive) : abstract (theories) to concrete (observations)
- traditionally quantitative models - hypothesis testing

Bottom-up (inductive) : concrete (observations) to abstract (theories)
- mostly qualitative

Question 2

What is field research?

Answer 2

When we observe or participate in social behaviour and try to understand it and report our observations

• in addition to data collecting; a theory-generating activity

Question 3

What are the goals, data, and samples involved in qualitative and quantitative research?

Answer 3

Quantitative:
Goal = measure variation in social life in terms of categories that vary by amount
Data = either numbers or attributes that can be ordered in terms of size/amount
*more probability samples

Qualitative:
Goal = measure variation in social life as participants experience it, rather than in categories predetermined by the researcher
Data = mostly written or spoken words/observations that do not have a direct translation into a number
*fewer probability samples (ex. theoretical sampling) –> more likely to choose participants based on need - what do you need for the study

Question 4

Is qualitative or quantitative research more generalizable?

Answer 4

Quantitative

Question 5

What did Heber do?

Answer 5

She tried to understand - specifically tried to understand MAGA people
- idea of Verstehen (to understand)

Question 6

What are the main methods of quantitative and qualitative research?

Answer 6

Quantitative:
- surveys
- experiments
- unobtrusive measures

Qualitative:
- P.O. / ethnography
- case studies
- in-depth interviews
- focus groups
- oral history
- unobtrusive measures

Question 7

What are the general reasons for using field research techniques?

Answer 7

1. many topics defy simple quantitative observation and analysis
2. study of attitudes and behaviour of people is best in a natural setting
3. field research is well suited for the study of social processes over time

Question 8

List some elements of social life that are appropriate to field research?

Answer 8

• practices - kinds of behaviour (ex. talking)
• episodes - ex. events like divorce
• encounters - interactions
• roles and social types
• social and personal relationships
• groups and cliques
• organizations
• settlements and habitats - smaller-scale societies like neighbourhoods
• subcultures and lifestyle

Question 9

What is ethnography?
What would a report focus on?

Answer 9

It is participant observation
- varies by researcher
- focused on undersanding

Would focus on detailed and accurate description rather than explanation
May also refer to:
- data collected in the natural setting
- naturalistic observations and understandings of cultures or subcultures

*both ethnography and PO mean researchers immersing themselves in a social setting and gathering data that lends itself to interpretation

Question 10

What is the main takeaway from the parking ted talk video?

Answer 10

idea of hidden obvious - something is there but you don’t know it until you observe it

Question 11

What is a case study?

Answer 11

It is a focused, detailed investigation of a single instance of some social phenomenon like a town, industry, community, organization, or person
- common in qualitative fieldwork
- instead of a method for gathering data, it is a type of research design
- attention to a single instance of some social phenomenon
- often exploratory or descriptive
- focus on the specifics of the case and provide rich, detailed data

*Not so much about the method, more about your unit of analysis (who are you getting your information from)

Question 12

What are the three categories in the continuum of observation?

Answer 12

overt observation - taking the role of a complete observer (those being observed are aware of that)
- less likely to develop a full appreciation of what’s being studied

overt participant observation- participant observer (ppl are still aware)
- studied directly at the scene of action
- also some concerns - are you going to over-identify with the group?

covert - complete participant (less likely to have reactivity bc ppl are not aware of them observing)
- ppl only see you as a participant, not a researcher
*is it ethical to deceive ppl?
- this is less common

*decision about these depends on the subject matter

Question 13

What is a big problem with many types of observation? What are the potential outcomes of this?

Answer 13

problem = reactivity
- the changes in attitudes and behaviour that may result when people know they’re being observed

potential outcomes:
- might expel the researcher
- might modify their speech to suit the researcher
- the social process might change

Question 14

what is lofland and lofland? and what is bellah?

Answer 14

lofland and lofland = insider understanding

bellah = symbolic realism

Question 15

What are the advantages (strengths) of field research?

Answer 15

• depth of understanding that it permits
• flexibility
• relatively low cost
• great wealth of information
• high validity - measurements actually measure what you intend
• can be appropriate to topics that appear to defy simple quantification

Question 16

What are the disadvantages (weaknesses) of field research?

Answer 16

• not appropriate for arriving at statistical descriptions of a large population
• low reliability - can your measures be duplicated?
• although they are in-depth, field research measurements are also often very personal

Question 17

How does field research’s validity and reliability compare with surveys and experiments’

Answer 17

field research measurements generally have more validity but less reliability

Question 18

what is the governing criterion for assessing field research outcomes?

Answer 18

authenticity –> does the constructed narrative meaningfully capture the lived experience of the participants?

Question 19

What is a key informant?

Answer 19

A person with specialized knowledge that researchers can use as a source of information

Question 20

How do field observations differ from some other models of observation?

Answer 20

It’s not just a data-collecting activity, frequently it’s a theory-generating activity

Question 21

When is field research most appropriate?

Answer 21

Most appropriate to the study of attitudes and behaviours that are best understood within their natural setting, as opposed to the somewhat artificial settings of experiments and surveys

• also most suited to the study of social processes over time

Question 22

what is phenomenology?

Answer 22

a term associated with the idea that reality is socially constructed
- prominent is qualitative research

Question 23

ethnography is historically associated with ______ while participant observation has often been linked to _______

Answer 23

anthropology

sociology

Question 24

What are some unique things you may have to deal with as a participant observer or complete participant in field research?

Answer 24

• do you have to take on a groups beliefs fully? how do you decifer between your true beliefs and the beliefs of the group - is it going to get jumbled up? –> psychological problem
• what happens if you become too deeply involved in people’s lives - how far should you go? –> social level problem

Question 25

What’s a historical and ongoing concern about the relationship between field researchers and the subjects

Answer 25

Researcher superiority

Question 26

What is grounded theory?

Answer 26

Attempts to derive theory from an analysis of the patterns, themes, and common categories discovered in observational data (inductive approach)

Question 27

What is theoretical sampling?

Answer 27

The selection of cases based on illustrative, theoretical relevance

Question 28

What is the constant comparative method?

Answer 28

An iterative process in which theory is constantly checked against the data and revised/elaborated in light of new data

Question 29

What is the extended case method?

Answer 29

A research technique developed by Michael Burawoy that uses case study observations to discover flaws in and to improve existing social theories
- a way to rebuild or improve theory instead of approving or rejecting it
- a researcher enters the field with full knowledge of existing theories or models but aims to uncover contradictions that require the modification of those thoeires or models

Question 30

What is institutional ethnography?

Answer 30

A research technique that uses the personal experiences of individuals (esp. women and other subordinated groups) to uncover the institutional power relations that structure and govern their experiences

Question 31

What is participatory action research?

Answer 31

An approach to social research in which the researcher serves as a resource to those being studied, with the goal of increasing their ability to act effectively in their own interest
- counter to the conventional status and power differences between researcher and subject, those under study are given control to define their problems, define the remedies they desire, and take the lead in designing the research that will help them realize their aims

Question 32

What should your field notes include?

Answer 32

Record what you know vs. what you think has happened
- include all details, even if it seems unimportant

Question 33

What are the 4 types of notes that are involved in the process of generating full and detailed notes?

Answer 33

1. cryptic jottings
2. detailed descriptions
3. analytic notes (observer comments)
4. subjective reflections