The research process and PET factors

Question 1

what are the two types of data

Answer 1

qualitative
quantitative

Question 2

what is qualitative data

Answer 2

linguistic data - gives depth and detail

Question 3

what is quantitative data

Answer 3

numerical data - can be organised into depth

Question 4

what are the two sources of data

Answer 4

primary
secondary

Question 5

what is primary data

Answer 5

collected by sociologists themselves for own purpose

Question 6

what is secondary data

Answer 6

collected by someone else which sociologists may use

Question 7

what is a correlation relationship

Answer 7

when one situation occurs, another tends to do as well

Question 8

what is a casual relationship

Answer 8

when one thing causes another

Question 9

what is the definition of reliability

Answer 9

about consistency and getting the same results on repeat

Question 10

what is the definition of validity

Answer 10

about how accurate something is to what you intended to study

Question 11

what is the definition of representativeness

Answer 11

if the sample which is used for the research represents the whole population being studied

Question 12

what is the definition of generalisability

Answer 12

the ability to apply findings to the wider population

Question 13

what are the two theoretical approaches to research

Answer 13

positivism
interpretivism

Question 14

what is the positivist approach to research

Answer 14

see sociology as a science and want to find social facts to improve society
prefer quantitative data and to be objective = researcher should remain detached and not allow personal opinions to impact research
macro = large scale data

Question 15

what is the interpretivist approach to research

Answer 15

sociology is not a science
micro= small scale data and want to understand meaning
prefer qualitative data and want to the researcher to be subjective = opinion based, researchers beliefs and values are important within research - should not study objectively

Question 16

what is the first stage of research

Answer 16

developing aims or hypothesis

Question 17

what is the definition of developing aims or hypothesis

Answer 17

hypothesis = a prediction which is tested
aim = what the researcher intends to find out

Question 18

what do positivists prefer between a hypothesis or aim

Answer 18

positivists prefer a hypothesis as it is clear and looks at the cause and effect - structured and direct for research

Question 19

what do interpretivists prefer between a hypothesis or aim

Answer 19

interpretivists prefer aims as they are more general and want to understand the participants meanings , allows you to explore more

Question 20

what is the second stage of research

Answer 20

operationalising the data

Question 21

what does operationalising the data mean

Answer 21

the process of converting a sociological concept into something we can measure. can be difficult if people define the same concept differently

Question 22

what is the third stage of research

Answer 22

carrying outa pilot study

Question 23

what is a pilot study

Answer 23

trying out a version of research on a smaller sample to iron out any problems so the ‘real study’ goes smoothly

Question 24

what is the fourth stage of research

Answer 24

selecting a sample

Question 25

what is selecting a sample as a stage of research

Answer 25

the process of selecting a small group to conduct the research on

Question 26

why do we need a sample for research

Answer 26

we cannot measure the whole population so the sample should be representative as it will need to represent the whole population if it is representative it means we can generalise it to the whole population

Question 27

what is the fifth stage of research

Answer 27

collecting data

Question 28

what is the last stage of research

Answer 28

analysing the data

Question 29

what is the practical side of researching

Answer 29

concerned with the actual doing or use of something

Question 30

what is the ethical side of researching

Answer 30

moral principles of right and wrong

Question 31

what is the theoretical side of researching

Answer 31

view of society affects views on the best method to study it what perspective prefers it and why

Question 32

what are the practical factors affecting method choice

Answer 32

Cost Time Requirement for funding body Opportunity Access to participants - studies on hard-to-reach groups Subject matter/ participants - those who cannot read or write may limit choice Personal skills and training - may need certain skills for certain research eg interviews need communication Characteristics -age, gender, ethnicity may make it difficult to access certain groups Response rate - will people be willing to respond or take part Getting in , staying in and getting out

Question 33

what are ethical factors affecting method choice

Answer 33

Informed consent Deception - misleading information Confidentiality - private information will not be shared without consent Anonymity - researcher does not know participants Harm - preventing physical or psychological harm Vulnerable groups - such as children Guilty Knowledge - when you observe illegal activities should you maintain confidentiality of your participants or report it Power imbalance - between 'expert' and participant may make them feel uncomfortable Invasion of privacy

Question 34

what are the theoretical factors affecting method choice

Answer 34

Positivists prefer methods that are: objective reliable produce quantitive data produce macro large scale data repesentative generalisable Interpretivists prefer methods that are: subjective produce qualitative data produce micro small scale data produce valid data can gain verstehen

Question 35

what is tthe research/ target population

Answer 35

the whole group we are interested in

Question 36

what is the sampling frame

Answer 36

to choose a sample you need a list of all members of the population you are interested in

Question 37

what is a sample

Answer 37

small sub-group drawn from the wider group we are interested in

Question 38

what are the respondants

Answer 38

those who consent and take part in our research

Question 39

how many type of sampling are there

Answer 39

6

Question 40

what is random sampling

Answer 40

everyone in the population has the same chance of being chosen

Question 41

what is systematic sampling

Answer 41

enables systematic selection from a list

Question 42

what is stratified sampling

Answer 42

population is split into catagories and the proportion is chosen form each

Question 43

what is quota sampling

Answer 43

determine how many people with particular characteristics are picked

Question 44

what is snowball smapling

Answer 44

a member put the research in touch with others

Question 45

what is opportunity/ convenience sampling

Answer 45

choosing from individuals who are easiest to access