Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

sociology- education > theories and methods > Flashcards

theories and methods Flashcards

1
Q

what are the 4 types of data

A

primary, secondary, quantitative qualitative

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what is primary data

A

data that was not present before the study began- interviews surveys observations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what is secondary data

A

already exists, may have been produced for different reasons. newspapers diaries ect, quick fast and cheap

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what is qualitative data

A

all non numerical data, sources, quotes ect, rich and more depth, MICRO, preferred by interpretivists

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what is quantitative data

A

numerical form MACRO, official stats and league tables, preferred by positivists

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what is validity

A

data is valid if it presents a true and genuine picture. it allows the researcher to get closer to the truth

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

what is reliability

A

different researchers using same method get the same results

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

DATA CAN BE RELIABLE BUT NOT VALID

A
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what factors impact on choice of research method

A

practical, ethical and theoretical

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what are some examples of practical issues

A

time and money, funding body, personal skills and social status, research opportunities

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

what are some examples of ethical issues

A

informed consent, confidentiality and privacy, protection, vulnerable groups

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

example of ethical breech

A

Laud Humphreys 1970 ‘tearoom trade’

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

positive theory

A

sociology as a science, top down society, measure society’s impact on people, detached objective data, MACRO, quantitative

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

interpretivist theory

A

reject sociology as a science, bottom up approach, social actors meanings, understanding behaviours, MICRO, qualitative data

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

types of representative sampling

A

random sampling, quasi random/ systematic, quota

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

random sampling

A

chance, drawn out of hat- not all samples are large enough

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

quota sampling

A

need 20 males and 20 females- fill with people who fit

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

quasi random/ systematic sampling

A

every nth person is selected

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

types of non representative data

A

snowball sampling, opportunity sampling

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

snowball sampling

A

key number of individuals suggest others to participate- lots of similar people

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

opportunity sampling

A

choose those who are easiest to access- unlikely to be representative

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

issues researching schools

A

different types of schools- undermines representation, heads may deny permission, data may be confident

schools are data rich environments and have a premade sampling frame

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

issues researching parents

A

P- not in one place, sample may be unrepresentative
E- some parents may only give informed consent if they benefit from research
T- manage impressions, exaggerate positives

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

issues researching teachers

A

P- accessible, in one place, but may lack time to respond/ partake
E- confidentiality, incriminating evidence
T- unwilling to admit to bad behaviour, unrepetitive

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

issues researching classrooms

A

P- closed setting, more control
T- hawthorn effect, student or teacher behaviour may change

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

issues researching students

A

P- easy access as they have to legally attend school, lots of records, may be reluctant to admit behaviour, time consuming
E- vulnerable group, informed consent, report abuse, no harm
T- power difference, hog limelight peer pressure undermines validity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

comparative method

A

thought experiment, carried out in mind of sociologist, designed to discover cause and effect relationships. ethical and avoids artificially, can only be used to observe past events.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

what does the comparative method entail

A

identify 2 groups of people alike apart from what we want to look at
compare 2 groups, do their difference have any effect

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

lab experiments

A

scientists can examine cause and effect relationships, easy to replicate and identify patterns and trends. detached, reliable and valid. favoured by positivists

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

field experiments

A

natural environment, valid and realistic, less control, subjects are generally unaware they are being observed- ethically questionable

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

lab in context- harvey and slatin 1976

A

teacher expectations- found teacher are prejudice and label different social classes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

lab in context- mason 1973

A

impact of positive and negative expectations, he found negative expectations had more affect than positive

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

issues regarding field experiments in education

A

E- deception of students, CPO, informed consent
reliability-easy to repeat,
broader focus- number of teachers opinions rather than just one, many elements to look at

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

concerns regarding lab experiments in education

A

E- working with young people, but most do not involve real children
narrow focus- usually examines one aspect of behaviour
P- teacher expectations, uncontrollable variables

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

field in context- rosenthal and jacobson 1967

A

labelling and SFP

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

what are questionnaires

A

list of predetermined questions, handed out, posted or online, they are a MACRO method and are preferred by positivists

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

closed questions

A

pre determined answers (ticky box) these produce quantitative data

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

open questions

A

own words, freedom and detail, these produce qualitative data

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

practical advantages of questionnaires

A

quick and cheap, no need to recruit and train people, easily quantifiable. Dewson, posted nearly 4000

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

questionnaires- reliability

A

standard and fixed yardstick, all asked the exact same question. easily repeatable, ne researcher present to influence

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

questionnaires- detachment and objectivity P

A

remove interviewer bias, preferred by positivists, detached

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

questionnaires- hypothesis testing

A

measure cause and effect relationships with ease, scientific approach- positivists

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

questionnaires- representative

A

large sample size, allows findings to be generalised

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

questionnaires- ethical issues

A

may ask intrusive or personal questions, but under no obligation to answer and anonymity is assured

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

questionnaires- practical problems

A

limited and superficial, brief. was it completed by who it says?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

questionnaires- low response rate
example

A

100,000 sent out but 4.5% returned. those who took the questionnaire may be very different to those who didn’t- un representative

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

questionnaires- inflexibility

A

new areas of interest cant be explored, surface level answers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

questionnaires- detachment I

A

interpretivists, sociology is not a science. no way to clarify meaning or probe deeper

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

questionnaires- lying forgetting and right answerism

A

saying what they think is right, respectable answers rather than the truth

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

questionnaires- imposing the researchers meaning

A

wording of questions , what questions are included- what is important

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

questionnaires methods in context- practical advantages

A

easily compared and gather data from different schools

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
42
Q

questionnaires methods in context- sampling frames

A

ready made sampling frames, school already has lists of all pupils

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
42
Q

questionnaires methods in context- response rate

A

higher, authority and students are used to completing survays

43
Q

questionnaires methods in context- researching pupils

A

short attention span, limits and influences ability to gather info

44
Q

questionnaires methods in context- operationalising concepts

A

turning abstract concepts into manageable form- make children understand

45
Q

what are interviews

A

compromise between more structured research (questionnaires) and unstructured, in-depth methods (PO)

45
Q

questionnaires methods in context- validity

A

unable to answer questions so may not be a good result

46
Q

types of interviews

A

structured/ formal
unstructured/ informal
semi- structured
group interviews

46
Q

structured/ formal interviews

A

verbal questions, same questions same tone, objective

47
Q

unstructured/ informal interviews

A

variety of questions and wording

48
Q

semi- structured interviews

A

same set of questions, but interviewer can probe for more detail
‘how do you mean’ cicorel and kituse

49
Q

structured/ formal interviews advantages

A

higher response rates, large sample, good for hypothesis testing, fast and efficient, reliable

49
Q

group interviews

A

12-15 people, focus groups discuss topics and record views

50
Q

structured/ formal interviews disadvantages

A

closed questions lack validity, may not be representative, more expensive than questionnaires, participants may be atypical, females may feel intimidated

51
Q

unstructured/ informal interviews disadvantages

A

time consuming, unable to generalise as sample will be small. cannot be replicated or quantified, interviewer bias, hawthorn effect

51
Q

group interviews advantages

A

help people not feel singled out, casual setting comfort, quicker as multiple people at once, more inclined to share- piggyback response

51
Q

unstructured/ informal interviews advantages

A

rapport, comfortable and honest- tackle sensitive topics and hard questions. probe deeper and formulate new ideas, MICRO

51
Q

group interviews disadvantages

A

may be reluctant to answer, intimidated by group setting. conform with dominant response. social status difference

52
Q

advantages of unstructured interviews in education

A

overcomes power and status inequality, sensitive topics such as bullying made approachable, can clarify, rapport, space and time to talk, probe further

53
Q

disadvantages of unstructured interviews in education

A

change answers for approval, cannot be standardised or replicated, long and can be too demanding for children

53
Q

advantages of structured interviews in education

A

less time consuming than UI and less disruptive easy to replicate, more success than questionnaires as better verbal than literacy

54
Q

disadvantages of structured interviews in education

A

power inequalities- seeking adult approval, parental permission, unable to clarify

55
Q

what are the 4 different types of observation

A

non participant observation- researcher observes without taking part
participant observation- researcher joins group while observing
cover observation- ‘undercover’ real identity and purpose concealed
overt observation- true identity is known and the subjects know they are being studied

56
Q

overt non participant observation

A

observation with consent, sit with observation schedule and systematically record observations without pre empting what to look for

57
Q

strengths of ONPO

A

repeatable, ethical, un obtrusive, researcher can stay detached- field work. valid findings

58
Q

weaknesses of ONPO

A

can result in the Hawthorn effect and invalid data

59
Q

participant observation- getting in

A

to study a group the sociologist must gain access to them, age nationality, class ect can impact their ability to get in

60
Q

participant observation- staying in

A

danger of staying in the group- going native or getting over involved. over identifying leads to biased results, can also be over detached and not understand what they are observing

61
Q

participant observation- getting out

A

it can be difficult as you are re entering society, loyalty to cause may lead to researcher being unwilling to disclose information

62
Q

advantages of interviews as a social interaction

A

can relate to interviewee, personal questions, follow up questions, can culturally match interviewees

63
Q

disadvantages of interviews as a social interaction

A

may change answers to gain approval, power inequality, interviewer bias

63
Q

issues of CO

A

P-requires S to keep up an act, cover can be easily blown, cannot make notes. presence of new member can affect behaviour
E-immoral to deceive people, immoral to partake in illegal activities to keep cover

64
Q

advantages of PO

A

validity- what people say in interviews is not always true, po shows truth
insight- best way to understand is to experience it (verstehen)
flexibility- no fixed hypothesis, open mind
practical- only viable method, rapport, reveal realities

65
Q

disadvantages of PO

A

P- time consuming, personally stressful and demanding
E- cpo is deceiving people and participating in illegal activities
representativeness- small sample, no bias for generalisation, valid but cant generalise

66
Q

quote about flexibility of PO

A

WHYTE ‘i learned answers to questions i would not have had the sense to ask’

67
Q

methods in context practical issues of structured PO

A

class room is well suited, short lessons, quicker cheaper but schools have many personalities

68
Q

methods in context reliability of structured PO

A

range of classroom behaviour limits reliability

69
Q

methods in context validity of structured PO

A

interviews lack in validity as it can only fit into a number of predetermined categories

70
Q

methods in context observer presence of structured PO

A

presence of stranger can be off putting

71
Q

methods in context practical issues of unstructured PO

A

schools are complex places and it may take weeks or years to understand functions, less disruptive than interviews but restricted by timetables ect

72
Q

methods in context ethical issues of unstructured PO

A

pupils are vulnerable and may not give informed consent- poor reputation for school

73
Q

methods in context validity of structured PO

A

overcome status differences, rapport however may be invalid as scared of researcher

74
Q

what are official statistics

A

quantitative data collected by the government- births deaths, marriages, divorces, exam results, suicide, unemployment ect

75
Q

2 ways of collecting OS

A

registration and official survays

76
Q

registration

A

law requires parents to register their children at birth (marriages and deaths too)

77
Q

official surveys

A

census or general house hold survey

78
Q

practical advantages of secondary data

A

free source of huge amount of data, compels citizens to answer, patterns and treads and easy comparisons

79
Q

practical disadvantages of secondary data

A

may not be available on some topics- definitions can change over time

80
Q

representativeness of secondary data

A

large numbers, representative sample, hypothesis testing, stats are soft so less

81
Q

reliability of secondary data

A

generally reliable, completed in a standard way but subject to human error

82
Q

validity of secondary data

A

does it measure what it claims to?
hard stats- yes
soft stats- no

83
Q

positivists and secondary data

A

valuable source of data, true and objective, test hypothesis comparative methods

84
Q

marxists and secondary data

A

OS serves the interest of capitalism, the state is not neutral,

85
Q

interpretivists and secondary data

A

regard OS as lacking validity, social construct and subjective

86
Q

methods in context, practical issues of OS

A

gov already collects stats, cheap and readily available

87
Q

methods in context, validity of OS

A

social construct, school may manipulate stats, undermining their validity

88
Q

methods in context, reliability of OS

A

replicated by gov each year, easy comparison

89
Q

methods in context, representativeness of OS

A

all state schools have to do one 3 times a year, virtually every pupil is seen

90
Q

what is a document

A

any written text- personal diaries, gov reports, novels, letter, blogs ect

91
Q

public documents

A

produced by organisations such as gov departments, schools ect. some of these may be available for sociological use

92
Q

personal documents

A

includes letter, diaries, photo albums. first person accounts of events. ‘the polish peasant in europe and america’

92
Q

historical documents

A

personal or public, if studying the past this is usually our only source. parish records, census or parliamentary reports

93
Q

assessing documents

A

scott puts forward criteria for a good document- authenticity, credibility, representativeness and meaning

94
Q

assessing documents authenticity

A

are they who they claim to be, free from errors, missing pages?

95
Q

assessing documents credibility

A

author sincere, accurate, eg politicians may inflate their importance with the intent of publishing

96
Q

assessing documents representativeness

A

is the evidence typical, can it be generalised. 30 year rule, those who dont write may be un represented

97
Q

assessing documents meaning

A

may need special skills to interpret, bias and subjective interpretation

97
Q

advantages of documents

A

personal docs allow insight into social actors reality, rich source of qualitative data. cheap and time efficient, checking results against primary methods

98
Q

what is content analysis

A

systematically dealing with documents, allows S to produce quantitative data

99
Q

methods in context, documents, practical issues

A

publicly available as schools produce them to compete with others

100
Q

methods in context, documents, ethical issues

A

few ethical concerns, public docs but there is a problem with using personal documents

101
Q

methods in context, documents, reliability

A

systematic so researchers can draw direct comparisons

102
Q

methods in context, documents, credibility

A

public docs give official picture of what happens- most positive light- makes them less valid

103
Q

methods in context, documents, validity

A

insight into meanings held by teachers and teachers, more valid- but open to interpretation

104
Q

what is a longitudinal study

A

sample of people over an extended period of time. research and collect data at regular intervals

104
Q

7 up study

A

douglas, 5632 pupils born in the first week of march 1946. studied at 7 year intervals

105
Q

positives of longitudinal studies

A

ethical as participants are aware, easy to compare and see patterns and trends, insight into life of children, long lasting effects, MICRO

106
Q

negatives of longitudinal studies

A

long and costly, limited and small sample- cant generalise, could lose contact as participants can change their minds

107
Q

case studies

A

examines a single case or place. good way to research social phenomena, not representative

108
Q

triangulation

A

using more than one, typically 3 methods to study a case. methodological pluralism. enables a method to overcome the shortcoming of another

sociology- education (4 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions