Topic 1 - Introduction to Research Methods Flashcards
Primary data
- Information collected by sociologists themselves for their own purpose
Strengths of primary data
- Can be gathered precisely for the needs of the study
Criticisms of primary data
- Time consuming
Examples of primary data
- Surveys
- Observations
- Experiments
Secondary data
- Created by someone else and used by an external factor
Examples of secondary data
- Official statistics
- Documents
Strengths of secondary data
- Quick
- Cheap
Criticisms of secondary data
- Original researcher may not have researched exactly what is needed
Quantitative data
- Numerical
- e.g., official statistics: how many people pass 5 or more GCSE’s
Qualitative data
- Word form
- Insight into a persons attitudes and opinions
- e.g., participant observations
Factors influencing choice of methods
- Practical
- Ethical
- Theoretical
Practical methods
- Time and money
- Requirements of funding bodies
- Personal skills and characteristics
- Subject matter
- Research opportunity
Time and money
- Different methods requiring different amounts of time and money
- Researchers access to money can determine which method to use depending on expenses
Requirements of funding bodies
- Access to a research institute that is funding the research
Personal skills and characteristics
- The skills and characteristics of the researcher impacting the method that they will use
Subject matter
- Some groups or subjects may mean that it is difficult to use certain methods
Research opportunity
- Opportunities may occur unexpectedly and means it may not be possible to use a structured interview
- Other researchers may have a lot of time to prepare and therefore are able to select methods carefully
Ethical methods
- Informed consent
- Confidentiality and privacy
- Harm to participants
- Vulnerable groups
- Covert research
Informed consent
- Participants giving permission to take part in the study
Confidentiality and privacy
- The researcher should keep all personal information private and confidential
Harm to participants
- Researcher should be fully aware of any levels of harm that may be inflicted on the participants during the course of the study
Vulnerable groups
- Special care should be given when researching participants that may be vulnerable due to external factors such as age
- Consent granted from both parent and individual
Covert research
- Researchers identity and purpose is hidden
- Reduced Hawthorne effect
Theoretical methods
- Validity
- Reliability
- Representativeness
Validity
- Is the data a true and genuine reflection of society
- Qualitative data
Reliability
- How easy it is to replicate the data
- Quantitative data
Representativeness
- Can it be generalised to whole population
Methodological perspectives
- Positivist
- Interpretivists
Positivists
- Scientific
- Experiments
- Quantitative
- Sociology as a science
Interpretivists
- Unscientific
- Sociology not a science
- Qualitative data
- Insight
Objective
- Facts
Subjective
- Opinions
Sample
- A group of people representing the whole population
Random sampling
- Randomly selecting participants
Systematic sampling
- Every nth person chosen
Stratified sampling
- Division of a population into smaller sub-groups
Quota sampling
A sample involving individuals that represent a quota of a population
Snowball sampling
- A person chooses another person and so on
Opportunity sampling
- Selecting anyone available
Process of research
1 Formulating an aim
2 Choosing a research method
3 Pilot study
4 Choosing a sample
5 Taking out the research
6 Analysing data
Factors influencing choice of topic
- The sociologists perspective
- Societies values
- Practical factors
- Funding bodies
