Topic 1- Research Methods

Question 1

What is primary and secondary data?

Answer 1

Primary data is information collected by the sociologist for their own purposes.
Secondary data- information that has already been created by someone and used by the sociologist

Question 2

What are advantages and disadvantages of primary and secondary data?

Answer 2

Primary
Advantage- data is specific for study
Disadvantage- time consuming

Secondary
Advantage- quick and cheap
Disadvantage- not specific

Question 3

What is quantitative and qualitative data?

Answer 3

Quantitative- numerical data/ statistics
Qualitative- worded and detailed data

Question 4

What are practical factors? (5)

Answer 4

1) time and money
2) requiring funding bodies
3) personal skills and characteristics of the sociologist
4) subject matter- certain methods cant be used
5) research opportunity- the opportunity may restrict certain factors such as having time to create a questionnaire

Question 5

What are ethical factors? (5)

Answer 5

1) informed consent
2) confidentiality and privacy
3) Harm
4) vulnerable groups
5) covert research

Question 6

What are theoretical factors?

Answer 6

1) validity- how truthful the data is, and how genuine it is. Qualitative data.
2) reliability- how repeatable the data is, quantitative data
3) representativeness- how generalisable it is.

Question 7

What are the key features of positivists?

Answer 7

They prefer quantitative, reliable and representative data. Functionalists and marxists take a positivist approach.

Question 8

What are the key features of interpretivists?

Answer 8

They prefer qualitative, valid data.
Interactionists are more likely to be interpretivists.

Question 9

What are the types of sampling?

Answer 9

1) Random sampling
2) Quasi-random/ systematic
3) stratified
4) quota
5) snowball
6) opportunity