Topic 3- Research Methods Flashcards
What are the two types of data that sociologists use
- primary data
- secondary data
What is primary data
-give an example
- first hand new data which was not present before the research began.
- questionnaires, interviews, observations
Theoretical issues
What are the two contrasting research traditions/ approaches within sociology
These approaches are often referred to as Positivism and Interpretivism
Theoretical issues
What are the 5 facts of positivists
- prefer quantitative data
- seek to discover patterns of behaviour
- see sociology as science (‘top down approach’)
- use questionnaires
- macro analysis
Theoretical data
What are the 4 facts of interpretivists
- prefer qualitative data
- seek to understand social factors meanings
- rejective the view that sociology is science (‘bottom down approach’)
- micro analysis
What are the 6 steps to social surveys that sociologists would consider
- choosing a topic
- formulating an aim or hypothesis
- operationalising concepts
- the pilot study
- sampling
- sampling techniques
Social surveys
How to sociologists choose a topic (3)
- based on personal interests
- what’s going on in society (recent events)
- research be asked to be done by another sociologist
Social surveys- Formulating an aim or hypothesis
What is aim
An aim identifies what the sociologist intends to study and hopes to achieve by conducting the research
Social surveys- Formulating an aim or hypothesis
What is a hypothesis
A testable statement, it’s what you thing is going to happen (guessing a trend)
Social surveys- Formulating an aim or hypothesis
What is an advantage of a hypothesis
That it gives direction to research and focus to the questions to be asked
Social surveys- Formulating an aim or hypothesis
What does creating a hypothesis require
- it requires the sociologist to think up a possible explanation and often they do this by drawing on previous research that has been conducted on the topic, but it can come from anywhere
- if the evidence gathered shows that the hypothesis is false, then it must be discarded and attention could be directed to new directions of research
Social surveys- operationalising concepts
What does operationalised mean
This means that an abstract idea has to be defined and explained so that it can be measured
Social surveys- operationalising concepts
Once the sociologist had a working or ‘operational’ definition of the concept, what can they now do
Write questions that measure it. Therefore before research starts, sociological ideas must be defined in a way that can be measured
Social surveys- pilot study
Once a hypothesis has been defined and key concepts operationalised, what is the next stage
To produce a pilot study
Social surveys- pilot study
What is a pilot study
A pilot study is a preliminary 1st stage run of the study. It is designed to resolve problems so that the final version runs smoothly
Social surveys- pilot study
After carrying out the pilot study, can be be finalised now
A questionnaire or interview schedule
Social surveys- sampling
What is a target population
Target population is the group who are relevant to the research. The research will be target at them
Social survey- sampling
As sociologists research cannot involve the entire relevant population, therefore what do sociologists choose
A sample
Social survey- sampling
What is a sample
A sample is a smaller sub group selected from the target population
Social survey- sampling
What is each member of the sample known as
A sampling unit
Social survey- sampling
What do sociologists aim to produce
Generalisations that apply to all cases of the topic and people they are researching, not just those involved in the study- positivists
Social survey- sampling
What is the purpose of sampling
To ensure that those people selected for the sample are representative of the larger target/ research population
Social survey- sampling
If a sample is representative, what can be made
Generalisations to cover the entire target/ research population
Social survey- sampling
What does representative mean
That the sample research is typical of and is a reflection of a cross section of the target population
Social survey- sampling
What is a sampling frame
A data base/ list of the members of the target population. If a sampling mix exists, a sample will bs chosen from it- e.g. in schools registers may be used
Social surveys- what are the 2 sampling techniques
- representative sampling
- non-representative sampling
Sampling techniques- Representative sampling
-what are the 4 examples of representative sampling
- random sampling
- quasi-random/ systematic sampling
- stratified random sampling
- quota sampling
Sampling techniques- Representative sampling
What is random sampling
-it is where the sample is selected purely by chance Nd everyone has an equal chance of being selected- e.g. names drawn out of a hat
Sampling techniques- Representative sampling
What is the advantage of random sampling
A large enough random sample should reflect the characteristics of the whole research population
Sampling techniques- Representative sampling
What is the disadvantage of random sampling
Not all random samples are large enough to ensure representativeness
Sampling techniques- Representative sampling
What is quasi-random/ systematic sampling
It is where every nth in the sampling frame is selected
Sampling techniques- Representative sampling
What is stratified random sampling
Where the researcher first breaks down (stratifies) the population in the sampling frame by age, gender, ethnicity etc. The sample is then created in the same proportions, e.g. if 20% of the population are under 18 then 20% of the sample also have to be under 18
Sampling techniques- Representative sampling
What is quota sampling
It is where the population is stratified and then given a quota- it is a fixed category of people
Sampling techniques- non-representative sampling
Why do some sociologists may choose not to use representative sampling
Because of their theoretical/ methodological perspective
Sampling techniques- non-representative sampling
What do Interpretivists engage in
A micro level of of analysis as they are more concerned with gaining a valid understanding of behaviour than to discover general laws of behaviour. Therefore they use representative data
Sampling techniques- non-representative sampling
What are the practical reasons why it may nor be possible to create a representative sample (3)
- the social characterises of the research population may not be known and therefore it would be impossible to create a sample that was an exist cross-section of it
- it may be impossible to find or create a sampling frame for that particular research population
- potential respondents may refuse to participate
Sampling techniques- non-representative sampling
Where it is not possible to obtain a representative sample, what 2 samples do sociologists use
- snowball sampling
- opportunity sampling
Sampling techniques- non-representative sampling
What is snowball sampling
It involves collecting a sample by contacting a key number of individuals who are asked to suggest others to particulate in the research, thus adding to the sample ‘snowball fashion’. It gives you access to people who you may not have access to
Sampling techniques- non-representative sampling
What is good about snowball sampling
Although not representative, it gives you access to people who are difficult to find and contact
Sampling techniques- non-representative sampling
What is opportunity sampling
It involves choosing from the those individuals who are easiest to access or a captive audience. However, the sample is unlikely to be representative
what is the advantage of using primary data
that sociologists will be able to gather precisely the information they need to test their hypothesis
what is the disadvantage of using primary data
it is time-consuming and expensive
what is secondary data
-give an example
it refers to data that already exists
-includes data from historic records, statistics government reports, newspapers
what is the advantage of using secondary data
it is a quick and cheap way of doing research
what is the disadvantage of using secondary research
it may not be useful for the sociologist
what is quaNtitative
- numerical data which can be subject to statistical analysis
- e.g. league tables
what can quaNtitative data be useful for
-give a example
measuring (quantifying) the strength of relationships between different factors/variables.
-it can be shown as statistics and displayed in pictorial form such as graph
what is quaLitative data
-give examples
non-numerical data
-descriptive data, documents, newspapers
what does qualitative data provide
a richer more in-depth picture of social life than the statistics provided by quantitative data. It gives a ‘feel’ for what something is like
what does VALIDITY mean
data is valid if it presents a true, genuine and accurate picture, description or measurement which enables the researcher to get close to the truth
what does RELIABILITY mean
data is reliable when different researches using the same methods obtain the same results- it is replicated (a replica)
some data can be reliable but not …
valid
factors influencing choice of research method
what are the PET factors
- practical issues
- ethical issues
- theoretical issues
factors influencing choice of research method
what are the 4 practical issues
- time and money
- funding body
- personal skills and social status
- research opportunity
factors influencing choice of research method
what are the 4 ethical issues
- informed consent
- confidentiality and privacy
- protection
- vulnerable groups
what are the factors influencing choice of research methods known as and what do they stand for
PET factors
- practical
- ethical
- theoretical
Factors influencing choice of research method
What are the 4 practical issues
- time and money
- funding body
- personal skills and social status
- research opportunity
Practical issues
How does time and money affect choice of research method
Methods that are more time consuming such as interviews tend to usually be more expensive
Practical issues
How does funding body influence choice of research method
Whoever is funding the research may be in a position to dictate how they want the research to be conducted, what form results should be in and the duration of the research
Practical issues
How does personal skills and social class influence choice of research method
The sociologist’s own personality and character as well as their own status may impact on their ability to use different methods
-e.g. a more confident person may use interviews and a shy person may use questionnaires
Practical issues
How does research opportunity influence choice of research method
Sometimes research opportunities turn up unexpectedly whereas in others it is planned well in advance- usually a well planned research opportunity involved observation and interviews
Ethical issues
Explain informed concept
Research participants should be given the opportunity to agree or refuse to participate in research. The decision should be ‘informed’ so some information of the study should be offered so that they can make a fully informed decision and should not be deceived
Ethical issues
Explain confidentiality and privacy
Researches should respect the privacy of the participation and the identity and personal information id the participants should be kept confidential
what is secondary data
-give an example
data that already exists
-includes data from historic records, official statistics, gov reports
what is good about secondary research
it is quick and cheap
what is a disadvantage of secondary data
it may be produced for different reasons and it may not suit the needs of the researcher
what is quaNtitative data
- numerical data
- statistics
what is qualitative data
non-numerical data
-descriptive data such as documents, reports, quotes from interviews
what is quantitative data useful for
measuring (quantifying) the strength of relationships between different factors/variables
-it can be shown as statistics and displayed in pictorial form such as graphs
what can qualitative data provide
a richer more in depth picture of social life than the statistics provided by quantitative data
what does validity mean
data is valid if it presents a true, genuine, and accurate picture, description or measurement which enables the researcher to get close to the truth
would does reliability mean
data is reliable when different researchers using the same methods obtain the same results- it is replicated
some data is reliable but not …
valid
