Sociology basics

Sociology basics

1. Part A- investigating society

   • What is a case study ?
     • a detailed and in-depth study of one particular group or situation to find out as much information as possible.
   • What is a longitudinal study ?
     • Studies that go on for a long period of time. They are good because they allow researchers to build up a picture of social lie that recognises change and does not go out of date. But, they are quite difficult to manage as peoples circumstances constantly change. E.g. someone could move away, so drop out of the study.
   • Primary data
     • The most common methods of collecting primary data are:
       • By survey- usually involving questionnaires, and/or interviews; this generates mainly quantitative data
       • By observation, which may be participant or non-participant; this mainly generates qualitative
   • Secondary data
     • Many kinds of data are already available to sociologists:
       • Official statistics collected by government agencies
       • Reports in newspapers, TV and radio
       • Historical documents
       • Personal letters and diaries
   • Triangulation- using more than one type of research method
   • Qualitative- people's attitudes and opinions
   • Quantitative- statistics