Choosing a Research Topic Revision

Choosing a Research Topic Revision

1. Types of Data

   • Primary Data
     • This is collected by sociologists themselves for their own purpose. These purposes may be to obtain a first hand 'picture' of a group or society, or to test a hypothesis.
     • Social Survey: these involve asking people questions in a written questionnaire or an interview
       • Participant Observation: the sociologist joins in with the activites of the group he or she is studying.
         • Experiments: sociologists rarely use laboratory experiments , but they sometimes use field experiments and the comparative method.
   • Secondary Data
     • This is information that has been collected or created by someone else for their own purposes, but which the sociologist can then use.
     • Official Statistics: produced by government on a wide range of issues, such as crime, divorce, health and unemployment, as well as other statistics produced by charities, businesses, churches and other organisations.
       • Documents: such as letters, diaries, photographers, official reports, novels,newspapers and television broadcasts
   • Quantitative Data
     • This data refers to information in a numerical form. Eg) official statistics on how many girls passed five or more GCSE's or on the percentage of marriages ending in divorce.
   • Qualitative Data
     • This data is worded data. Eg) what it feels like to get good GCSE resuslts or for one's marriage to end in dovorce. Evidence gathered by using participant observation aims to give us a sense of what it feels like to be a member of a particular group.

2. Factors influencing choice of methods

   • Practical Issues
     • Time and Money: different methods require different amounts of time and money and this may influence the sociologist's choice.
     • Requirements of funding bodies: research institutes, businesses and other organisations that provide the funding for research may require the results to be in a particular form. Eg) governments department funding research into educational acheivmentstar may have targets for pass rates and so require quantitative data to see whether these targets are being achievved.
     • Personal skills and characteristics: Each sociologist possesses different personal skills, and this may affect their ability to use different methods.
   • Ethical Issues
     • Informed Consent: Research participants should be offered the right to refuse. The researcher should also tell them about all relevant aspects of the research so that they can make a fully informed decision. Consent should be obtained before research begins and , if the study is lengthy, again at intervals throughout the process
       • Confidentiality and Privacy: Researchers should keep the identity of research participants secret in order to help to prevent possible negative effects on them. Researchers should also respect the privacy of participants. Personal information concerning the participants should be kept confidential.
         • Effects on research participants: Researchers need to be aware of the possible effects of their work on those they study.
           • Covert Research: When the researcher's identity and research purpose are hidden from the people being studied.
   • Theoretical Issues
     • Validity: A valid method is one that produces a true or genuine picture of what something is realy like. It allows the researcher to get closer to the truth.
       • Reliability: An exact copy of something, so a reliable method is one which, when repeated by another researcher, gives the same researcher, gives the same results
         • POSITIVIST: prefer quantitative data, seek to discover patterns of behaviour and see sociology as a science
         • INTERPRETIVIST: prefer qualitative data, seek to understand social actors' meaning and reject the view that sociology is a science