Flashcards
Research Methods
Cards in this deck (44)
- 1Choosing a topicValues of the researcher: they are likely to study something they consider to be important. FOR EXAMPLE: sociologists who believe in gender equality may study the position of women
Values of Society: the values of researchers often reflect the values of society.
- Funding
- Availability of Data
- Theoretical Position - 2Theoretical ConsiderationsInterpretivism -Qualitative Data - To understand their behaviour it is essential to discover and interpret the meanings and definitions which guide their actions.
For example: They favour participant observation / Discovering meanings and unstructured interviews. - 3Positivism- Favours 'hard' qualitative data
- Less concerned with meanings
- Favours research methods that produce data in numerical form
- Questionnaires / official statistics - 4Ethnical IssuesMoral principles - beliefs about what is wrong / right
1. Informed consent
2. Deception
3. Privacy
4. Sensitive topics
5. Confidentiality
6. Protection from harm - 5Laboratory Experiments- Scientific Equipment (artificial surroundings)
- Controlling variables
- Quantifying Results
- Correlation and Causation
- Laboratory experiments and people - 6Field Experiments(Social situations)
LIMITATIONS
- Lack of control
- The Hawthorne Effect
- Experimenter Bias
- Ethical Questions - 7Social SurveysInvolves the systematic collection of the same type of data from a fairly large number of people.
- 8Random- Gives every member of the sampling frame an equal chance of being selected.
- Avoids bias selection
(not representative) - 9Systematic SamplesChoosing every 5th, 10th, 20th
(not representative) - 10Stratified SamplesDivided into separate strata characteristics ( gender/ class/ ethnicity)
- 11Quota SamplesThe researcher simply fills her Quota from the first available bodies
- 12Snowball and Volunteer Samples- The researcher finds someone who fits the bill
- Unlikely to be representative
(relies on personal recommendation)
- 'self selected' - 13Response Rate- The percentage of the sample that participates in the survey
(NONE RESPONSE)
- may not be able to speak english
- Ill / Deaf
- Personal tragedy
- People have moved on holiday
- No interest / time - embarrassed - 14QUESTIONNAIRES!Comparable Data: everybody is answering exactly the same questions and therefore responding to the same thing. HOWEVER... the same questions can mean different things to different people.
- 15Quantifiable DataDesigned to generate data which can be easily quantified (put into numbers)
- whether or not there is a correlation - 16Operationalising Concepts- Put into a form which can be measured
for example "do you believed in god" is too vague - 17Coding AnswersThey are classified into various categories
- 18Closed questions- The range of responses is fixed by the research
- They are easy, quick, cheap
- Easy to classify and quantify
Suitable for simple factual data - 19Open QuestionsAsks the respondent to answer a question IN THEIR OWN WORDS.
- Gives them freedom
-Coding the responses can be difficult and time consuming
DIFFICULT TO FIT RESPONSES INTO A PARTICULAR CATEGORY
Suitable on attitudes and values - 20Self completion / Postal QuestionnairesSTRENGTHS:
- In expensive
- Therefore often possible to survey a large sample
- Fast and Efficient analysis
(closed questions) are easy to quantify
- Postal questionnaires allow a geographically dispersed sample to be contacted easily
- No interviewer Bias - 21LIMITATIONS- Low response rate
- Respondents may not understand the questions
- Answers may be incomplete
- Closed questions could limit what they want to say - 22STRUCTURED INTERVIEWSSTRENGTHS:
- Response rate is higher than postal questions
- Clarify questions / explain
- Respondents who cannot read and write can be included
DISADVANTAGES:
- More expensive
- Interviewer Bias - 23SEMI - STRUCTURED INTERVIEWSSTRENGTHS:
- Allows the interviewer to probe
- Jog the respondents memory
- Ask them to clarify
- Give examples
- Adding towards the depth and detail
LIMITATIONS:
- Non standard interviews - meaning every interview is different
- Not comparable
- Responding to different questions - 24GROUP INTERVIEWSSTRENGTHS:
- Provides rich source of qualitative date
- Sandra Walklate: without the use of focus groups/ shades of meanings would be lost.
LIMITATIONS:
- Social desirability
- Peoples / peer influence - 25UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEWSStrengths:
- Sensitive groups / trust with the interviewer
- Release feelings
( FIELDING ) one to one interview was the most effective way of gaining info
- Interviews were able to put respondents mind to rest
- Sensitive topics (developing relationship)
- Respondents View point
- Validity and Depth
- Meanings and attitudes / opinions
DISADVANTAGES:
- Interviewer bias
- Social desirability
- Coding and Quantifying
- Validity
- Comparability - 26Participant Observation - Conducting Research- Looking and Listening / Observe People
- Asking Questions
- The key informant / a member of the group who has a special relationship with the researcher and provides vital information.
- Hanging around - A good deal of participant observation is informal, unplanned, and unstructured
- Recording Observations - recording the findings of participant observation can be a problem, especially when the researcher is covert. Relies on memory.
- In the field - participant observation can be a long process with a year or more being spent 'in the field'. It can require dedication, stamina and courage. It could also be dangerous! - 27AdvantagesValidity - participant observation offers you the chance to discover what people actually do, the chance to obtain valid data.
Insight - William Whyte / noted 'As I sat and listened, I learned the answers to questions that I would not have had the sense to ask if I had been getting my informations soley on an interviewing basis'
Insiders view - A chance to discover
- Practicality - it may be the only method with any chance of success.
- Interpretivists would like this - 28DisadvantagesTime, money and personal cost - despite this being a disadvantage many would see that the cost is reasonable.
Loss of Objectivity - The personal involvement demands can reduce objectivity. Some can identify so strongly that their behaviour is seen in a positive light. In extreme cases they 'go native'
- Changing Behaviour
- Replication (difficult / impossible to repeat under the same conditions)
- Generalisation - Sample sizes are small
- Ethical Questions
- Positivists wouldn't like this ( no quantifiable data) - 29Non Participant observationIs like a bird watcher in a hide, observing behaviour without joining in.
- 30Advantages- The observer is less likely to influence the group especially if group members are completely unaware of his or her presence.
- Researchers have more opportunities for using research aids such as behaviour schedules and notebooks. - 31Disadvantages- As non participants, researchers have fewer opportunities for discovering the meanings which direct the actions of those they observe.
- As a result, researchers are more likely to impose their own interpretations and meanings on to the behaviour they observe. - 32Primary DataA new data which did not exist before the research began. Such as: questionnaires, interviews and observation.
- 33Secondary DataExisting information which is available for sociological research. This includes, letters, diaries, novels, autobiographies, official statistics, magazines, television
- 34Official Statistics- They can produce quantitative data
- 35Advantages- Published statistics are readily available and cost little or nothing to use
- Care is taken to select representative samples and sample sizes are often large.
- Many government surveys are well planned and organised with detailed questionnaires or interview schedules.
- Surveys are often conducted regularly, for example on a fortnightly, monthly, annual basis. This can allow for comparisons over time and the identification of trends.
- Sometimes official statistic are the only major source of information on a particular topic. - 36Documents- Letters
- Autobiographies
- Diaries
- Novels
- Memoirs
-TV AND INTERNET
- Newspaper - 37Format Content Analysis- Attempts to classify and quantify
the content of a document in and OBJECTIVE MANNER.
- Critics see this method as effective to measure simple straight forward aspects of content.
- However, they argue that it says little about the meaning of the document - 38Theamatic AnalysisThe process looks at motives and ideologies BUT who is to say that the sociologists interpretation of the underlying ideology is correct
- 39Textual Analysis- This method involves a close examination of the 'text' to see how it encourages a particular reading and creates a particular impression.
- A problem is reading things into the text that may have little to do with the intensions of the producers - 40Historical DocumentsThey are often the major and sometimes the only source of information.
- 41Disadvantages- Biased
- Prejudiced
- One sided
- and concerned with putting across one point of view - 42AdvantagesThey bring their own problems of interpretation because they are from a different era, a different culture and those who produced them are often dead.
- 43Assessing historical documentsJohn Scott provides four 'QUALITY CONTROL CRITERIA' for assessing documents which are particularly applicable for historical documents.
- Authenticity
- Credibility
- Representativeness
- Meaning
- - 44Longitudinal StudiesAdvantages:
The ability to examine developments over time. By studying the same group, the researcher can be sure that any changes in attitudes and behaviour are not simply due to changes in the makeup of the sample.
Disadvantages:
Keeping the same group is one of the main difficulties with longitudinal studies.
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- Flashcards on Research Methods , created by imsaffron on 09/05/2015.
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