Research methods (key words)

Research methods (key words)

1. Positivists: the belief that knowledge must be based on observation or experiment

2. Interpretivists: an approach in sociology that focuses on the meaning that spcial phenomena have for the people involved.

3. Social policy: action taken by governments that has a direct effect on the welfare of the citizens of a country

4. Primary data: data collected by the researcher

   • Secondary data: data taken from newspapers, documents, interviews, statistics, etc.

5. Triangulation: the use of multiple methods in research as a means of producing more reliable data than a single method would produce (a.k.a Multiple methods)

   • Reliability: a reliable method gives the same result when the research is repeated.

6. Population: all the people, or other units, who are relevent to the research.

7. Interview schedule: the list of questions used by the interviewer.

8. Anthropology: Originally the study of the culture of small pre-industrial societies, its methods are now used in many contexts.

9. Pilot: a small-scale trial of the study/questionnaire/interview schedule, carried out to check that the questions 'work' as they are expected to.

10. Sampling frame: the list of people, or other unit, from which a sample is drawn.

11. Covert observation: observational research where the research conceals the fact that thy are doing research (undercover)

    • Overt observation: observational research where the researcher is open about the fact that they are doing research.

12. Case study: the study of a single example of a phenomenon.

13. Independent variable: variable that is controlled by the experimenter.

    • Dependent variable: variable that changes as a result of the independent variable

14. Control group: the group that is not subject to an independent variable.

    • Experimental group: the group that is subject to the independent variable.