Research Methods

Research Methods

1. Collecting Data

   • Primary data is info collected by sociologists for their own purposes.
   • Secondary data if info collected by someone else for their own purposes, but which the sociologist can use.

2. Positivism

   • Seek to make patterns about human behaviour and generalise.
   • Researcher is objective - values don't influence research.
   • Use quantitative data: Data collected and represented in numerical form.
   • Questionnaires/statistics/structured interviews.

3. Interpretitivism

   • Seek to understand social agents meanings, believing that society is interpreted by different people in different situations in different ways.
   • Researcher needs to be subjective as that is how society is experienced.
   • Qualitative data: Descriptive, appearing mostly in conversational or narrative form to convey different meanings.
   • Observations/documents.

4. Sampling

   • Sample: A smaller group selected from the larger survey population to partake in study.
   • Sampling: Process of selecting a sample.
   • Sampling frame: The list from which the sample is selected such as electoral register.

5. Samples

   • Representative
     • Random sampling gives every name a number and then random numbers are selected to decide the sample, avoiding bias.
     • Quasi-random systematically selects people by choosing every nth in sampling unit.
     • Stratified divides population into separate strata in terms of one or more characteristics such as age, and sample is then drawn reflecting characteristics.
     • Quota sampling is when researcher had quote of people with different characteristics, such as 20 women and 20 men. Researcher fills quota from first available bodies.
   • Non-representative
     • Snowball asks participants to introduce researcher to other people so sample grows.
     • Opportunity whoever is easiest to access, eg in the street.