Sociological Research Methods

Research Methods

• Research Method:
• A systematic plan for conducting research
• Data should be reliable and valid
• 

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Reliability – is it possible to replicate?

• Quantitative methods are usually considered more reliable than qualitative methods
• – standardized data questionnaire studies can be easily replicated in another time or place

Validity

• Data are ‘valid’ if they provide a true picture of what is being studied
• * Measurement validity – does the measure being used really measure what we say it does? (e.g. Church attendance and religious beliefs, innate intelligence
• IQ tests)
• * Internal validity – if a conclusion depends on a causal relationship, is that connection adequately explained?
• * External validity – can findings be generalized to other groups or situations?
• * Ecological validity – whether social scientific findings are appropriate for everyday natural settings.

Steps in social research (adapted from Ferris and Stein 2009)

• 1. Identify a problem or ask a question
• 2. Conduct a literature review3. Form a hypothesis, give operational definition to variables
• 4. Choose research method and design study
• 5. Collect data
• 6. Analyze data
• 7. Write up and distribute findings

Choosing a method

• We start (usually) with a hypothesis (proposed explanation).
• The methods we use will depend on the type of question we are interested on as well as:
• time
• resources
• money
• convenience
• access
• other practical factors

Sampling

• We can't (usually) survey everyone - so we need to sample...
• Sample – a part of the larger population (usually we want it to be representative)
• Random sampling – every unit (person, building, school etc...) has an equal chance of being chosen
• Systematic sampling – choose every nth unit
• Stratified Random sampling – divides the sampling frame into smaller groups to ensure that sample is representative – you need to know the important variables that you want to control for (e.g class and gender)
• Snowball sampling - asking participants to provide contact details for further potential participants (useful for difficult to reach populations)

Questionnaires:

• Self-administered
• Face to face
• Telephone
• Internet....
• Advantages/disadvantages?

Interviews:

• Structured
• Unstructured
• Group interviews
• Focus groups
• Phone or in person
• Instant chat????
• Advantages and disadvantages?

Case Studies

• Case studies – a single group, individual, institution, community etc
• … not likely to be generalized but may lead to hypotheses for further research, or may be used for evaluation
• Could use one of several research techniques e.g. ethnography, life history interview...

Participant Observation/ Ethnography

• Investigators systematically observe people while joining in their routine activities
• Overt or covert?
• Examples:
• Anderson - A Place on the Corner, Code of the Street
• Willis - Learning to Labour
• Lloyd Warner - Yankee City (5 volumes – 10 years)
• Roy - “Quota Restriction and Goldbricking”
• Venkatesh – Gangleader for a Day
• Advantages and disadvantages?

Secondary Sources:

• Official statistics
• Historical documents
• Life documents (e.g. letters, diaries)
• Published materials
• Newspapers
• Blogs, online forums...

Assessing secondary sources - Scott (1990)

• Credibility (sincerity and accuracy)
• Authenticity (soundness and authorship)
• Representativeness (survival and availability)
• Meaning (literal and interpretative understanding)

Sources

• Ferris, Kerry and Jill Stein. 2009. The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology. Norton.
• Scott, John. 1990. A Matter of Record: Documentary Sources in Social Research. Cambridge: Polity.

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