Research methods Flashcards
primary and secondary date
Quantitative and qualitative
Information collected by sociologists themselves for there own porpoises. E.g. Social surveys, participant observations, experiments. Pros-They can collect precise information they needs to test there hypothesis.
Cons- Can be costly and time consuming
Information they has been collected or created by someone else for there own pompous but others can use it. e.g. official statistics, documents. pros- Quick and cheap way to get information as someone else has already collected it.
Cons- Those who collect it may not be interested as what you want the data for. Not providing the exact information you need.
Quantitative
qualitative data
Date in numerical form. e.g. percentage of marriages than end in divorce.
non numerical often comes from pictures or words. give s feel for whats something is like. e.g. what it feels like for a marriage to end in a divorce.
Positivists
Argue there is a measurable object in society. Our behaviours are shaped by society. The aim of studying is to find the underlying reasons for these behaviours. Use questionnaires, structured interviews, structured
observation and official statistics. Use data to identify general patterns and trends in behaviour, from which they produce cause-and-effect explanations like those in the natural sciences. preferred Quantitative date
Interpretative
No objective social reality, just the subjective meaning that social actors give to events. Therefore, the aim of research is to uncover actors’ meanings or worldview. Use open ended research methods. Prefer qualitative data like unstructured interviews, participant observation and personal documents. Allows them to gain understanding by experiencing the group’s lifestyle for themselves, or by allowing individuals to explain their worldview in their own words, without the sociologist imposing their own views.
What factors impact the choice of research methods
Practical issues- funding ease access to the pace or individual that need to be interviewer, time available, whether the researchers has the skills to carry out the research.
Ethical issues- Does the reassure have harmful consequences, consents, Data represented accurately and truthfully
Theoretical issues- such as if a Marxist, a feminist, or functionalist approach is preferred or positivist or interpretative approach.
practical and ethical issues
How easy it is to access those being studied, time and funding available, availability of existing data, values and beliefs of the researcher, pressure to publish findings, personal safety of researchers, personal skills and characteristics of the researcher, The ethical issues involved in the choice of topic and the research methods chosen
Theoretical issues
Positivism and
interpretative would use different research methods to investigate and collect information. This also impacts what is studied, the choice of research topic.
Functionalists – focus on aspects of how social institutions contribute to the maintenance of society as whole, and their role in contributing to social stability.
Marxists – more likely to emphasize inequality, conflict and division, and to investigate research topics which highlight these areas, and to emphasize
class inequality rather than, for example, ethnicity and gender.
Feminists – concerned with the issues of gender inequality and this will guide their choice of research topic
Pros and cons of Qualitative secondary sources
pros- Limited sources of date for a particular area. Useful for interpretive who look at worldview or ideology’s of those who produce them.
Cons- Is data genuine or forged. Is it credible believable, conciser and honest. Is it bias, exaggerated or distorted.
pros and cons of primary quantitative data.
pros- Cheap, no involvement with people, resalable produces statistical data.
Cons- depends on the category chocs by the sociologist and how they interpreter it. Describing whats being studied not explaining it. Interpretations can different from researcher.
surveys
Surveys aim to represent wider
populations therefore collect information from a smaller representative group, a representative sample that is drawn from the whole survey population. not representative if it is too small, if the sampling frame is not complete and has some people missing. Random sampling Every individual in the population has a chance to be selected need to used a table of random numbers, (pros-No human bias involved, cons-may result in an unrepresented sample)
Systematic sampling Names are selected form a frame at set intervals. (Pros- ensures complete coverage of sample area. Cons- If is a small sample may have unrepresentative data)
Stratified random sampling- Grouped into people with similar characteristics. a random sample is taken from each sample frame (pros- representative of all characteristics, attempts to avoid possible errors. Cons- Can be difficult to identify sub groups.)
Key sampling techniques
Quota sampling- a non-probability sampling method that relies on the non-random selection of a predetermined number or proportion of units.
Multistage sampling- taking of samples in stages using smaller and smaller sampling units at each stage.
Snowball sampling- Researcher ask participants to give the others who they can interview
Questionnaires
Close ended – strength easy to quantify quick to compare, high in reliability. Weaknesses – lack validity, restrict responses, ambiguous questions is. 

Open ended – strength in-depth detailed information, high validity, answers are not restricted. Weaknesses – long drawnout answers, difficult to make comparisons, ambiguous question.
Self administrated (Distributed in person competed on the spot)– strengths – higher response rate lower research affects easier to answer personal questions. Weaknesses– time-consuming, generally small scale, maybe expensive.
Postal questionnaires – strengths large-scale relatively cheap Rose out interview a biased. Weaknesses – not being taken seriously low response rate cost.
Interview a presenn- (Face-to-face or on the phone) Strengths – higher response rate, relatively quick, builds a rapport with the respondent.
Observations
Participant observations involves research are joining the group or community to study their activities for a period of time. Stages
get in (Get to know the group fit in)
Staying in(Gaining trust knowing how much to involve yourself)
Getting out (Leaving the group without damaging relationships)
Nonparticipant
Carried out Without the research at present. Reduce people being affected by the researcher. May happen if we groups are unwilling to participate.
 interviews
Structured interviews – the interviewer asked a series of standardised questions.
Unstructured interviews has no set questions follow the line of conversation of the interviewee
Semistructured – they have a predetermined set of topics to cover but the questions followed a conversation directed by the interviewee
