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Sociology > Research Methods > Flashcards

Research Methods Flashcards

1
Q

POSITIVISM

What are social facts?

A
  • Positivists believe that there are external social forces making up a society’s social structure that cause or mould people’s ideas and actions.
  • These are called social facts.
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2
Q

POSITIVISM

What do positivists believe about social institutions?

A
  • Positivists believe social institutions influence people’s behaviour with social control making individuals behave in socially approved ways.
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3
Q

POSITIVISM

What does Durkheim say the study of sociology should be about?

A
  • Durkheim said the study of sociology should be the study of social facts and that these could, in most cases, be observed and measured quantitatively.
  • The feelings, emotions and motives of individuals cannot be observed or measured and should therefore not be studied.
  • These feelings are the result of social facts such as the influences of socialisation anyway.
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4
Q

POSITIVISM

What data do positivists believe needs to be collected, and why?

A
  • Positivists believe that quantitative data needs to be collected for sociology to be seen as a science and for studies to be repeated to check findings, establish the causes of social events or make generalisations.
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5
Q

POSITIVISM

What methods of collecting data do positivists use?

A

Positivists use research methods which collect quantitative data. These are more likely to involve large scale research or a macro approach. These methods include:
 Experiments
 The comparative method
 Surveys
 Structured questionnaires
 Formal/structured interviews
 Non participant observation

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6
Q

POSITIVISM

What are the 4 main beliefs of positivism?

A
  • Behaviour can be observed and measured, as can the causes of behaviour (social facts).
  • Macro approach needed: large scale research.
  • Sociology should use scientific methods because it enables findings to be checked by other researchers and it enables the researchers to be objective/value free.
  • Positivists should use quantitative methods.
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7
Q

INTERPRETIVISM

What do interpretivists believe the role of a researcher is?

A
  • Interpretivists believe that, because people’s behaviour is influenced by the interpretations and meanings they give to social situations, the researcher’s task is to gain an understanding of these interpretations and meanings.
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8
Q

INTERPRETIVISM

What do interpretivists believe the role of research methods is?

A
  • Sociology should therefore use research methods which provide an understanding from the point of view of individuals and groups who are
    being studied.
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9
Q

INTERPRETIVISM

Interpretivists believe there is a need to…

A
  • Interpretivists suggest there is a need to discuss and get personally involved with people in order to understand their interpretations and meanings.
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10
Q

INTERPRETIVISM

What data do interpretivists collect and what methods do they prefer?

A

Interpretivists therefore favour research methods which collect qualitative data. These include:
 Participant and sometimes non participant observation
 Informal/unstructured interviews
 Open questionnaires
 Personal accounts
These tend to involve a micro approach with small scale, in depth research.

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11
Q

INTERPRETIVISM

What are the main 5 beliefs of interpretivism?

A
  • Behaviour is influenced by individual’s interpretations and meanings they give to social situations (internal forces).
  • Important to get personally involved with people being researched to understand their meanings etc. –> gives Verstehen (empathy).
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12
Q

What is methodological pluralism?

A
  • Mix of qual and quan methods
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13
Q

What is triangulation?

A
  • Use results of one method –> check results of another
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14
Q

What is random sampling?

A
  • A sample selected by chance , a large enough sample should represent the population.
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15
Q

What is systematic sampling?

A
  • When every nth person in the sampling frame is selected.
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16
Q

What is stratified random sampling?

A
  • The researcher breaks down the sampling frame by characteristics e.g. age, class, gender.
  • The sample is then created in the same proportions.
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17
Q

What is quota sampling?

A
  • The population is stratified then each interviewer is given a quota which may have to fill will people of that characteristic.
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18
Q

What is multistage/cluster sampling?

A
  • Selecting a sample in stages, choosing a sample from the previous sample. e.g. sample from schools –> list all schools –> sample:schools –> sample:5 tutors –> sample:10 students each.
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19
Q

What is non-representative sampling?

A
  • One specific group
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20
Q

What is snowball sampling?

A
  • Used when a sampling frame is difficult to obtain, the researchers ask their initial participants to introduce each other to the study.
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21
Q

What is opportunity/convenience sampling?

A
  • Choosing from individuals that are easy access.
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22
Q

What is volunteer sampling?

A
  • Advertise for participants, participants volunteer to take part.
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23
Q

SAMPLING

Advantages of simple random sampling

A
  • No bias from researcher
  • Not time consuming
  • Cost effective
24
Q

What are the disadvantages of simple random sampling?

A
  • No guarantee that it is representative
  • Repeatability
  • Reliability
25
Q

What are the advantages of systematic sampling?

A
  • No bias from researcher
  • Quick, no skills needed
  • Repeatable
26
Q

What are the disadvantages of systematic sampling?

A
  • No guarantee that it is representative
27
Q

What are the advantages of stratified sampling?

A
  • Representative
  • No bias
  • Repeatable (similar samples each time)
28
Q

What are the disadvantages of stratified sampling?

A
  • Less practical
  • Might get the categories wrong, the sampling frame must always categorise the data for the researcher but this is not guaranteed
29
Q

What are the advantages of quota sampling?

A
  • Representative
  • Repeatable
30
Q

What are the disadvantages of quota sampling?

A
  • Researcher bias
31
Q

What are the advantages of snowball sampling?

A
  • Quicker than trying to find them themselves (as they are in hard to find groups)
  • More likely to find willing participants
32
Q

What are the disadvantages of snowball sampling?

A
  • Not representative
  • Not practical
  • Not reliable
  • Unrepeatable —> another researcher might not have the initial contact that you do
33
Q

What are the advantages of cluster/multistage sampling?

A
  • Fit for purpose —> studying groups needed to study
  • Time efficient
  • Large target population
34
Q

What are the disadvantages of cluster/multi-stage sampling?

A
  • Not representative
  • No guarantee you can get everyone you need
35
Q

What are the advantages of opportunity sampling?

A
  • Practical
  • Quick
36
Q

What are the disadvantages of opportunity sampling?

A
  • Not representative
  • Not reliable
  • Researcher bias (even when unintended)
  • Dependent on people who are there at that time
  • Low response rate
37
Q

What are the advantage of volunteer sampling?

A
  • Practical
  • Really good for sensitive topics
  • High level of detail as they have chosen to take part
38
Q

What are the disadvantages of volunteer sampling?

A
  • Not representative
  • Not reliable
  • Not repeatable
39
Q

What is the theoretical evaluation to statistics?

A
  • Disliked by interpretivists –> Don’t like objective data and there is no meanings to it.
  • Liked by positivists –> Like objective and quantitative data, identifies cause and effect (social facts), macro approach.
40
Q

What is the reliability evaluation to statistics?

A
  • Repeatable –> standardised
  • Consistent –> same method of collection
  • Can be accepted and repeated by another researcher
41
Q

What is the validity evaluation to statistics?

A
  • Identifies trends / patterns overtime.
  • But no explanation provided e.g. why boys are excluded more than girls.
  • Can be interpreted by researchers in ways which affect existing views –> researcher bias.
42
Q

What is the representativeness evaluation to statistics?

A
  • Hard statistics –> every incidence collected
  • Large sample size
43
Q

What is the practical evaluation to statistics?

A
  • Free
  • Easy access
  • Avaliable
44
Q

What is the ethical evaluation to statistics?

A
  • Anonymous
  • Researcher is not in direct contact with participants
45
Q

What is the theoretical evaluation to documents?

A
  • Interpretivism –> qualitative, understand meanings and motivations for behaviour
  • Positivism –> not objective, subject to interpretation of researcher
46
Q

What is the reliability evaluation to documents?

A
  • Not consistent –> may only have access to part of these documents
  • Cannot be standardised –> different documents studied in different ways e.g. handwriting and vocab
  • Not repeatable –> different researchers interpret the documents differently
47
Q

What is the validity evaluation to documents?

A
  • Not going to lie deliberately –> no researcher effect or hawthorne effect
  • In depth –> shows meanings and feelings/behaviour (and reasons for it) –> potential for empathy (Verstehen)
  • Written by somebody else in village sometimes
  • Purpose of the documents being written
  • Elements of bias –> author? purpose?
  • Bias –> interpretation of researcher
48
Q

What is the representativeness evaluation for documents?

A
  • A range of different perspectives and experiences
  • Linked to sample size (good and bad)
  • Unaware of social characteristics of author
  • Historical documents –> only the wealthy could afford to learn to write, have portraits made etc.
49
Q

What is the practical evaluation for documents?

A
  • Time consuming
  • Lack of accessinility –> personal, sensitive information, don’t wamt to give them up
50
Q

What are the three types of questionnaires?

A
  • Precoded or closed questions (answer options provided, tick box)
  • Open ended or open questionnaires (space to write own answers)
  • Postal/mail or online self-completion questionnaires (complete away from researcher and send back)
51
Q

What is the pros of self completion / postal questionnaires?

A
  • No researcher effect —> higher validity, personal information answered privately or anonymously.
  • Social desirability less of a problem —> don’t see the researcher and they are anonymous, less ‘pressure’ from presence of researcher to give socially acceptable answers.
  • Anonymity easier to be maintained —> ethics
52
Q

What is the cons of self completion / postal questionnaires?

A
  • No information about participants —> affects the representativeness as they don’t know who actually responded to the questionnaire.
  • As the researcher isn’t there, they won’t mind not actually refusing or responding resulting in a low response rate.
  • Risk of participants misunderstanding questions, can’t personally ask the researcher —> no opportunity for clarification.
  • Less standardised —> different locations and environments (affects response), when it is completed can affect response.
53
Q

What are the strengths of open questionnaires?

A
  • Liked by interpretivists as the participants can explain things in their own words.
  • High validity —> Verstehen, true picture, deep insight as the explanations and meanings are given in own words.
  • Ethical —> easy to gain consent.
  • Practical —> Quicker overall than other methods, cheap
54
Q

What are the limitations of open questionnaires?

A
  • Disliked by positivists —> prefer objective and quantitative data, not measurable, trends/patterns
  • Low validity —> Social desirability, cannot ask for more information resulting in inaccurate responses as they may misunderstand the questions
  • Low representativeness —> Takes a while to fill out so people may not do them (low response rate = low sample size)
  • High response rate of people with big opinions on the subject, low response rate of those who struggle with education and language.
  • Not ethical —> May be asking sensitive information —> inappropriate for a questionnaire (risk of psychological harm)
  • Not practical —> More time consuming (more time to fill out, more time for researcher to read through)
55
Q

What are the strengths of closed questionnaires?

A
  • Liked by positivism —> quantitative data, quantify results and identify trends/patterns
  • High reliability —> Standardised as same questions used, same answer options, same order, same language (more repeatability)
  • High representativeness —> gain a large group of people’s responses as it will be fast so they won’t mind doing it (higher response rate = bigger sample size)
  • More ethical —> easy to gain consent
  • More practical —> less time consuming (get them done very quickly), cheaper
56
Q

What are the limitations of closed questionnaires?

A
  • Disliked by interpretivists (no reasons or meanings given)
  • Options chosen by researcher, not from the participants perspective
  • Validity —> Researcher bias —> have to make their own interpretations why the results are what they are (may misunderstand), answer options may not cover all options and researcher chooses the options causing bias.
  • Not very ethical —> may ask for sensitive information (risk of psychological harm)

Sociology (23 decks)

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