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sociology A-level year 12 > Topic 3- Research Methods > Flashcards

Topic 3- Research Methods Flashcards

1
Q

What are the two types of data that sociologists use

A
  • primary data

- secondary data

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2
Q

What is primary data

-give an example

A
  • first hand new data which was not present before the research began.
  • questionnaires, interviews, observations
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3
Q

Theoretical issues

What are the two contrasting research traditions/ approaches within sociology

A

These approaches are often referred to as Positivism and Interpretivism

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4
Q

Theoretical issues

What are the 5 facts of positivists

A
  • prefer quantitative data
  • seek to discover patterns of behaviour
  • see sociology as science (‘top down approach’)
  • use questionnaires
  • macro analysis
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5
Q

Theoretical data

What are the 4 facts of interpretivists

A
  • prefer qualitative data
  • seek to understand social factors meanings
  • rejective the view that sociology is science (‘bottom down approach’)
  • micro analysis
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6
Q

What are the 6 steps to social surveys that sociologists would consider

A
  • choosing a topic
  • formulating an aim or hypothesis
  • operationalising concepts
  • the pilot study
  • sampling
  • sampling techniques
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7
Q

Social surveys

How to sociologists choose a topic (3)

A
  • based on personal interests
  • what’s going on in society (recent events)
  • research be asked to be done by another sociologist
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8
Q

Social surveys- Formulating an aim or hypothesis

What is aim

A

An aim identifies what the sociologist intends to study and hopes to achieve by conducting the research

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9
Q

Social surveys- Formulating an aim or hypothesis

What is a hypothesis

A

A testable statement, it’s what you thing is going to happen (guessing a trend)

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10
Q

Social surveys- Formulating an aim or hypothesis

What is an advantage of a hypothesis

A

That it gives direction to research and focus to the questions to be asked

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11
Q

Social surveys- Formulating an aim or hypothesis

What does creating a hypothesis require

A
  • it requires the sociologist to think up a possible explanation and often they do this by drawing on previous research that has been conducted on the topic, but it can come from anywhere
  • if the evidence gathered shows that the hypothesis is false, then it must be discarded and attention could be directed to new directions of research
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12
Q

Social surveys- operationalising concepts

What does operationalised mean

A

This means that an abstract idea has to be defined and explained so that it can be measured

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13
Q

Social surveys- operationalising concepts

Once the sociologist had a working or ‘operational’ definition of the concept, what can they now do

A

Write questions that measure it. Therefore before research starts, sociological ideas must be defined in a way that can be measured

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14
Q

Social surveys- pilot study

Once a hypothesis has been defined and key concepts operationalised, what is the next stage

A

To produce a pilot study

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15
Q

Social surveys- pilot study

What is a pilot study

A

A pilot study is a preliminary 1st stage run of the study. It is designed to resolve problems so that the final version runs smoothly

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16
Q

Social surveys- pilot study

After carrying out the pilot study, can be be finalised now

A

A questionnaire or interview schedule

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17
Q

Social surveys- sampling

What is a target population

A

Target population is the group who are relevant to the research. The research will be target at them

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18
Q

Social survey- sampling

As sociologists research cannot involve the entire relevant population, therefore what do sociologists choose

A

A sample

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19
Q

Social survey- sampling

What is a sample

A

A sample is a smaller sub group selected from the target population

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20
Q

Social survey- sampling

What is each member of the sample known as

A

A sampling unit

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21
Q

Social survey- sampling

What do sociologists aim to produce

A

Generalisations that apply to all cases of the topic and people they are researching, not just those involved in the study- positivists

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22
Q

Social survey- sampling

What is the purpose of sampling

A

To ensure that those people selected for the sample are representative of the larger target/ research population

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23
Q

Social survey- sampling

If a sample is representative, what can be made

A

Generalisations to cover the entire target/ research population

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24
Q

Social survey- sampling

What does representative mean

A

That the sample research is typical of and is a reflection of a cross section of the target population

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25
Q

Social survey- sampling

What is a sampling frame

A

A data base/ list of the members of the target population. If a sampling mix exists, a sample will bs chosen from it- e.g. in schools registers may be used

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26
Q

Social surveys- what are the 2 sampling techniques

A
  • representative sampling

- non-representative sampling

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27
Q

Sampling techniques- Representative sampling

-what are the 4 examples of representative sampling

A
  • random sampling
  • quasi-random/ systematic sampling
  • stratified random sampling
  • quota sampling
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28
Q

Sampling techniques- Representative sampling

What is random sampling

A

-it is where the sample is selected purely by chance Nd everyone has an equal chance of being selected- e.g. names drawn out of a hat

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29
Q

Sampling techniques- Representative sampling

What is the advantage of random sampling

A

A large enough random sample should reflect the characteristics of the whole research population

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30
Q

Sampling techniques- Representative sampling

What is the disadvantage of random sampling

A

Not all random samples are large enough to ensure representativeness

31
Q

Sampling techniques- Representative sampling

What is quasi-random/ systematic sampling

A

It is where every nth in the sampling frame is selected

32
Q

Sampling techniques- Representative sampling

What is stratified random sampling

A

Where the researcher first breaks down (stratifies) the population in the sampling frame by age, gender, ethnicity etc. The sample is then created in the same proportions, e.g. if 20% of the population are under 18 then 20% of the sample also have to be under 18

33
Q

Sampling techniques- Representative sampling

What is quota sampling

A

It is where the population is stratified and then given a quota- it is a fixed category of people

34
Q

Sampling techniques- non-representative sampling

Why do some sociologists may choose not to use representative sampling

A

Because of their theoretical/ methodological perspective

35
Q

Sampling techniques- non-representative sampling

What do Interpretivists engage in

A

A micro level of of analysis as they are more concerned with gaining a valid understanding of behaviour than to discover general laws of behaviour. Therefore they use representative data

36
Q

Sampling techniques- non-representative sampling

What are the practical reasons why it may nor be possible to create a representative sample (3)

A
  • the social characterises of the research population may not be known and therefore it would be impossible to create a sample that was an exist cross-section of it
  • it may be impossible to find or create a sampling frame for that particular research population
  • potential respondents may refuse to participate
37
Q

Sampling techniques- non-representative sampling

Where it is not possible to obtain a representative sample, what 2 samples do sociologists use

A
  • snowball sampling

- opportunity sampling

38
Q

Sampling techniques- non-representative sampling

What is snowball sampling

A

It involves collecting a sample by contacting a key number of individuals who are asked to suggest others to particulate in the research, thus adding to the sample ‘snowball fashion’. It gives you access to people who you may not have access to

39
Q

Sampling techniques- non-representative sampling

What is good about snowball sampling

A

Although not representative, it gives you access to people who are difficult to find and contact

40
Q

Sampling techniques- non-representative sampling

What is opportunity sampling

A

It involves choosing from the those individuals who are easiest to access or a captive audience. However, the sample is unlikely to be representative

41
Q

what is the advantage of using primary data

A

that sociologists will be able to gather precisely the information they need to test their hypothesis

42
Q

what is the disadvantage of using primary data

A

it is time-consuming and expensive

43
Q

what is secondary data

-give an example

A

it refers to data that already exists

-includes data from historic records, statistics government reports, newspapers

44
Q

what is the advantage of using secondary data

A

it is a quick and cheap way of doing research

45
Q

what is the disadvantage of using secondary research

A

it may not be useful for the sociologist

46
Q

what is quaNtitative

A
  • numerical data which can be subject to statistical analysis
  • e.g. league tables
47
Q

what can quaNtitative data be useful for

-give a example

A

measuring (quantifying) the strength of relationships between different factors/variables.
-it can be shown as statistics and displayed in pictorial form such as graph

48
Q

what is quaLitative data

-give examples

A

non-numerical data

-descriptive data, documents, newspapers

49
Q

what does qualitative data provide

A

a richer more in-depth picture of social life than the statistics provided by quantitative data. It gives a ‘feel’ for what something is like

50
Q

what does VALIDITY mean

A

data is valid if it presents a true, genuine and accurate picture, description or measurement which enables the researcher to get close to the truth

51
Q

what does RELIABILITY mean

A

data is reliable when different researches using the same methods obtain the same results- it is replicated (a replica)

52
Q

some data can be reliable but not …

A

valid

53
Q

factors influencing choice of research method

what are the PET factors

A
  • practical issues
  • ethical issues
  • theoretical issues
54
Q

factors influencing choice of research method

what are the 4 practical issues

A
  • time and money
  • funding body
  • personal skills and social status
  • research opportunity
55
Q

factors influencing choice of research method

what are the 4 ethical issues

A
  • informed consent
  • confidentiality and privacy
  • protection
  • vulnerable groups
56
Q

what are the factors influencing choice of research methods known as and what do they stand for

A

PET factors

  • practical
  • ethical
  • theoretical
57
Q

Factors influencing choice of research method

What are the 4 practical issues

A
  • time and money
  • funding body
  • personal skills and social status
  • research opportunity
58
Q

Practical issues

How does time and money affect choice of research method

A

Methods that are more time consuming such as interviews tend to usually be more expensive

59
Q

Practical issues

How does funding body influence choice of research method

A

Whoever is funding the research may be in a position to dictate how they want the research to be conducted, what form results should be in and the duration of the research

60
Q

Practical issues

How does personal skills and social class influence choice of research method

A

The sociologist’s own personality and character as well as their own status may impact on their ability to use different methods
-e.g. a more confident person may use interviews and a shy person may use questionnaires

61
Q

Practical issues

How does research opportunity influence choice of research method

A

Sometimes research opportunities turn up unexpectedly whereas in others it is planned well in advance- usually a well planned research opportunity involved observation and interviews

62
Q

Ethical issues

Explain informed concept

A

Research participants should be given the opportunity to agree or refuse to participate in research. The decision should be ‘informed’ so some information of the study should be offered so that they can make a fully informed decision and should not be deceived

63
Q

Ethical issues

Explain confidentiality and privacy

A

Researches should respect the privacy of the participation and the identity and personal information id the participants should be kept confidential

64
Q

what is secondary data

-give an example

A

data that already exists

-includes data from historic records, official statistics, gov reports

65
Q

what is good about secondary research

A

it is quick and cheap

66
Q

what is a disadvantage of secondary data

A

it may be produced for different reasons and it may not suit the needs of the researcher

67
Q

what is quaNtitative data

A
  • numerical data

- statistics

68
Q

what is qualitative data

A

non-numerical data

-descriptive data such as documents, reports, quotes from interviews

69
Q

what is quantitative data useful for

A

measuring (quantifying) the strength of relationships between different factors/variables
-it can be shown as statistics and displayed in pictorial form such as graphs

70
Q

what can qualitative data provide

A

a richer more in depth picture of social life than the statistics provided by quantitative data

71
Q

what does validity mean

A

data is valid if it presents a true, genuine, and accurate picture, description or measurement which enables the researcher to get close to the truth

72
Q

would does reliability mean

A

data is reliable when different researchers using the same methods obtain the same results- it is replicated

73
Q

some data is reliable but not …

A

valid

sociology A-level year 12 (20 decks)

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