Chapter 3 Flashcards
(42 cards)
Research methodology
is the system of methods a
researcher uses to gather data on a particular
research question
• Research methodology is a contested field in
sociology
• There is no single best way to do sociological
research->researchers often combine several
research methods in their work
scientific method
– Observation
– Identify a research question
– Conduct background research
– Formulate a hypothesis
– Select a research design
– Gather data
– Analyze data
– Revise hypothesis or present results
- MAKE AN
OBSERVATION
We notice that patrons of a coffee shop sit for long periods with their
laptops.
- IDENTIFY A
RESEARCH QUESTIO
We articulate the main question we are trying to answer. It could be What
percentage of patrons use laptops at the coffee shop? or What is the main
reason people use laptops at the coffee shop?
- CONDUCT
BACKGROUND
RESEARCH
We need to see if anyone has already investigated this situation. If so,
their findings might help us refine our research question, or we might see
if our own experiment replicates their findings. If our experiment records
something different, we should attempt to explain it in terms of possible
social
- FORMULATE A
HYPOTHESIS
Here we come up with a prediction that we wish to test. It is a tentative
answer to our research question. It could be Twenty-five per cent of
patrons at our coffee shop use laptops or Length of time spent in the
coffee shop correlates with the seriousness of their laptop activity.
- SELECT A RESEARCH
DESIGN
How will we test our hypothesis? We could sit in the coffee shop
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and count how many people use their laptops
and for how long. We could ask some of the people with laptops
what they’re doing, or we could try peeking at their screens to
avoid having to ask them, but this would be performing research
without their consent, which is unethical (as we will see later in the
chapter).
- GATHER DATA
We have selected a research design to test our hypothesis, and now
we can carry out our research.
- ANALYZE DATA
After we have completed our experiment, we summarize the results
to see if they confirm the prediction we made with our hypothesis.
Were we right? Were we close? Were we way off base?
8a. REVISE
HYPOTHESIS
If our results do not confirm the prediction we made, we need to go
back to step 4 and revise our hypothesis, performing more research
until we get results that align with what we predicted.
OR 8b. PRESENT
RESULTS
Once we have results that confirm our hypothesis, we can write them up and share them with other sociologists who may find our research useful.
French philosopher Auguste Comte (1798–1857) coined the term
sociology and Comte’s sociology was rooted in
Positivism
Positivism
is the belief that the social sciences could be studied using the
methods natural sciences (i.e. experiment, measurement, and systematic
observation)
• Positivism assumes that researchers are objective
Insider versus Outsider Perspectives
• Comte viewed the outsider as the “expert” who occupies a privileged
position over the insider “subjects of study”
• The outside expert ideal would be an example of policy sociology
Smith’s Standpoint theory
states that the social location of sociologists impacts the questions they ask and the answers
they receive
• The insider voice of the subject being studied provides information that
comes from their subjective experience
• The objective outsider expert uses their privilege to decide over the
authenticity of the insider perspective, this is where vital information
gets lost
Critical sociologists like Dorothy Smith and Michel
Foucault challenged the notion of the objective outsider and stressed the
unique role of
The insider perspective
Qualitative research
is the close examination of
characteristics that cannot be counted or measured
(microsociologists approach)
– i.e ethnography
Quantitative research
focuses on social elements
that can be counted or
measured, which can
therefore be used to
generate statistics
(macrosociologists
approach)
– i.e surveys, polls,
questionnaires
Many researchers today
embrace
triangulation,
or a mixed-methods
approach
Qualitative methods includes
– Ethnography
– Institutional ethnography
– Case study approach
– Narratives
– Content analysis
– Discourse analysis
-Genealogy
Ethnography
• Ethnography seeks to uncover the symbols and categories members of
the given culture use to interpret their world
– Participant observation: observing people and actively participating in their
activities to obtain an insider’s perspective
– Semi-structured interviews: informal, face-to-face interviews
– Informants: are insiders who help the researcher in becoming accepted by the
community and assist with the interpretation of information and behaviour
Institutional Ethnography
• Institutional ethnography, developed by Dorothy Smith, recognizes that every
institution has two sides, each associated with a different kind of data:
1. Ruling interests are the interests of the organization, particularly its
administration, and/or the interests of those who hold power in society.
Written rules and practices (texts) provide the data
• Ruling relations are activated when workers follow rules and practices (i.e. they serve the
needs of organization)
- Experiential data come from informants: anyone who works for the
organization, outside of management
• Case studies
is a research design that takes as its subject a single case or
a few selected examples of a social entity such as:
• communities
• families
• roles
• relationships
– The case study approach is often used to identify and describe best practice
strategies with a proven history of achieving desired results
Narratives
are the stories people tell about themselves, their situations,
and others around them
– Voice is the expression of a unique viewpoint from a particular social location
(influenced by gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, class, etc.)
– Narratives can give voice to people who do not usually get to speak directly in
research
– Purest form of the insider view
