choice of method and research process Flashcards
positivism perspective, aim, methods, results
- argue there is a measurable, objective social reality that exists ‘out there’, just like the physical world, and see out behaviour as a result of social forces shaping what we do,
- aim of research is to discover the underlying causes of our behaviour, and discover trends and patterns.
- use standardised methods of research e.g. questionnaires, structured interviews, structured observation and official statistics, to enable them to obtain reliable and representative quantitative data
- data used to identify general patterns and trends in behaviour, helping them to produce cause-and-effect explanations, like those in natural sciences
interpretivism perspective, aim, methods and results
- claim there is no objective social reality, just the subjective meaning that social actors give to events
- aim of research is to uncover actors’ meanings or worldview, finding insights
- use open-ended research methods e.g. unstructured interviews, participant observation and personal documents to produce valid qualitative data
- enable sociologists to gain understanding by experiencing the groups’ lifestyles for themselves, or by allowing individuals to explain their worldview in their own worlds, without the sociologist imposing their own views on the research subjects
what three concepts are used to judge the usefulness of a research method
- reliability
- validity
- representativeness
what is reliability?
- research that is replicable (easily repeatable to obtain the same results, regardless of who carries out the research
- use of standardised forms of measurement, which create data that can be used to systematically re-rest hypotheses about social behaviour
- favoured by positivists (use structed research methods e.g. experiments, questionnaires and structured interviews)
- methods that are unreliable: participant observation and unstructured interviews
what is representativeness?
- characteristics of the sample being the same as those of the population, so the researcher can be confident that what is true for the sample is also true for the larger group
- allows researcher to make generalisations on basis of the evidence from the sample
- positivists emphasise the importance of this, as they wish to discover general patterns and make general cause-and-effect statements about social behaviour
what is validity?
- refers to how authentic and true the data is, as they try to get close to the reality of a social situation
- interpretivists emphasise importance of this, to find the true meanings that people hold
which practical factors affect choice of method?
- time
- research characteristics
- access
- money
- personal skills
how does time affect choice of method
a small-scale project involving a lone researcher using a time-consuming method can take several years to complete, whilst questionnaires seem to be quick.
how do research characteristics affect choice of method
opportunities to carry out research can occur unexpectedly, and it may not be possible to use structured methods e.g. Glasgow gang leader offered Patrick the chance to spend time with the gang out of the blue, and he was forced to use participant observation
how does access affect choice of method
it may be harder to study a particular group/ subject by one method than another e.g. written questionnaires are useless for those who cannot read or write
how does money affect choice of method
research institutions/ businesses/ other organisations that provide funding for research may require results in a particular form (need to use a method capable of producing quantitative/ qualitative data)
how do personal skills affect choice of method
each sociologist possesses different personal skills, affecting their ability to use different methods e.g. participant observation requires ability to mix well with others and observe, depth interviews call for an ability to establish a rapport with interviewee
which ethical factors affect choice of method
- deception
- right to withdraw
- informed consent
- protection from harm
- sensitivity
how does deception affect choice of method
in covert research, the researcher’s identity and research purpose are hidden from the population. however, it is impossible to gain informed consent, but could be justified in certain circumstances e.g. access to secretive, dangerous groups
how does right to withdraw affect choice of method
researchers keep the identity of research participants secret to prevent possible negative effects to them. they must be able to respect participants’ privacy and keep personal information confidential
how does informed consent affect choice of method
research participants should be offered the right to refuse to be involved after the researcher tells them about relevant aspects of the research, so they make an informed decision. consent has to be obtained before research starts
how does protection from harm affect choice of method
researchers must be aware of the possible effect of their work on who they study. wherever possible they should anticipate and prevent harm
how does sensitivity affect choice of method
special care should be taken when research participants are particularly vulnerable e.g. studies in school must obtain informed consent from parent and child by child protection laws
what factors may affect choice of topic
- practical factors: some topics are not easily studied
- funding bodies: will only fund studies of topics they consider important
- society’s values: changing interest in topics and issues
- sociologist’s theoretical perspective: affect the particular topic they are interested in e.g. feminists and gender studies
- chance: finding themselves in a potential research situation e.g. hospitalisation giving chance to study hospitals
research process involves?
- aim
- hypothesis
- operationalising concepts
- pilot study
what is an aim?
a statement that identifies what a sociologist intends to study e.g. collection of data on a particular topic
preferred by interpretivists
what is a hypothesis?
specific aim- a possible explanation that can be tested by collecting evidence to prove it true or false
preferred by positivists
what is the operationalising of concepts?
defining sociological concepts or ideas in a way that can be measured
what is a pilot study?
producing a draft of research ready for a trial run of the study. aims to iron out any problems, refine or clarify questions and wording, give interviewers practice etc.
