Component 2: Research Methods key terms

Question 1

Access

Answer 1

How the researcher can reach/communicate with their target population

Question 2

Anonymity/privacy

Answer 2

The identity of participants should be kept secret by the researcher in Order to protect them from negative effects

Question 3

Confidentiality

Answer 3

Information that can be linked to individuals should be avoided

Question 4

Covert observation

Answer 4

When a participant/s are not aware that they are being observed

Question 5

Deception

Answer 5

This occurs when participants are misled about some/all aspects of the study

Question 6

Ethical issues

Answer 6

Moral concerns about the benefits are potential harm of research to the people being researched, to researchers themselves and to society I.e. deceiving people, harming people

Question 7

Ethnography

Answer 7

The study of the way of life of a group of people

Question 8

Focus groups

Answer 8

A group of people will be encouraged to discuss and issue, whilst the researcher acts as a facilitator/moderator

Question 9

Gatekeeper

Answer 9

A person/group who can control access to the target populations. They can help a researcher to access ‘hard to reach’ groups

Question 10

Generalisability

Answer 10

The extent to which the results from a study can be applied to the whole
Population from which the sample were

Question 11

Going native

Answer 11

A researcher spends so long with a group that they become sympathetic to their way of life and omit (leave out) any negative analysis

Question 12

Informed consents

Answer 12

Participants should be given all the information about the study and have the right to choose to be a part of it before it begins

Question 13

Longitudinal studies

Answer 13

An observational research

Ethos in which data is gathered for the same subjects repeatedly over a period of time

Question 14

Methodological pluralism

Answer 14

Term that is used when theoretical approaches are combined. An approach based on the principle of choosing the most suitable methods for the nature of the problem being researched

Question 15

Non-participant observation

Answer 15

The researcher studies the life of the person (or group) by observing but not sharing in its activities

Question 16

Objectivity

Answer 16

Research is carried out in such a way that it is not impacted on by the researchers own attitudes/opinions

Question 17

Overt observation

Answer 17

When a participant/s knows they are being observed, and the purpose of the observation

Question 18

Participant observation

Answer 18

The observes studies the life of the person (or group) by sharing in its activities

Question 19

Practical issues

Answer 19

Influences that have an actual or physical impact on the ability to carry out a piece of research I.e. how much time they take

Question 20

Primary research

Answer 20

Information collected by sociologists themselves for their own purpose

Question 21

Protection from harm

Answer 21

Researchers need to be aware of the physical, mental and emotional effects of their research on participants and themselves

Question 22

Qualitative data

Answer 22

Information in the form of words rather than numbers

Question 23

Quantitative data

Answer 23

Information in numerical form

Question 24

Questionnaires

Answer 24

A questionnaire is a list of questions that participants read and answer themselves and is therefore known as self-respondent. It can be on paper or online

Question 25

Rapport

Answer 25

People understand each other’s thoughts and feelings and are able to communicate well

Question 26

Realism

Answer 26

The most appropriate methods are used to research the topic/issue, rather than following a strict positivist or interpretivist approach

Question 27

Reliability

Answer 27

If the research was repeated in the exact same way on another occasion or by a different researcher, the findings would be consistent

Question 28

Representativeness

Answer 28

The extent to which the participants in a study are a true reflection of the population they are taken from, for example, in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, etc

Question 29

Sampling frame

Answer 29

A list of everyone in the target population

Question 30

Secondary research

Answer 30

Information that has been collected or created by someone else but used by sociologists

Question 31

Self respondent

Answer 31

Participants answer the questions themselves rather than the researcher recording them

Question 32

Semi-structured interview

Answer 32

The interviewer has a list of questions or key point to be covered and works through them in a methodological manner. Similar questions are asked of each interviewee, although supplements questions can be asked as appropriate

Question 33

What does sensitivity mean?

Answer 33

Researchers need to be aware of topics that may be personal and emotionally distressing for their participants and ensure they do not put them under pressure

Question 34

Social desirability

Answer 34

When a participant gives a response or behaves in a way that they think will be more acceptable to the researcher

Question 35

Social profile of researcher

Answer 35

Any aspects of the researcher that would impact on the study I.e. sex, age, ethnicity

Question 36

Operationalisation

Answer 36

Clearly defining a term to make it measurable

Question 37

Standardisation

Answer 37

The process in which procedures used in research are kept the same for example asking all participants the same question

Question 38

Structured interview

Answer 38

The interviewer asks the interviewee a series of specific questions, to which a fixed range of answers are possible. This is the typical form of interview used in social survey research, and can provide quantitative data, as in questionnaire

Question 39

Target population

Answer 39

The group of people that the researcher is interested in studying e.g. students, criminal gangs

Question 40

Theoretical issues

Answer 40

Concerns relating to the theoretical perspective the sociologist has, i.e. whether they want to collect qualitative or quantitative data, whether it is important to collect a lot of data or detail data

Question 41

Triangulation

Answer 41

The use of multiple or mixed methods to cross check and verify the reliability of a particular research method and the validity of the data

Question 42

Unstructured interview

Answer 42

The interviewer uses at most an 'aide memoir' - notes to jog the memory - rather than a list of questions. The interview may be like a conversation, with the interviewer responding to the interviewee and letting them speak freely

Question 43

Validity

Answer 43

How true to life the data is

Question 44

Value freedom

Answer 44

Not making judgements about what you see, remaining objective

Question 45

Verstehen

Answer 45

To see the social world through the eyes of those being studied

Question 46

Researcher bias

Answer 46

If a researcher allows their attitudes to impact on the research, they are less likely to collect data that is true to life

Question 47

Mixed methods

Answer 47

Contemporary researchers will often use a combination of the two approaches if it will be appropriate for their study.