Key Concepts Flashcards
(9 cards)
Define validity
➞ means how truthful something is, a result is valid if it achieves what it is supposed to achieve
➞ validity determines the success of a study and reflects the reality of the group being studied
➞ data that is rich in validity tends to be qualitative
➞ it provides the research verstehen - a deep, true understanding of the research object
➞ research methods that generate this type of data are: semi-structured interviews, participant observation etc.
➞ favoured by interpretivists who like to understand meanings behind actions
Define reliability
➞ refers to whether the same results would be produced if the research were to be repeated by the same or other researchers
➞ samples need to representative to be reliable
➞ Reliability can refer to both the data collected and the research tool
➞ research methods - questionnaires, structured interviews, surveys, official statistics
➞ Quantitative data is more likely to be reliable
➞ reliability can be affected by bias - are all the questions asked the same way?
➞ Favoured by positivists as they believe stats are social facts
Define representativeness
➞ research is representative if the research reflects the characteristics of the wider TARGET population
➞ a representative sample is a sample of a population that accurately reflects the characteristics of a larger population
➞ favoured by positivists who believe stats are social facts
➞ if sample representative, generalisations can be made
➞ linked to quantitative research
Define objectivity
➞ to be objective, a researcher must not allow their values, bias or views to impact on their research
➞ for research to be reliable and scientific, objectivity is essential
➞ Weber argued that sociologists should remain objective in their research; postmodernists argue that objectivity is impossible at all stages of research
➞ quantitate research
➞ favoured by positivists who believe stats are social facts
Define generalisability
➞ Generalisability is about the findings from a study can be applied to other settings, populations, or times beyond the specific sample studied
➞ quantitative research
➞ if data is not representative it cannot be generalised
➞ favoured by positivists who believe stats are social facts
Define ethics
➞ moral guidelines concerned with the right and wrong ways of behaving in research
➞ BSA - researcher should aim to safeguard the interests of people being studied, decide whether the research is worthwhile and methods
➞ Participants - right to anonymity; don’t know the participants and cannot link any participant to their data
privacy
and confidentiality; you know who the participants are but remove all information from your study
➞ Participants should not be harmed physically or emotionally
➞ Ask for informed consent e.g approval, risks
➞ Researchers should not place themselves in danger, condone illegal activities or be dishonest to those they are researching
Define quantitative data
➞ numerical or statistical data, used to measure and analyse patterns in research
➞ research methods: questionnaires, structured interviews, surveys
➞ presented in the form of graphs, tables, charts, statistics etc.
➞ data that can reveal trends and reliability and make comparisons
➞ favoured by positivists who believe stats are social facts
Define qualitative
➞ is descriptive and expressed in words, often used to understand the meaning behind something
➞ research methods: semi-structured interviews, in-depth interviews, participant observation, personal diaries, letters
➞ reflects the reality of the person/group being studied + may include quotations from those studied
➞ can provide an insight into what a groups thoughts + feelings, more likely to be valid
➞ favoured by interpretivists who like to understand meanings behind actions
Define sampling
➞ a sample is a small group selected from the larger survey population
➞ sampling is the process of selecting a sample
➞ the aim of sampling is to select a sample that is representative of the target population, therefore generalisable
➞ examples: random, stratified, systematic
➞ sampling frame is the population from which we select our sample
2 reasons:
Practicality + cheap
➞ Conducting research on an entire population can be time-consuming + impractical, especially if the population is large or difficult to access
➞ allows researchers to collect data from a smaller, manageable subset of the population, which can lead to quicker results + significant cost savings while still providing insights that are generalizable to the broader population.
Increased Precision + focus:
➞ researchers can concentrate their efforts on obtaining high-quality data from a specific group
➞ This focus can lead to more detailed + accurate insights about that group, enabling researchers to identify patterns, trends, and relationships that might be missed in a larger, less controlled study. Additionally, increase the reliability of the findings.
