Practical, ethical and theoretical issues Flashcards
What are the two methods to obtain data?
Primary and secondary data
What is primary data?
Information collected by the sociologists themselves.
What us secondary data?
Information collected by someone else for their own purposes but which the sociologist can then use.
What are advantages of primary data?
- You can gather precisely the information you want.
- It will be current
What are the disadvantages of primary data?
- Can be costly and time consuming
What are the advantages of secondary data?
- It is quick and a cheap way of collecting data
What are the disadvantages of secondary data?
- May be outdated.
- May not provide exactly the information you require
What are the two different kinds of data sociologists use in their research?
Quantitative and Qualitative
What is Quantitative data?
Information in a numerical form which can be measured accurately and is factual.
What is qualitative data?
In depth, detailed information which is descriptive and can be observed.
What are the advantages of quantitative data?
- Easy to analyse
- Data is usually collected faster
What are the disadvantages of quantitative data?
- Lacks depth
What are the advantages of qualitative data?
- You can probe deeply into an issue and have more in depth knowledge.
What are the disadvantages of qualitative data?
- It can be very time consuming and difficult to analyse.
What are the Practical issues?
T.R.A.M.P.S
Time
Research
Access
Money
Personality/skills
Sampling
What are the ethical issues?
D.R.I.P
Deception
Right to
Informed consent
Protection form harm
What are the theoretical issues?
P.I.Q.Q
Positivist
Interpretivism
Quantitive
Qualitative
Give three examples of primary quantitative sources.
Questionnaires
Structured interviews
Field/lab experiments
Give three examples of secondary quantitative sources.
Opinion polls
Divorce statistics
Official statistics
What is the positivism perspective?
Use scientific studies (quantitative data) and believe the world cane be objectively studied.
What is the interpretivism perspective?
Seek to interpret the meanings that direct human action and use qualitative data.
