Primary and Secondary collection methods

Question 1

What is a questionnaire

Answer 1

List of questions either on paper or increasingly online. Primary quantitative method the respondent reads the question and answers them on their own no need for researcher present

Question 2

why would a researcher use questionnaires to collect data

Answer 2

can ask large number of people relatively quick and cheap and because all respondents answers the same questions makes the method more reliable

Question 3

advantages of questionnaires (8)

Answer 3

• very short questions allow answers to be quantified allowing trends and patterns to be discovered
• relatively cheap and easy method
• answers to closed questions easily quantified
• because researcher doesn’t have to be present large sample can be researched in short time
• because questions standardized reliability not affected by different people administering questionnaire
• usually anonymous so more honest
• due to internet researcher no longer restricted to geographical area
• revisiting new sample allow for identification of change over time

Question 4

disadvantages of questionnaires (7)

Answer 4

• respondents may not understand question
• don’t allow explanation of answer
• what researcher decides is important may not be important to respondent
• postal questionnaires have poor response rate affecting quality of sample and ability to generalize
• cant be sure if everyone interprets question the same way e.g. one person satisfactory may be someone’s poor
• difficult to create a good questionnaire often need to use pilot study
• respondents may not tell the truth especially on sensitive topics

Question 5

what is an interview

Answer 5

an interview can be unstructed structured or semi structured therefore it can be either quantitative or qualitative but is a primary method of collecting data where the researcher asks questions to the respondent

Question 6

why would a researcher use an interview

Answer 6

flexible as there are different kinds of interviews which can mix qualitative and quantitative data to be collected

Question 7

advantages of structured interview (4)

Answer 7

• if the respondent is unsure of anything researcher can clarify
• standardized approach makes it more reliable
• quicker than other interview methods
• presence of interviewer helps respondent rates

Question 8

disadvantages of structured interview (3)

Answer 8

• more time consuming than questionnaire
• presence of interviewer may lead to interviewer bias where respondent gives socially accepted answer over truth
• rigid interview structure limits opportunity for respondent to explain or discuss answers

Question 9

advantages of unstructured interview (5)

Answer 9

• absence of tightly defined schedule allow discussion to develop allowing issues to be explored in great detail
• more natural setting encourages more openness and honesty making more valid data
• respondent able to answer in own words
• interviewer may be able to spot if respondent is lying due to body language
• respondent can elaborate on feelings and views

Question 10

disadvantages of unstructured interview (6)

Answer 10

• very time consuming so smaller samples used
• interviewer has to be very skilled
• analyzing data is more complicated and subjective
• data less reliable as each interview different
• interviewer bias as respondent may want to please interviewer with the answer they think is the correct socially accepted answer
• way ethnicity, age or sex of respondent and interviewer can affect the relationship and thus answers given

Question 11

advantages of semi structured interview (4)

Answer 11

• avoid disadvantages associated with other two methods
• gives opportunity for interviewer and respondent to discuss topics in detail, qualitative data can be collected
• researcher able to prompt respondent to give fuller answers
• interviewer can follow up on issues mentioned by respondent so not confined to what researcher thought in advance was important

Question 12

disadvantages of semi structured interview (4)

Answer 12

• don’t have all the advantages of other two methods
• interviews not standardized affecting reliability
• interviewer bias may be a problem
• can be expensive and time consuming

Question 13

what is a focus group

Answer 13

• used in field of consumer research
• group of people encouraged to discuss a topic
• researcher acts as moderator keeping on topic and encouraging everyone to participate
• usually recorded to avoid distraction of note taking

Question 14

what are the advantages of focus groups

Answer 14

• views and opinions of group members can be explored in detail
• can be more informative and revealing
• useful when it is a group and their views are what’s being studied
• quicker and cheaper than regular interviews as multiple respondents than interview
• can introduce topics that researcher may not have thought of

Question 15

what are the disadvantages of focus groups

Answer 15

• moderator needs to be very skilled to keep topic on point and stop it being dominated by individuals
• some participants may feel unable to share views in group setting
• unlikely to be representative
• as each group unique unlikely to be reliable
• a dominant group member could damage validity
• as with other qualitative methods can be difficult to analysis

Question 16

what is observation

Answer 16

researcher watches participants in natural setting to see how the behave in regular situation

Question 17

advantages of covert participant observation

Answer 17

• enables research on otherwise difficult to research groups collecting detailed qualitative data about those who may not cooperate normally
• valid if group acts normally
• often involves sitting back and seeing how things develop which can be very effective
• records what actually happens rather than hoping for honesty

Question 18

disadvantages of covert participant observation

Answer 18

• researcher has to rely on memory for events and can therefore subconsciously decide what is important and potentially miss out details
• has to use gatekeeper most of the time who therefore knows about the research and may act differently
• researcher needs to be careful not to draw attention or interfere with normal behavior
• ethical issues around consent and deception and for researcher if something illegal occurs
• researcher may not be safe during study
• danger of ‘going native’ losing objectivity and identifying with group being studied

Question 19

advantages of overt participant observation

Answer 19

• ethical issues resolved
• researcher can openly ask questions
• note taking easier data more accurate

Question 20

disadvantages of overt participant observation

Answer 20

• Hawthorne effect likely due to awareness of participants
• question about how far researcher should be involved especially for deviant activities

Question 21

advantages of overt non participant observation

Answer 21

• easier to keep record of events
• ethical issues resolved
• can openly ask questions
• can collect quantitative and qualitative data
• not likely to be involved in illegal activities

Question 22

what are official statistics

Answer 22

• secondary quantitative method
• most widely used secondary method
• data collected by government organizations e.g. ONS or from other sociological research data

Question 23

what are the strengths of official statistics

Answer 23

• Availability: government and other public bodies collect and publish vast amounts of freely available data e.g. Census
• easy to identify trends and patterns being collected for many years such as the census shows family change
• ability to make international comparisons such as Durkheim’s study on suicide started using official statistics across Europe

Question 24

what are the weaknesses of official statistics

Answer 24

• categories used in prior research may not be what sociologists are interested in
• way stats are collected dover time and definitions used change makes it difficult to compare contemporary statistics with ones from the past
• those responsible for collecting data may not do so in a uniform way e.g. what a school considers unauthorized absence changes from school to school
• doesn’t explain why something happened only the result

Question 25

what are personal documents used for in sociological research

Answer 25

- secondary qualitative method - documents like diaries or letters to gain insight into day to day life - often used when participant drops out of longitudinal studies due to illness, death or another reason

Question 26

what are the strengths of using personal documents

Answer 26

- availability of the material especially if its several years ago - difficult for older people to remember feelings from 40-50 years ago so letters and diaries more valid

Question 27

what are the weaknesses of using personal documents

Answer 27

- not representative as not everyone writes letters or diaries - content and explanations in letters change depending on audience e.g. compare language between talking to parents and talking to friends