Primary Research Methods

Question 1

What are primary sources of data?

Answer 1

Was not present before the research began. It produced by the researcher first hand.

Question 2

What are adv’s and disadv’s of primary data?

Answer 2

Adv: Gather precise information they need for their hypothesis.
Disadv: Can be time-consuming and expensive.

Question 3

What are secondary sources of data?

Answer 3

Already exists. Includes data from historical records, official stats., government reports, newspapers, diaries, autobiographies etc.

Question 4

What are adv’s and disadv’s of secondary data?

Answer 4

Adv: Cheap and easy.
Disadv: May have been produced for different reasons so may be hard to link directly to hypothesis.

Question 5

What is qualitative data?

Answer 5

Not in numerical form, such as descriptive data, quotes from interviews, written sources etc.
Can provide an in-depth and richer picture of social life than statistics.

Question 6

What is quantitative data?

Answer 6

Numerical form, can be subject to statistical analysis, such as official statistics, league tables, proportions. Can measure the strength of relationship between different factors.

Question 7

What are PET factors?

Answer 7

Practical, Ethical and Theoretical factors influencing which RM is used.

Question 8

What are the the 4 practical factors that could influence RM?

Answer 8

Time and money
Funding body
Personal skills and social status
Research opportunity

Question 9

How could time and money affect RM?

Answer 9

They may have a certain time frame to complete research in so may choose a quick RM like a questionnaire rather than interviews.
Some RM are cheaper than others so they may have a budget or just not a budget at all, emailing questionnaires are cheaper than funding interviews to take place.

Question 10

How could funding body affect RM?

Answer 10

The funding body for the research have the control to dictate what method the researcher uses. So they may not really get a choice.

Question 11

How could personal skills and social status affect RM?

Answer 11

This depends of personal life of the researcher, things like personality: introvert or extrovert. Also protected characteristics: ethnicity, age, gender, sexuality.

Question 12

How could research opportunity affect RM?

Answer 12

Some research opportunities are spontaneous rather than planned and they may get a chance to do a certain research method unplanned.

Question 13

What are the the 4 ethical factors that could influence RM?

Answer 13

Informed consent
Confidentiality and privacy
Protection
Vulnerable groups

Question 14

Informed consent

Answer 14

Research participants should be given the opportunity to agree or refuse the research. Decision should be ‘informed’ so the participants know what they are agreeing too.

Question 15

Confidentiality and privacy

Answer 15

Researchers should respect the privacy of the participants and all information should be confidential.

Question 16

Protection

Answer 16

Researchers should aware of possible situations they may need to encounter when researching, and should try to anticipate and prevent any harmful consequences.

Question 17

Vulnerable groups

Answer 17

Special care should be taken when researching groups and consider groups because of age, physical or mental health etc.

Question 18

What are positivists and what do they believe?

Answer 18

They see sociology as a science
Top-down approach (society influences behaviours)
Prefer objective, quantitative data
Adopt macro levels of analysis

Question 19

What are interpretivists and what do they believe?

Answer 19

Bottom-up approach (we impact society)
Seek to understand the why? of behaviours
Prefer subjective, qualitative data
Adopt micro level of analysis.

Question 20

What are the2 types of experiments?

Answer 20

Lab
Field

Question 21

Explain what a lab experiment is

Answer 21

A scientific method to develop an objective conclusion to a hypothesis. It can create a cause-and-effect relationship: the independent variable (causal factor) the dependent variable (depends on the causal factor).

Question 22

What is the hawthorn effect?

Answer 22

This is when participants are aware of what experiment is happening and then therefore change their behaviours due to this: either to fit what the sociologists are looking for or to against what they are studying.

Question 23

what are advantages and disadvantages of lab experiments?

Answer 23

Adv:
Objective-factual
Reliable so other sociologists can use it or can be used to find other results.
Disadv:
Hawthorn effect could lower validity of the results.
Society is impossible to control
Small scale, they cant be generalised.

Question 24

What are field experiments?

Answer 24

They take place in the participant’s natural surroundings, this can enhance validity as they may feel more comfortable. It also allows both overt and covert experiments to occur.

Question 25

What are advantages and disadvantages of field experiments?

Answer 25

Adv: In natural environment so can make the participant(s) feel more comfortable and forthcoming to be truthful - validity. Disadv: Could

Question 26

What is meant by the comparative method?

Answer 26

It is carried out in the mind of the sociologist. No experimenting on real people at all. It is designed to discover cause-and-effect relationships.

Question 27

What are the advantages of questionnaires?

Answer 27

> Practical- quick and cheap to conduct, gathering large amounts of data. > Easy to quantify - preferred by positivists. > Reliable - They can be standardised so the same questionnaires can be used over and over again for different contexts or scenarios. > Very objective - (positivists) > Quite an optional things so people aren't under obligation to answer personal questions.

Question 28

What are the disadvantages of questionnaires?

Answer 28

> Practical - data can be limited and superficial, tend to be brief answers. > Cannot be guaranteed participation if it is postal or online. - low response rate. > They are inflexible as new areas wanting to be researched cannot be explored as they cant follow up on answer answers given. > Detached - can be invalid or doesn't give correct picture as people could lie, adapt answers and the researcher isn't getting to know them on a personal level.

Question 29

What are advantages and disadvantages of postal questionnaires?

Answer 29

Advs: > Super objective - no researcher bias involved. > Macro level of analysis - can be geographical research (positivists) > Comparisons can be made because they are standardised. Disadvs: > Response rate is not guaranteed > Very easy for participants to lie so lacks validity > Unreliable some people could not receive the questionnaire if it gets lost.

Question 30

What are the different types of interviews?

Answer 30

Structured Unstructured Semi-structured Group

Question 31

Define structured interviews

Answer 31

They are a verbal questionnaire. The researcher is given set standardised instructions on how to ask questions in precise objective ways.

Question 32

Define unstructured interviews

Answer 32

They are more guided then strict, conversation where the interviewer has freedom to vary to questions, their wording etc. They are able to follow up on answers given with other questions to probe in greater depth.

Question 33

Define semi-structured interviews

Answer 33

Each interview has the same set of questions in common but the interviewer can also probe for more detailed information. (lies between the two other types of interviews)

Question 34

Define group interviews

Answer 34

No longer a one-to-one interview. Now in a group setting with multiple interviewees. Up to 12-15 people in one interview is the norm.

Question 35

What are advantages and disadvantages of structured interviews?

Answer 35

Advs: > Large scale > Quantified method > High response rate - representative. Disadvs: > More expensive > Closed questions could reduce validity > Don't allow equal and collaborative relationship.

Question 36

What are advantages and disadvantages of unstructured interviews?

Answer 36

Advs: > Allows rapport - subjective > provide freedom and scope for greater depth of information > Qualified data - interpretivists Disadvs: > Not objective - researcher bias is possible > Can't be quantified so can't be generalised

Question 37

What are advantages and disadvantages of group interviews?

Answer 37

Advs: > Multiple answers at the same time - can be quicker to achieve large sample. > More comfortable around people they may know e.g students > Could eliminate interviewer bias as they may have more confidence to go against the researchers opinions. Disadvs: > May feel pressured to answer the same as other people (seeking approval) > Hard to pick up individual views, harder to manage in general.

Question 38

What are the two types of observational methods?

Answer 38

> Non-Participant: The researcher observes the group without taking part in their behaviours > Participant: The researcher joins the group and participated in its everyday life while observing it. Ethnographic research.

Question 39

What is overt observations?

Answer 39

This is when the participants are fully aware of the research and have given sound consent.

Question 40

What are covert observations?

Answer 40

These are when the study is conducted "undercover" and the people getting observed are not aware of what is happening.

Question 41

What are the advantages and disadvantages of overt non-participant observations?

Answer 41

Advs: > ethical as the participants are aware what is going on. > not intrusive to participants daily lives > doesn't take much time to conduct and no chance of researcher's "cover" being blown. Disadvs: > Hawthorn effect could take place producing invalid data. > Limited understandings and depth of information as it is outsiders views. > Pre made schedule - predetermined framework.

Question 42

What are advantages of participant observation?

Answer 42

> Validity - allows researcher to see what participants are actually like in their daily life. > Greater depth of knowledge - allows the researcher to fully understand the whys of people behaviours. > Flexibility - very flexible to fit both researcher's and participants wants and needs.

Question 43

What are disadvantages of participant observation?

Answer 43

> Practical - It is very time consuming, can be stressful and demanding to always be apart of the group you are observing to gain realistic results. > Ethical - CPO in particular is unethical as the participants are under the illusion that the researcher is just a "friend" or a normal person not observing their every action. > usually very small, so can not be representatives. So cannot make generalisations.