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Sociology - Theory and Methods > Research Methods > Flashcards

Research Methods Flashcards

1
Q

Give 3 practical advantages for questionnaires?

A
  • cheap
  • gather data quickly
  • easy to access the population
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2
Q

Give an ethical advantage for questionnaires?

A

-ensures consent

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3
Q

Give 3 theoretical advantages for questionnaires?

A
  • reliable
  • higher chance of being representative
  • data can be easily quantified
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4
Q

Give 2 practical disadvantages for questionnaires?

A
  • different person may of completed

- cost as you made need to provide an incentive

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5
Q

Give 3 theoretical disadvantages for questionnaires?

A
  • low response rate
  • questions may lack depth
  • problems with validity? people may lie
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6
Q

Give an example of a questionnaire as a case study?

A

Callender and Jackson 2005

  • -research attitudes towards debt and higher education
  • data is measurable
  • able to study large amount of people
  • 55% response rate
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7
Q

What are 4 different types of interview?

A
  • structured
  • unstructured
  • semi structured
  • group
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8
Q

What type of questions come from a structured interview?

A

Closed

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9
Q

Give 2 practical advantages of unstructured interviews?

A
  • gather in depth data

- build a rapport easily

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10
Q

Give 3 practical disadvantages of unstructured interviews?

A
  • cost
  • time consuming
  • unable to collect statistical data
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11
Q

Give a theoretical disadvantage of unstructured interviews?

A

-positivists would argue that they are unable to study society

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12
Q

Give 3 advantages of structured interviews?

A
  • easily quantifiable
  • ability to use statistical data
  • higher response rate as interviewer is present
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13
Q

Give 3 disadvantages of structured interviews?

A
  • costly to train interviewers
  • time consuming
  • reduces validity as they only give formal answers
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14
Q

Give 4 advantages of group interviews?

A
  • more open to discussion
  • able to observe body language
  • participants can throw around ideas that can stimulate thinking
  • interview large amounts of people at one time
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15
Q

Give 5 disadvantages of group interviews?

A
  • people may dominate the group
  • disruption
  • peer pressure reduces validity
  • loss of focus
  • interviewer effects
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16
Q

What is the interviewer effect?

A

The characteristics of the interviewer influences the answers

  • -sex
  • -class
  • -ethnicity
17
Q

Give an example of a structured interview as a case study?

A

Farkas and Beron 2001

  • -verbal skills of parents and children
  • produced quantative data
  • bias
18
Q

Give an example of an unstructured interview as a case study?

A

Ruth Lupton 2004

  • -relationship between poor neighbourhoods and underachieving schools
  • build rapport
  • hard to compare responses
19
Q

Give an example of a group interview as a case study?

A

Paul Willis 1997

  • -why working class children get working class jobs
  • observe body language and reactions
  • time consuming
20
Q

What is covert observations?

A

Where the researcher hides their identity

21
Q

What is a overt observation?

A

Where the researcher reveals their identity

22
Q

Give 2 practical advantages of participant observations?

A
  • build rapport and gain trust

- no training needed

23
Q

Give 3 theoretical advantages of participant observations?

A
  • retain objectivity
  • flexibility
  • high in validity as can observe body language
24
Q

Give 2 practical disadvantages of participant observations?

A
  • time consuming

- requires interpersonal skills

25
Give an ethical disadvantage of participant observation?
-deceives the people involved
26
Give 3 theoretical disadvantages of participant observations?
- lack of representative as smaller groups are studied - low reliability - interviewer effect
27
What is a non-participant observation?
Where the interviewer observes behaviour without getting involved
28
Give 3 practical advantages of overt non-participant observations?
- researcher doesn't need to put an act on - can take notes openly - won't participate in illegal activities
29
Give a practical advantage of covert non-participant observations?
No risk of the Hawthorne effect
30
Give 3 theoretical advantages of non-participant observations?
- good to study micro-level interactions - remain unbias - can analyse interactions in many contexts
31
Give 2 practical disadvantages of overt non-participant observations?
- cost | - risk of Hawthorne effect
32
Give a practical disadvantage of covert non-participant observations?
-cost for travel ect
33
Give 3 theoretical disadvantages of non-participant observations?
- can limit the researchers understanding of the issue being outside the group - small samples make them not representative - lack of reliability
34
Give 3 advantages for lab studies?
- control the variables - detached method as no personal feelings are involved - reliable as it is easily repeated
35
Give 4 disadvantages for lab studies?
- hard to gain consent - deception - psychological harm - small samples means it is unrepresentative
36
Give 4 advantages to documents?
- easy access - authentic documents meaning they are in depth - consent already given - quantitative data
37
Give 3 disadvantages to documents?
- time consuming - risk of emotional harm - reduced validity as not everything is reported
38
Give 4 advantages to official statistics?
- saves time and money - easily accessed - highly representative as they cover a very large sample - reliable
39
Give 3 disadvantages to official statistics?
- not always coherent to topic you want to study - difficult to compare - not everything is reported e.g. crime

Sociology - Theory and Methods (10 decks)

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