research methods Flashcards
1
Q
what is primary data?
A
- information collected by sociologists themselves
- comes from:
- questionnaires/surveys
- interviews
- observations
- experiments
2
Q
what is secondary data?
A
- data that already exists such as:
- official statistics
- media/social media articles
- diaries/letters
- photographs
- OFSTED reports
3
Q
what is quantitive data?
A
- data collected in numerical form
- comes from surveys and experiments
4
Q
what is qualitative data?
A
- data written in format/pictures
- transcripts from interviews
- transcripts from observations
5
Q
practical issues to consider when choosing a method:
A
- time available - some methods take a long time to complete
- cost - some methods can be very cost effective and involve training
- personal characteristics and skills - some methods require the sociologists to have good communication skills
6
Q
ethical issues to consider when choosing a method:
A
- moral right and wrong
- informed consent - all participants should be offered right to refuse to be involved
- confidentiality / privacy
- harm to participants
- vulnerable groups - special care must be taken when the research involves children and people with disabilities
7
Q
what are surveys/questionnaires?
A
- qualitifiable data - can be easily converted into statistics to produce correlations
- positivism - discover the social facts and record them
- standardisation of the data is critical
- census - every 10 years - useful for social trends
- data that can be directly compared
- same questions - differences in the answers will reflect real differences
- respondents must have understanding of the information
- answers coded into categories to be counted
8
Q
types of questionnaires:
A
- self-completion questionnaires which are left with the respondent to complete
- postal questionnaires
- internet
- closed ended - pick from multiple choice (quantitive data more reliable)
- open ended - reply in own words (harder to categorise but qualititve data is more valid)
