Research methods Flashcards
(50 cards)
What is positivism?
- society shapes individuals
- study human behaviour like science
- use quantitative research
What is interpretivism?
- individuals shape society
- achieve Verstehen (empathetic understanding)
- use qualitative research
What is the order of research process?
1) select a topic
2) define the problem
3) review the literature
4) operationalise
5) formulate a hypothesis
6) choose a research method
7) pilot study
8) collect the data
9) analyse results
10) share results
What is operationalising?
turning a concept into something you can measure - success
What is primary data?
data a researcher gathers themselves
What is secondary data?
data that has already been collected
What is quantitative data?
numerical
What is qualitative data?
not numerical - more detailed with elaboration
What is reliability?
if research can be repeated and achieve same results
What is validity?
how truthful data is
What is representativeness?
if the sample mirrors the target population - can be generalised
What is objectivity?
If questions can have multiple meanings and be interpreted by people differently
What are the strengths of lab experiments?
p - controlled environment
e - informed consent
t - positivist or interpretivist
What are the limitations of lab experiments?
p - expensive, hard to find participants, time consuming
e - can have deception
t - not reliable, Hawthorne effect, unnatural environment, not representative (small sample)
What are the strengths of field experiments?
p - cheap
e -
t - natural reactions (valid), interpretivist
What are the limitations of field experiments?
p - time consuming
e - deception, no informed consent, no protection from harm
t - not reliable, small samples
What are the strengths of structured interviews?
p - quick, easy to analyse data, cheap
e - no deception, protection from harm
t - objective, reliable
What are the limitations of structured interviews?
p - subjective questions (imposition problem), skill in drafting
e - not anonymous (if in person), no right to withdraw, sensitive topics/group
t - lack validity, no rapports, limited by availability (representativeness)
What are the strengths of questionnaires?
p - quick, cheap, less researcher skill
e - anonymous, informed consent, no deception
t - objective, reliable, large scale, a little valid (confidential)
What are the limitations of questionnaires?
p - time consuming to sort data, response rate, imposition problem, open qs are time consuming
e - little feedback, can’t withdraw response easily, sensitive topics
t - lack validity if closed qs, lack reliability is open qs
What are the strengths of unstructured interviews?
p - no imposition problem
e - prewarn on topics, informed consent, protection from harm
t - valid, conversational, rapport & verstehen
What are the limitations of unstructured interviews?
p - time consuming, hard to record data
e - sensitive topics
t - bias, subjective, smaller sample, not reliable
What are the strengths of group interviews?
p - time efficient, cost effective
e - right to withdraw, informed consent, shared experiences
t - valid, rapport & verstehen, interaction effects
What are the limitations of group interviews?
p - all participants need to be there, hard to record data, interviews take longer
e - not anonymous, sensitive topics, peer pressure, group dynamics
t - less depth, reliability issues, researcher bias
