Research Methods Flashcards
(31 cards)
Factors impacting method chosen
PET
- practical
- ethical
- theoretical
Practical issues
Time
Cost
Ease
Researchers skills
Flexibility
Access
Researchers presence
Funding
Subject matter
Opportunity
Ethical issues
Confidentiality
Informed consent
Protection from harm
Deception
Privacy
Legalities
Theoretical issues
Representativeness
Reliability
Validity
Generalisability
Date type
Objectivity
Examples of questionnaires
Census
Alice Sullivan -> Questions for 465 pupils to test cultural capital
Example of unstructured interview
Dobash and Dobash -> interview on domestic violence
Example of structured interviews
CSEW -> interviews on unreported crime in England and wales
Prior research
Secondary
Research already carried out with a similar topic
+ cheap, time, access
- may not be 100% same
Content analysis
Secondary, quantative
*quantitive approach analysing mass media involving a system of classification
+ cheap, access, reliable
- interpretation, time
Random sampling
People randomly pick out of research population
+ quick, easy, simple
- can be unrepresentative
Stratified sampling
When sample reflects the research population
If the research population is 33% women, then the sample will be 33% women
+ representative
- complicated, time consuming
Snowball sampling
Find a few participants fitting sample, get them to find more participants
+ access to difficult groups
- may be unrepresentative, time consuming, complicated
Systematic sampling
Using Nth person from the potential research population to get the sample
N = number in research population/ number needed in sample
+ simple, easy
- unrepresentative
Quota sampling
Researchers told to have a sample with a certain quota
Eg. 90 people but 30 must be unemployed
+ representative
- hard to find
Opportunity sampling
Taking people who are available at the time
+ quick, easy
- unrepresentative
Factors effecting reliability
*research method
*data type
Quantifiable more repeatable
*paticipants
Never be 100% the same
Validity
*Hawthorne effect: change of behaviour when being watched
*Group dynamics: peer pressure
*social desirability: changing to seem normal
*demand characteristics: changing to act how they think will benefit the researcher
*data type: qualitative data up to interpretation so less valid
Representative
*sample size: less generalisable if small sample so less representative
*research methods: some require smaller samples like interviews so less representative
Interpretivism
Society based on conscious beings in a social construct; how they act is subjective
Prefer qualitative data and methods
Positivism
Believe social factors can be applied objectively using scientific techniques
Quantitative approach
MACRO
Primary data
Generated by researcher for purpose of their study
+ can be tailored to research, more validity, more control
- time consuming, expensive, harder to
Secondary data
Data that already exists from another study
+ cheap, quick, accessible, larger sample
- may not match study exactly, less control, bias of other researcher, out of date
Quantitative methods
Numbers, stats, measurable
+ easy to analyse/ compare/ spot trends, quicker, more access if published
- no reasons, lack of detail (less valid), possible gate-keepers -> harder to access
Qualitative methods
Opinions
+ more info, deep answers, variety of answers
- time consuming, hard to compare, subjective
