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Sociology- Unit 2 > Research methods > Flashcards

Research methods Flashcards

(57 cards)

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1
Q

Representative

A

Whether or not the group of people you are using have the characteristics of the target population

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2
Q

Objectivity

A
  • Showing no bias, treating participant the same
  • Quantitative is more objective than qualitative
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3
Q

structured questionnaire

A

contains pre-determined questions with fixed response options

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4
Q

unstructured questionnaire

A
  • uses open-ended questions that allow the respondents to express their thoughts freely
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5
Q

Semi- structured questionnaire

A

Combines both closed- ended questions for a balanced approach

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6
Q

pros of questionnaires (7)

A

1- Cost effective
2- Large sample size
3- standardization
4- anonymity and privacy
5- ease of data collection and analysis
6- Flexibility in distribution
7- Respondent convenience (own time)

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7
Q

Cons of questionnaires (8)

A

1- Low response rates
2- Limited depth of responses
3- misunderstanding questions
4- Lack of flexibility
5- Respondent bias
6- No non-verbal data (tone, facial expressions, body language)
7- time to design
8- Limited clarification or follow up if their respondent is unclear

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8
Q

Structured interview

A

The interviewer follows a fixed set of questions, often used in standardized hiring

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9
Q

unstructured interview

A

A free- flowing conversation without a strict format

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10
Q

semi-structured interview

A

A mix of structured and unstructured , where questions are pre- planned but the discussion is open ended

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11
Q

Face to face interviews

A

conducted in person

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12
Q

phone interview

A

conducted over the phone

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13
Q

video interview

A

done via platforms like zoom, Skype or teams

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14
Q

Pros of interviews (6)

A
  • In depth information
  • flexibility (structure)
  • clarification and probing
  • Building rapport
  • non-verbal data
  • exploring new issues
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15
Q

Cons of interviews (7)

A
  • time consuming
  • potential for bias (the way that the interviewer acts may influence the participants responses)
  • limited sample size
  • could be costly
  • participant influence
  • Could be hard to collect and analyse data
  • ethical considerations (could be discussing sensitive topics)
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16
Q

Focus group

A

Group of a small number of selected individuals who will discuss a particular topic

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17
Q

Pros of a focus group

A
  • can be used to plan what to ask in the main study
  • range of different ideas/emotions
  • different people
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18
Q

Survey

A

A selection of questions which are asked to gain a set of people in a target population to gain their views or ideas on a topic

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19
Q

Ethnographic studies

A
  • in-depth study on a group of people in their natural setting
  • typically long-term studies
  • typically involves participant observation
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20
Q

longitudinal studies

A

studying the same group of people over the long period of time

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21
Q

Pros of primary research

A
  • up to date
  • provides more details and vershten (insight)
  • mixture of qualitative and quantitative data
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22
Q

Cons of primary research

A
  • time consuming
  • expensive
  • can be hard to collect
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23
Q

pros of secondary research

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A
  • save time
  • easy to find
    -easy to analyse
24
Q

cons of secondary data

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A
  • may not be up-to date
  • my not be relevant
  • potentially biased
25
gate keeper
person enabling someone to access
26
access
allowing someone to enter something
27
positivists
prefer quantitative data (numbers)
28
interpretivists
prefer qualitative data (words)
29
realists
Like both quantitative and qualitative data
30
bias
something influenced by an individuals opinion
31
rapport
a strong relationship between a researcher and a participant
32
vershten
- insight (how much depth/detail is included in the research to make it a true picture
33
Pros of qualitative research
- Provides more versten - useful when studying groups of people who are heard to reach e.g criminals or homeless who wouldn't respond to scientific methods - explains cause and effect - higher response rates (easier to answer)
34
Quantitative data pros
- Larger sample used (more representative - easily analysed - can be processed using a computer - easier to communicate the results
35
Qualitative data cons
- unlikely to be generalisable - smaller samples - could be biased - dependent on the skills of the researcher
36
Quantitative data cons
- Do not provide depth of understanding or meaning - may not explain difficult issues, offer context - does not establish cause and effect
37
census
a general idea agreed by a group of people
38
3 practical issues
- time constrains - limited resources & funding - Access to data & participants
39
Operationalising concepts
- The process of defining a concept precisely so that it can be easily understood by respondents and measured by the researcher. - It could also be applied dot the process of determining variables in experiments
40
Methodological pluralism/ triangulation
- The use of more than one method in social research - often used in order to verify the validity of the other data sources and is a good way of improving the reliability of the research
41
Pilot study
- a test study carried out before the main research study and on a smaller scale, to uncover and iron potential problems which may occur when carrying out the research
42
Simple random sampling
- everyone in the population has an equal an independent chance of being selected - ensures that the sample is unbiased and represents the larger population fairly
43
How does simple random sample work?
1- Define the population 2- list all members 3- random selection using random number generator etc.
44
Advantages of simple random sample
- eliminated bias - ensures representation of the population - simple and easy
45
disadvantage of simple random sample
- requires a complete population list, may not always be available - May not work for large populations - if one individual isn't available to do the research, they would have to choose another person which would cause the study to be unrepresentative
46
Stratified random sample
- population is divided into smaller groups based on shared characteristics, and them a random sample is taken from each group, ensuring that all types of people are used in the sample e.g- 300 freshman- 30 random 250 sophomores- 25 random
47
advantage of stratified random sampling
- ensures representation of each group - reduce sampling bias - more accurate, reliable results
48
disadvantages of stratified random sampling
- requires more detailed knowledge of the population - more complex and time- consuming than simple- random sampling
49
systematic random sampling
- individuals are selected at regular intervals from an ordered population list e.g every 5th person
50
Advantages to systematic sampling
- simple and easy to implement - ensures an evenly distributed sample - less time consuming than simple random sampling
51
Disadvantages of systematic sampling
can introduce bias if the list follows a hidden pattern - not as random as simple random sampling
52
quota sampling
- non- random sampling method where researchers divide the population into groups based on specific characteristics and then select participants non- randomly until each quota is filled
53
disadvantages of quota sampling
- not random- may increase risk of bias - less generalisable- may not fully represent the broader population
53
Advantages of quota sampling
- representative - faster and more cost effective compared to random sampling - useful when probability sampling is not possible
54
cons of a focus group
- one powerful person may dominate the discussion - may be difficult to gather a group willing to participate - self- selecting (not representative)
55
covert observation
- the researcher does not make their intentions and reasons for the research clear
56
overt observation
- The researcher makes their intentions and reasons for the research clear

Sociology- Unit 2 (18 decks)

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