Research Methods Flashcards
Atypical Participant
Someone who is not representative of the participants being studied
Fitness for purpose
Is good enough to do the job that it was designed to do. In a research context a method is only used considered effective if it has done a good job in researching what the sociologists intended to research.
Hawthorne Effect
The idea that participants may change their behaviour as they are aware that they are being observed.
Triangulation
The use of one or more than one method that collects qualitative data and one or more that collects quantitative data. The aim is to cross check the data being collected for accuracy, consistency, counter the bias of the data for a single method and increase confidence in findings.
Value Freedom
A view that positivists hold which states that sociological research should be as objective as possible, Therefore any views that the researcher holds should not affect the research.
G-PERRV (points that you have to talk about in every question in research methods)
Genralisability - When the research findings from a representative sample are applied back to the target population
Practicality - How feasible is the research to achieve bearing in mind factors like cost, time, access, personal commitment and methodology
Ethics - Moral principles which guide sociological research, which have resulted in ethical guidelines.
Representativeness - If a sample contains all of the social characteristics that are present in the target population, it can be seen as representative of that group
Reliability - If anyone repeating the same research in the same setting with the same method, will get the same or similar results
Validity - Refers to the outcome of the research and if it is a true reflection of what the researcher intended to find out.
Types of Observations
Overt NON PARTICIPANT observation - Involves the researcher watching the group they are studying from a distance or by blending into the background.
Overt PARTICIPANT observation - The researcher joins the group they are studying and participating in its activities over a period of time.
BOTH GROUPS ARE MADE AWARE THAT THEY ARE BEING OBSERVED/RESEARCHED
Covert NON PARTICIPANT observation - The researcher watches the group they are studying from a distance or by blending into the background.
Covert PARTICIPANT observation - The researcher joins the groups they are studying and participating in it’s activities over a period of time.
BOTH GROUPS ARE OFTEN UNAWARE THAT THEY ARE BEING OBSERVED/RESEARCHED
Ethnography (Not A research method, it just combines two different ones)
Ethnographic methods are orientated towards understanding the meanings that people give to their actions. The researcher actually participates in the situation being studied and may involve participant observations and unstructured interviews - or a mixture of the two. Ethnographic studies may be overt or covert.
Longitudinal Studies
The study of the same group of people over a long period of time. Information is collected from the sample to study changes that have taken place. Many longitudinal studies use a mixed methods approach to data collection meaning that the data is both quantitative and qualitative in form.
Operationalisation
Breaking down a theoretical concept so that it is measurable. This involves identifying indicators of the concept - specific examples of the concept that can be directly measured.
Simple Random Sampling
With simple random sampling, each individual in the target population has an equal chance of being selected to be a part of the sample. Often a computer is used to randomly generate a sample.
Advantages - Avoids researcher bias. Can be easily repeated, making this method reliable. Practical - not time consuming.
Disadvantages - Chance that sample obtained may not be truly representative.
Stratified Random Sampling
This is used by researcher that want to ensure they obtain a truly representative sample. the target population is divided into the social characteristics the researcher is interested in such as age, gender or ethnicity, The sample is then selected from a list for each category.
Purposive Sampling
Sociologists require the sample to be quiet specific and thus choose a sample because they fit the bill (e.g. Goths), There is often no sample frame or easy access to the sample population.
Disadvantages of Pilot Studies
Interpretivists argue that if the pilot study is inaccurate and you change your research based on it, the data collected will be negatively affected.
Researcher need to make sure that those in the pilot sample are not also members of the same sample as the validity of the results would be affected because they would know the true nature of the research.
The Hawthorne Effect
Describes how participants change their behaviour because they are aware that they are being observed.
