Research Methods and Concepts Flashcards
Content analysis
Analysis of texts/media pieces; usually quantitative but may be qualitative
Disadv - subject to interpretation = low reliability
Official statistics
Secondary source
Some sociologists say they are socially constructive
Use normative definition of deviance
Useful as background info to inform research
Longitudinal
British Cohort Study
Longitudinal mixed methods, Positivist/Realist, methodological pluralism/triangulation
aims to uncover relationships between factors to improve social policy
Operationalisation
Breakup concepts into measurable indicators
Sample attrition
Dropout rate in a longitudinal study
Methodological pluralism
Use of two or more methods to add detail and/or range to a study
Triangulation
Use of two or more methods to check validity or improve reliability of a study
Documents
Public, personal, historical
Consider: authenticity, credibility (was it written FOR the research?), representiveness, meaning (interpretation/subjective)
Value freedom/laden
The belief that research can/cannot be separate from the researcher’s values and beliefs
What did Becker (interactionist) say about research?
He used a ‘committed approach’, asking ‘what side are we on?’. He was committed to giving powerless people a voice
What does reflexivity do?
Allow researcher to reflect on how their values impacted their research (subjective influence), make research more transparent, acknowledges that research affects both participant and researcher
Which approach thinks research is inevitably value laden?
Interpretivism
Name some practical issues
Time and money (scale of research, employees needed) Funding requirements (is it needed in a certain format?) Skills/characteristics of sociologist Subject matter (consider gender/literacy/background of participants and researcher) Research opportunity (may limit study type options)
Name some ethical issues
Consent Avoidance of harm Confidentiality Avoidance of deception Results (what happens to them?) Leaving the sample
Name some theoretical issues
Methodological perspective (realist/pos/int/fem)
Val/rel. rep/gen
FItness for purpose of study
Same some sampling types
Snowball
Cluster (series of places, researcher chooses a sample at random from the ‘cluster’ of people there)
Convenience
Quota
Probability/Random
Stratified
Systemic (every nth same from sampling frame)
Name some things which can raise validity
Researcher presence (for clarity) Positive researcher characteristics Well opperationalised indicators Pilot study Place/environment Anonymity and confidentiality Respondant validation
Name some things which can lower validity
Sensitive topics Unclear questions Leading questions Researcher imposition (value laden research) Social desirability (social bias) Subjective bias of researcher Interviewer effect/bias Group interviews
What is social desirability/social bias?
The respondant answering questions in a way that will make them seem ‘better’ due to worries about how they appear - lowers validity
Name some things which can raise reliability
Pilot study
Well worded questions
Standardized environment
Lower researcher involvement
Name some things which can lower reliability
Poorly worded questions
Researcher involvement
No standard environment
What does Lyotard (postmodernist) think?
Research is no more than one person’s view or interpretation - he rejects this as a metanarrative
Which Positivist believed in the scientific approach?
Durkheim - value free sociology - eg ‘suicide study’ (uses OCS)
Which factors may affect the values of the research?
Influences of funding body
Personal opinions and experiences of sociologist
Aim of sociologist (eg career progression)
