Research Methods- Part 1

Question 1

What does ‘influences on funding sources’ mean?

Answer 1

Research institutes, businesses and organisations may want results to back up certain ideas which they have, therefore whoever funds the study will have control over what is studied and how. Some research methods are easier to manipulate than others, therefore that’s why some organisations etc may decide on particular methods.

Question 2

What methods would help to fulfil the requirements of funding sources?

Answer 2

Questionnaires
Structured interviews
Lab experiment

Question 3

What methods are less likely to help fulfil the funding sources with the data to which they desire?

Answer 3

Field experiment
Group interview
Personal documents

Question 4

How is time and money a practical factor that could affect research?

Answer 4

• Researchers have limited time and money they can spend on a study
• large scale/long term projects can be expensive
• different methods have different amounts of time and money they can use which might influence their choice of study

Question 5

Will a professor or a student have more access to research funds, and how will this affect their choices of research methods for the both of them?

Answer 5

The professor will have access to more research funds that a student, meaning a student might be limited to structured interviews or questionnaires whereas a professor might consider a primary lab experiment or an unstructured interview

Question 6

Which methods are less likely to take up too much time or money?

Answer 6

• Questionnaire
• Structured interview
• Secondary data
• Quantative data

Question 7

Which methods are more likely to take up too much time and money?

Answer 7

Interview - unstructured
Participant observation
Primary lab experiment
Covert

Question 8

What is meant by personal skills and characteristics as a practical factor that may affect research?

Answer 8

The status of the researcher may affect how and the way in which participants respond. Personal skills of the sociologist may mean their ability to use separate methods will alter.

Question 9

What methods can be used irrespective of the researchers skills and characteristics?

Answer 9

• Questionnaire
• Field experiment
• Personal documents

Question 10

Which methods require the researcher to have specific skills/characteristics?

Answer 10

Covert research

Interview

Question 11

How might subject matter and research population be a practical factor that affects research?

Answer 11

Because some areas of education are sensitive and more difficult to study, therefore people may be reluctant to talk about embarrassing or sensitive subjects. To add to this, certain people or schools may also be restricted.

Question 12

Which methods could be useful for studying challenging subjects and samples?

Answer 12

Questionnaire

Overt

Question 13

Which methods might be difficult to use with challenging subjects and samples?

Answer 13

Interviews
Covert / participant
Group interview

Question 14

Name the four practical factors that affect research?

Answer 14

Time and money
Influences of funding sources
Personal skills and characteristics
Subject matter and research population

Question 15

What are the five ethical factors that could affect research?

Answer 15

• informed consent
• confidentiality and privacy
• harm to participants
• deception
• vulnerability of some participants

Question 16

What is informed consent?

Answer 16

Research participants should be offered the right to be involved. Researcher is required to tell participants about all relevant aspects of the research. Consent should be obtained before research is begun.

Question 17

What methods can achieve informed consent?

Answer 17

• lab experiment
• Questionnaire
• interview

Question 18

What methods cannot achieve informed consent?

Answer 18

• covert research

- participant observation

Question 19

What is meant by confidentiality and privacy?

Answer 19

It means that the researchers should keep the identity of the participants secret in order to prevent possible negative effects. Researchers should respect privacy by keeping personal information confidential.

Question 20

Which methods can guarantee confidentiality?

Answer 20

Questionnaire

Personal documents

Question 21

Which methods cannot guarantee confidentiality?

Answer 21

Interview

Group interview

Question 22

What is meant by harm to participants?

Answer 22

Researchers need to be aware of the harm that could occur to participants from their study, this includes:

• social exclusion
• harm to employment
• prospects
• police intervention

Question 23

What methods cannot guarantee protection from harm?

Answer 23

Covert research

Natural experiment

Question 24

Which methods can guarantee protection from harm?

Answer 24

Any other method apart from covert research and natural experiment

Question 25

What is meant by deception?

Answer 25

Researchers must not deceive participants and participants must not feel like they’re being deceived , this can be dealt with through consent or debriefing.

Question 26

What methods do not involve deception?

Answer 26

Interviews Questionnaire Lab experiment Personal documents

Question 27

Which methods involve deception?

Answer 27

Covert research | Natural experiment

Question 28

What does vulnerability of participants means?

Answer 28

Researchers should take special care when participants are of a certain age, have a disability or a mental health issue.

Question 29

Which methods are inappropriate for studying vulnerable groups?

Answer 29

Covert research Natural experiment Group interviews

Question 30

Which methods are appropriate for studying vulnerable groups?

Answer 30

Questionnaires

Question 31

Describe positivists

Answer 31

They prefer quantative data, seek to discover patterns of behaviour and see sociology as a science

Question 32

Describe Interpretivists

Answer 32

They prefer quantitative data, seek to understand social actors meanings and reject the view that sociology can model itself on the natural sciences

Question 33

Explain the difference between an aim and a hypothesis?

Answer 33

An aim is a general idea of what the sociologist hopes to achieve from the study, this is a more flexible approach whereas a hypothesis is a testable statement or prediction which a researcher aims to prove or disprove through a study. A positivist prefers a specific hypothesis and Intepretivists normally prefer aim where they can be more flexible

Question 34

What does ‘operationalise a concept’ mean?

Answer 34

This means they need to turn a social issue into something they can measure, for example, social class might be measure by free school meals.

Question 35

What is meant by the term ‘pilot study’?

Answer 35

A pilot study involves trying out a draft version of the questionnaire or interview schedule on a small sample

Question 36

Why would a pilot study be useful for a researcher?

Answer 36

- gives the interviewer practise so that the actual interview goes smoothly - refine or clarify questions in a questionnaire - may reveal that the questions can provide answers which are difficult to analyse

Question 37

What does ‘random sample’ mean?

Answer 37

All members of the sample frame have a chance of being picked

Question 38

What does ‘non random sample’ mean?

Answer 38

Participants are hand picked by the researcher

Question 39

What two random sampling methods are there?

Answer 39

Stratified sample | Systematic sample

Question 40

What non random sampling methods are there?

Answer 40

Quota sampling | Snowball sample

Question 41

What is a stratified sample?

Answer 41

Involves dividing the research population into a number of sampling frames

Question 42

What is systematic sampling?

Answer 42

Involves picking two numbers, the starter and the interval. For example, a starter of 2 and an interval of 3 would mean you started with the second name on the list and picked every third person from there.

Question 43

What is quota sampling ?

Answer 43

The researcher is told what type of person to look for and how many, so they go to look for them in busy places.

Question 44

What is a snowball sample?

Answer 44

Where a researcher finds a person who fits the research needs and then asks them to persuade their peers to join the study

Question 45

What problems are there with stratified sampling?

Answer 45

It is not guaranteed to be representative of subgroups within a sampling frame.

Question 46

What problems are there with systematic sampling?

Answer 46

This is effective with the large sampling frames, but smaller ones may produce unrepresentative results.

Question 47

What problems are there with quota sampling?

Answer 47

This may take a long time and might not fill the quota

Question 48

What problems are there with snowball sampling?

Answer 48

A good way of reaching hard to reach groups but the sample will not be representative.