Part A - research methods

• Reliability


  ability to trust data
• primary data

  • personal research
  • anecdotal
• positivism

  • quantitative data
  • removes bias
  • 'puppets of society'
  • ignores emotion
• patters and trends

  • positivist perspective
  • free will, choice, and individualism
  • less influential than societies ability to shape human behaviour
• secondary data

  • second-hand research
  • eg. books and documentaries
• objectivity

  • value-free
  • objective
  • neutrality
  • sampling used
  • scientific truths
• value freedom

  objectivity
• subjectivity

  • opinions
  • potential bias
• reflexivity

  • considers bias
  • reflection on results
  • holds themselves accountable
• interpretivism

  • qualitative data
  • builds relationships with subjects, increases accuracy of results
  • 'people aren't numbers'
  • considers bias
• generalisability


  applying results to a broader context
• quantitative data

  • numbers
  • facts
  • science used, prestigious
• qualitative data

  • opinions
  • no science used
  • questions asked, eg. interviews
  • context considered
• validity

  data is factual
• representativeness

  sample group is small, have similar backgrounds to apply to a wider group
• Verstehen - Weber (interpretivism)

  • observing the world from the viewpoint of individuals in society, causing empathy and sympathy
  • anti-positivist
  • people act with conscious intention
  • rejected objectification of humans
  • people are responsible for their own destinies, we are conscious beings and act with intention and purpose
  • 'people are architects of society'
• Pilot studies

  small scale study in preparation of a larger study
• Ethnography

  • interpretivism
  • qualitative data
  • context used
  • a study over time
  • little disturbance of subject group
• Random sampling

  • subjects chosen randomly
  • pros - varied results, no bias
  • cons - no patterns
• Systematic Sampling

  • subjects chosen at regular intervals
  • pros - little bias
  • cons - risk of data manipulation
• Volunteer Sampling

  • participants self-select
  • pros - cheap
  • cons - bias
• Snowball Sampling

  • participants recruit others
  • pros - easy
  • cons - bias
• Research methods

  • surveys - open and/or closed questions, inclusive, online/face-to-face
  • triangulation - reliable, detailed
  • group interviews
• Social facts

  • norms and values
  • others' influence
  • we act on what others do, oppression
  • conformity
• Mead - the 'social self'

  • identity emerges from social interactions
  • learn norms and values by socialisation
  • 'we are socially produced'
• Sociological Ethics

  • subjects must be aware
  • participant consent needed
  • no engagement in deception or crime
• Opportunity sampling

  participants selected by availability

  • pros - quick, easy, convenient
  • cons - sample bias
• Hypothesis

  a theory
• Types of data collection

  • unstructured interviews
  • structured interviews
  • group interviews
  • questionnaires
  • surveys
  • semi-structured interviews
  • multi-choice
  • open questions
  • closed questions
• reflexivity

  self-evaluate research
• representativeness

  small group represents larger group
• generalisability

  results applied to a wider context
• ethical considerations

  • consent
  • no knowledge of illegal activity
  • right to withdraw
• snowball sampling

  subjects recruit more subjects

  cons, potential sampling bias by subjects
• volunteer sampling

  self-selected/volunteers as subjects
• opportunity sampling

  random subjects chosen my proximity (convenience sampling)

  cons, could lack representativeness
• systematic sampling

  used probability
• random sampling

  electoral register could be used
• stratified sampling

  divides population into small sample groups
• quota sampling

  target certain subjects

  cons, potential researcher bias