Practical, Ethical, Theoretical
Cards (9)
- Theoretical issue (representativeness) :
- People studied being typical
- Important as it's impossible to question everyone, so use sample
- Eg - social surveys/ questionnaires
- Reliability:
- Theoretical issue
- Reliable method = if repeated another researcher gains same result
- More likely if Quantitative data used
- Eg - structured interview
- Validity:
- Theoretical issue
- Valid = true/genuine
- Aim of sociologist = truth
- Eg - unstructured interview
- Deeper insight from qualitative data = more validity
- = verstehen
- Vulnerable groups :
- Ethical issue
- Special care req where research participants vulnerable due to:
- Age, disability, physical /mental health
- Eg - when conducting a study using children, consent req from student + parent
- Confidentiality + privacy:
- Ethical issue
- Identity of participants kept secret to prevent negative effects
- Eg - personal info kept anonymous + confidential within report drawn from an unstructured interview
- Informed consent:
- Ethical issue
- Respondents should be offered right to refuse + informed about aspects of research
- Eg - getting respondent to sign a consent confirmation document prior to interview/questionnaire
- Research method : covert observation = unable to gain consent as data = unreliable
- Personal skills + characteristics:
- Practical issue
- Each sociologist possesses different skills + may effect ability to use different methods
- Eg - observation req ability to mix easily with others + recall features afterwards
- Subject matter:
- Practical issue
- Harder to study particular groups /subjects by a particular method
- Eg - difficult for male sociologists to become involved in participant observation in an all female situation
- Requirements of funding bodies:
- Practical issue
- Research businesses + other organisations that provide funding req results in a particular form
- Eg - Gov department wanting info on ethnic minority achievement may req Quantitative results