Key ideas in sociological research

• Primary data


  Data collected first hand e.g. interviews, observations
• Secondary data 


  Data collected that already exists e.g. official statistics, documents
• Quantitative data


  Data that includes numbers
• Qualitative data 


  Data that includes words
• Validity


  Whether the research matches the aim of research
• Reliabilty


  The extent of if the research was repeated, the same results would appear
• Objectivity


  Not biased
• Value freedom


  The ability of the researcher to keep own personal biases and beliefs away from affecting the result of the research
• Positivism

  Perspective: Functionalist, Marxist

  Level of analysis: Macro

  Subject matter: Society causes behaviour

  View of the individual: External factors determine behaviour

  Focus: Society and systems

  Method of study: Scientific

  Method of analysis: Quanitiative, emphasis on reliability
• Interpretivism


  Perspective: Interactionism

  Level of analysis: Micro

  Subject matter: Individual in society

  View of the individual: Based on free will and volition

  Focus: Social interaction

  Method of study: Meanings and motives

  Method of analysis: Qualitative, emphasis on validity
• Practical considerations

  • Time
  • Cost
  • Funding
  • Access
  • Characteristics of the researcher
• Ethical considerations

  • Moral
  • Illegality
  • After effects
  • Danger
• Theoretical considerations

  • Positivist
  • Interpretivist
  • Feminist
• Random sampling

  • Equal chance of being selected
  • Select names from a list (sampling frame)
  • Stratified sampling
  • Systematic sampling
• Non-random sampling

  • No sampling frame
  • Snowball effect
  • Volunteer
  • Opportunity
• Pilot study


  Small piece of research before the main study, used to:

  • Check validity and reliability
  • Operationalise key concepts
  • Test questions and procedures
  • Gain insight into timings
  • Train staff
  • Get earlier data so funding can be provided
• Representativeness


  Sample of a large group that reflects the population
• Ethnography


  Detailed observation
• Content analysis


  Method of analysing content and media output to find out how often and in what ways different people appear
• Triangualtion


  Using more than one research method to improve the validity and reliability of the study