Overview of sociological theories and Research method

• Feminism


  A theory developed by many different people, mostly women, that describes society as an unequal relationship between men and women that keeps them in a state of conflict. The whole of society is organised in ways that keep power in the hands of men (even though not all men may benefit from this power, or it may even be harmful to men). This system is called the patriarchy
• Feminist sociologists


  • Interested in exposing and studying this system of power and exploitation and showing how it affects women
• Interactionism


  A micro theory developed by a number of sociologists that focuses not on looking at society as a whole but instead looks at how people interpret the world around them and interact with each other. Our lives are made up of social interactions that communicate what we mean to other people and try to make sense of what they are meaning
• Interactionist sociologists


  • Interested in studying how people communicate with and interact with each other to share ideas of culture, norms and values
• Weberianism


  A theory developed by Weber that describes society as being in a state of conflict between those with status, wealth and power and those without
• Weberian sociologists


  • Interested in studying where power, wealth and status exists in society and how they are used by people
• Stages of carrying out research

  1. Generate a testable hypothesis

  2. Design your study

  3. Conduct a pilot study

  4. Apply your revised research method/s

  5. Analyse data

  6. Draw reasoned conclusions
• Testable hypothesis


  A statement/question that can be investigated
• Designing a study


  • Choosing the correct research methods and sampling strategy
• Pilot study


  A practice research investigation designed to see if the main study is feasible
• Analysing data


  • Checking for reliability, making it into useful information, and representing it using graphs/charts to investigate trends, patterns and correlations
• Drawing conclusions


  Presenting them in a clear and useful manner
• Ethical issues


  • Consent
  • Informed consent
  • Safety
  • Sensitivity
  • Debriefing
  • Confidentiality/Anonymity
  • Not misrepresenting data
• Consent


  Participants must give their permission to take part
• Informed consent


  Participants must be made aware of any dangers/risks, and be made aware of their right to leave the research at any stage
• Safety


  Researchers have a duty to protect their participants (and research team) and not to expose them to undue risks, including causing emotional distress
• Sensitivity


  Researchers should be sensitive when dealing with vulnerable groups
• Debriefing


  At the end of the experiment, participants must be given an explanation of the nature of research and how the experiment works
• Confidentiality/Anonymity


  Researchers must respect the confidentiality of their participants and store all relevant data securely
• Not misrepresenting data


  Researchers must have integrity and be honest, not tampering with data
• Sampling methods


  • Random sampling
  • Systematic sampling
  • Stratified sampling
  • Snowball sampling
  • Opportunity sampling
  • Cluster sampling
  • Quota sampling
• Random sampling


  Everyone has an equal chance of being selected
• Systematic sampling


  Choosing randomly from a list, e.g. every 5th, 10th or 20th person
• Stratified sampling


  The sample frame is divided into smaller groups (e.g. social class, age, gender, ethnicity) and individuals are drawn at random from these groups
• Snowball sampling


  Participants recommend other participants
• Opportunity sampling


  The most convenient or suitable persons are picked
• Cluster sampling


  The population is divided into separate groups (clusters), and a random sample of clusters is selected
• Quota sampling


  Interviews must question an exact quota (number) of people from categories such as females, teenagers, in proportion to the numbers in the wider population