PET Issues

• •Practical – time and money, difficult to analyse•Ethical – is it right or wrong?•Reliable – Can it be replicated?•Validity – Are the results true to life?•Evidence of studies – What studies have used this method?•Representativeness – does it reflect society as a whole?•Theoretical - Positivist or Interpretivist
• SECONDARY, QUALITATIVE (photographs)
• PRIMARY, QUALITATIVE (interviews or questionnaires)
• SECONDARY, QUANTITATIVE (official crime statistics)
• SECONDARY, QUANTITATIVE

  (GCSE & A-Level  results)
• •Apart from whether you want your data to primary or secondary, quantitative or qualitative, there are several factors to consider when choosing a research method.These fall into three main categories: practical, ethical and theoretical  (PET)concerns
• Ethical Issues

  Vulnerable groups, Covert v overt research, Harm , Informed Consent, Right To Withdraw
• Theoretical Issues

  Methodological Perspective, Valid, Reliable, Representative
• Methological Perspective

  The two main views on choice of methods are positivism and interpretivism. Which a sociologist believes is most suited to studying society will affect what method they choose…do they want quantitative data which is easy to compare and analyse or qualitative data which gives deeper understanding?