AQA (A-Level Sociology) - Research Methods
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_34z8rg
1. Practical It includes time and funding.
2. Ethical It includes the researcher deceiving the subjects.
3. Theoretical It includes validity, reliability and representativeness.
4. Reliability This is when a piece of research is reliable if it pro-
duces exactly the same results (a replica) when re-
peated using identical methods and procedures.
5. Validity This is when if data provides a true and accurate
picture/description.
6. Generalisable When results from a study can be applied to the whole
of the research population.
7. Representative When the data can be said to accurately represent the
research population.
8. Hypothesis A prediction of what you think you will find out from
your research.
9. Primary Data Information collected first hand by the sociologist for
their own purposes.
10. Secondary Data Information that has been collected or created by
someone slse for their own purposes, but which then
sociologists can then use.
11. Qualitative Data In-depth, rich data usually presented in written form,
such as words, about people's thoughts, feelings, mo-
tivations, attitudes, values etc. It is obtained from quali-
tative methods and sources, such as participant ober-
vation, unstructured interviews, diaries and letters. It
aims to give an insight into what it is like to be in
another person's 'shoes.'
12. Quantitative Data Information in numerical form (percentage, tables,
graphs etc). This type of data is often collected in
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, AQA (A-Level Sociology) - Research Methods
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_34z8rg
experiments, closed questionnaires, structured inter-
views etc.
13. Methods Refer to the actual research techniques used by soci-
ologists.
14. Methodology Refers to the ideas behind the choice of research
method.
15. Interpretivists Prefer qualitative data, seek to understand social ac-
tors' meanings and reject the view that sociology can
model itself on the natural sciences.
16. Positivists Prefer quantitative data, seek to discover patterns of
behaviour and see sociology as a science.
17. Interactionists A sociological perspective that focuses on small-scale
(micro-level) interactions between individuals and
groups, rather than on the large-scale workings of so-
ciety. Interactionists seek to understand the meanings
that social actors give to actons and situations, usually
by using qualitative research methods.
18. Laboratory Experi- A test carried out under controlled conditions in an arti-
ments ficial setting (a laboratory) to establish a cause-and-ef-
fect relationship between two or more variables.
19. Control Group Unlike the experimental group, the control group is
not exposed to the variable under investigation and so
provides a baseline against which any changes in the
experimental group can be compared.
20. Causality Two or more things are so closely related that when
one changes the other also changes.
21. Correlation When two or more factors or variables vary together.
In other words, it is an observation that two or more
things occur at the same time, but we don't know if
one has caused the other or it may be accidental.
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Study online at https://quizlet.com/_34z8rg
1. Practical It includes time and funding.
2. Ethical It includes the researcher deceiving the subjects.
3. Theoretical It includes validity, reliability and representativeness.
4. Reliability This is when a piece of research is reliable if it pro-
duces exactly the same results (a replica) when re-
peated using identical methods and procedures.
5. Validity This is when if data provides a true and accurate
picture/description.
6. Generalisable When results from a study can be applied to the whole
of the research population.
7. Representative When the data can be said to accurately represent the
research population.
8. Hypothesis A prediction of what you think you will find out from
your research.
9. Primary Data Information collected first hand by the sociologist for
their own purposes.
10. Secondary Data Information that has been collected or created by
someone slse for their own purposes, but which then
sociologists can then use.
11. Qualitative Data In-depth, rich data usually presented in written form,
such as words, about people's thoughts, feelings, mo-
tivations, attitudes, values etc. It is obtained from quali-
tative methods and sources, such as participant ober-
vation, unstructured interviews, diaries and letters. It
aims to give an insight into what it is like to be in
another person's 'shoes.'
12. Quantitative Data Information in numerical form (percentage, tables,
graphs etc). This type of data is often collected in
1/6
, AQA (A-Level Sociology) - Research Methods
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_34z8rg
experiments, closed questionnaires, structured inter-
views etc.
13. Methods Refer to the actual research techniques used by soci-
ologists.
14. Methodology Refers to the ideas behind the choice of research
method.
15. Interpretivists Prefer qualitative data, seek to understand social ac-
tors' meanings and reject the view that sociology can
model itself on the natural sciences.
16. Positivists Prefer quantitative data, seek to discover patterns of
behaviour and see sociology as a science.
17. Interactionists A sociological perspective that focuses on small-scale
(micro-level) interactions between individuals and
groups, rather than on the large-scale workings of so-
ciety. Interactionists seek to understand the meanings
that social actors give to actons and situations, usually
by using qualitative research methods.
18. Laboratory Experi- A test carried out under controlled conditions in an arti-
ments ficial setting (a laboratory) to establish a cause-and-ef-
fect relationship between two or more variables.
19. Control Group Unlike the experimental group, the control group is
not exposed to the variable under investigation and so
provides a baseline against which any changes in the
experimental group can be compared.
20. Causality Two or more things are so closely related that when
one changes the other also changes.
21. Correlation When two or more factors or variables vary together.
In other words, it is an observation that two or more
things occur at the same time, but we don't know if
one has caused the other or it may be accidental.
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