Sociology Research Methods introduction
Choice of research methods:
Factors you need to consider when conducting research are:
• Practical Issues: real world problems that might make research difficult to carry out,
eg. Time, money, access
Examples:
- Time: longitudinal studies take years to carry out, which may not be the most practical
for researchers.
- Access: some participants are hard to access such as prisoners, elites, students
- Cost: surveys, interviews all require professionals to carry out, which may be costly to
train or hire interviewers etc
• Ethical Issues: these are related to what is morally right or wrong when conducting
research, eg. Consent, safety, privacy
Examples:
- Consent: participants must fully know they are taking part in a study and must agree
to taking part
- Privacy/Confidentiality: personal details of the participants such as name and face
should be kept private at all times
- Right to withdraw: participants must be able to freely withdraw from the study at any
time whenever they ask
• Theoretical Issues: how we understand society, the approach the researcher takes and
validity/reliability of the study eg. Positivist vs Interpretivist views on society
Examples:
- Positivist: prefer quantitative data and focus on objectivity and generalisability of data
- Interpretivist: prefers qualitative data and focus on subjectivity and the meaning of
experiences
- Reliability: if the research can be repeated by someone else and produce the same
results
- Validity: if the research truly measures what it claims to
, The Study of Anne Other:
Anne Other (1999) (not her real name) wanted to study hospital infection-control procedures, such as staff washing hands
between touching patients. However, the hospital's research ethics committee said she must first obtain the informed
consent of the staff, all their patients and even next of kin if a patient was incapacitated. She felt this would wreck her
research, so she conducted it covertly. Her defence was that this was in the public interest - only by studying hygiene
behaviour covertly could the causes of hospital-transmitted infections be discovered.
Did Anne Other act unethically?
- Yes, she didn’t get informed consent from participants or the hospital
- Think why is this unethical?
Is this justifiable?
- Yes, sometimes participants knowing the aim of the study will tamper with reliability
and results
- Think how?
Reliability, validity and representativeness:
Reliability:
Refers to whether another researcher, if repeating research using the same method for the same research on the same or
similar group would get the same results.
Validity:
Concerned with the truth. How far the findings of the research actually provide a true, genuine or authentic picture of what
is being studied.
Representativeness:
research is representative if it contains a good cross section of people. The sample should provide roughly the same results
as if the we whole of the target population had taken part. can make generalisations.
Is sociology a Science?
The study of research methods is about understanding what sociologists do. You will learn how data is collected and what
sorts of decisions sociologists have to make before they can begin collecting data.
Approaches to research
There is a big debate among sociologists about how research should be carried out. There are 2 approaches that can be
taken to sociological research that you need to know:
Positivism and Interpretivism
Introducing Positivism
Choice of research methods:
Factors you need to consider when conducting research are:
• Practical Issues: real world problems that might make research difficult to carry out,
eg. Time, money, access
Examples:
- Time: longitudinal studies take years to carry out, which may not be the most practical
for researchers.
- Access: some participants are hard to access such as prisoners, elites, students
- Cost: surveys, interviews all require professionals to carry out, which may be costly to
train or hire interviewers etc
• Ethical Issues: these are related to what is morally right or wrong when conducting
research, eg. Consent, safety, privacy
Examples:
- Consent: participants must fully know they are taking part in a study and must agree
to taking part
- Privacy/Confidentiality: personal details of the participants such as name and face
should be kept private at all times
- Right to withdraw: participants must be able to freely withdraw from the study at any
time whenever they ask
• Theoretical Issues: how we understand society, the approach the researcher takes and
validity/reliability of the study eg. Positivist vs Interpretivist views on society
Examples:
- Positivist: prefer quantitative data and focus on objectivity and generalisability of data
- Interpretivist: prefers qualitative data and focus on subjectivity and the meaning of
experiences
- Reliability: if the research can be repeated by someone else and produce the same
results
- Validity: if the research truly measures what it claims to
, The Study of Anne Other:
Anne Other (1999) (not her real name) wanted to study hospital infection-control procedures, such as staff washing hands
between touching patients. However, the hospital's research ethics committee said she must first obtain the informed
consent of the staff, all their patients and even next of kin if a patient was incapacitated. She felt this would wreck her
research, so she conducted it covertly. Her defence was that this was in the public interest - only by studying hygiene
behaviour covertly could the causes of hospital-transmitted infections be discovered.
Did Anne Other act unethically?
- Yes, she didn’t get informed consent from participants or the hospital
- Think why is this unethical?
Is this justifiable?
- Yes, sometimes participants knowing the aim of the study will tamper with reliability
and results
- Think how?
Reliability, validity and representativeness:
Reliability:
Refers to whether another researcher, if repeating research using the same method for the same research on the same or
similar group would get the same results.
Validity:
Concerned with the truth. How far the findings of the research actually provide a true, genuine or authentic picture of what
is being studied.
Representativeness:
research is representative if it contains a good cross section of people. The sample should provide roughly the same results
as if the we whole of the target population had taken part. can make generalisations.
Is sociology a Science?
The study of research methods is about understanding what sociologists do. You will learn how data is collected and what
sorts of decisions sociologists have to make before they can begin collecting data.
Approaches to research
There is a big debate among sociologists about how research should be carried out. There are 2 approaches that can be
taken to sociological research that you need to know:
Positivism and Interpretivism
Introducing Positivism
