Research methods
,Choosing a research method
, Factors influencing choice of research method
Practical issues: Time & money- different methods need different amounts of time/money allocated to them. Large-scale surveys may employ interviewers and staff (expens
(problems involving project may have 1 research doing participant observations will be cheaper but more time-consuming.
experience/actual use) Requirements of funding bodies- research institutes/businesses/organisations that fund the research may want the results in a particular form, such as res
rates needing quantitative data to see if the targets are being achieved. This means the sociologists needs to choose a method that can get these results, such
Personal skills & characteristics- sociologists all have different skills/characteristics that will affect what methods they use. For example, participant observ
who can mix easily with others and be able to observe/recall things well.
Subject matter- it can be hard to study a certain group/subject with an unsuitable method, such as a male trying to study females using participant observati
Research opportunity- chances to carry out research can be sudden, so it might not be possible to use structured methods as they take longer to prepare.
Access- sociologists may not be able to carry out research simply because they can’t access a group, such as being denied access to visit a school.
Ethical issues: Informed consent- participants should have the right to refuse involvement in the research, and the researcher should tell them about all relevant points so
(moral issues of right and informed decision. Consent is given beforehand and can be withdrawn at any time.
wrong) Confidentiality & privacy- researchers should keep participant’s identity secret to prevent any negative effects on them, as well as respecting their privacy s
info.
Harm to research participants- researchers need to know the possible effects their work can have on participants and should anticipate and prevent such h
police intervention, harming employment prospects, social exclusion, psychological damage.
Vulnerable groups- age, disability, physical/mental health are groups researchers should take special care for. For example, research with children needs par
should use language children can understand.
Covert research- this has ethical issues like lying to people to gain their trust/info, which means you can’t get informed consent with covert methods. Howev
think exceptions should be made when investigating secretive/dangerous/powerful groups.
Theoretical Validity- a method that produces a true/genuine picture. Sociologists argue that qualitative methods give us a more valid account of what it’s like to be a mem
quantitative methods, as we get a deeper insight.
issues:
(questions on what Reliability- or repeatability, where a method can be done again by someone else and get the same results. Quantitative methods are more reliable than qual
society is like and if we
can get an Representativeness- are those being studied a typical cross-section of the group we’re interested in? For example, it would take too much time/money to st
accurate/truthful picture divorce, so we might to a sample of 100 instead. If this sample is representative of the wider population, we’ll be able to generalise our results to all children o
of it) studying them all.
Methodological perspective- the sociologist’s view of what society is like and how we should study it. Positivists use quantitative data, discover patterns in
sociology as a science, while interpretivists use qualitative data, understand social actors’ meanings and reject the idea that sociology is a science.
,Choosing a research method
, Factors influencing choice of research method
Practical issues: Time & money- different methods need different amounts of time/money allocated to them. Large-scale surveys may employ interviewers and staff (expens
(problems involving project may have 1 research doing participant observations will be cheaper but more time-consuming.
experience/actual use) Requirements of funding bodies- research institutes/businesses/organisations that fund the research may want the results in a particular form, such as res
rates needing quantitative data to see if the targets are being achieved. This means the sociologists needs to choose a method that can get these results, such
Personal skills & characteristics- sociologists all have different skills/characteristics that will affect what methods they use. For example, participant observ
who can mix easily with others and be able to observe/recall things well.
Subject matter- it can be hard to study a certain group/subject with an unsuitable method, such as a male trying to study females using participant observati
Research opportunity- chances to carry out research can be sudden, so it might not be possible to use structured methods as they take longer to prepare.
Access- sociologists may not be able to carry out research simply because they can’t access a group, such as being denied access to visit a school.
Ethical issues: Informed consent- participants should have the right to refuse involvement in the research, and the researcher should tell them about all relevant points so
(moral issues of right and informed decision. Consent is given beforehand and can be withdrawn at any time.
wrong) Confidentiality & privacy- researchers should keep participant’s identity secret to prevent any negative effects on them, as well as respecting their privacy s
info.
Harm to research participants- researchers need to know the possible effects their work can have on participants and should anticipate and prevent such h
police intervention, harming employment prospects, social exclusion, psychological damage.
Vulnerable groups- age, disability, physical/mental health are groups researchers should take special care for. For example, research with children needs par
should use language children can understand.
Covert research- this has ethical issues like lying to people to gain their trust/info, which means you can’t get informed consent with covert methods. Howev
think exceptions should be made when investigating secretive/dangerous/powerful groups.
Theoretical Validity- a method that produces a true/genuine picture. Sociologists argue that qualitative methods give us a more valid account of what it’s like to be a mem
quantitative methods, as we get a deeper insight.
issues:
(questions on what Reliability- or repeatability, where a method can be done again by someone else and get the same results. Quantitative methods are more reliable than qual
society is like and if we
can get an Representativeness- are those being studied a typical cross-section of the group we’re interested in? For example, it would take too much time/money to st
accurate/truthful picture divorce, so we might to a sample of 100 instead. If this sample is representative of the wider population, we’ll be able to generalise our results to all children o
of it) studying them all.
Methodological perspective- the sociologist’s view of what society is like and how we should study it. Positivists use quantitative data, discover patterns in
sociology as a science, while interpretivists use qualitative data, understand social actors’ meanings and reject the idea that sociology is a science.
