RESEARCH
METHODS
REVISION
, PEVERT STRUCTURE
Factors Influencing Choice of Methods
Practical Issues • Time • Requirements for funding bodies
• Money • Personal skills & characteristics
• Resources • Subject matter (how easy it is to access)
• Research opportunity
Ethical Issues Can Do Can’t Do Without Participant
— Consent: participant should be fully informed of what’s involved
— Deception: especially in covert operations
— Confidentiality/anonymity: respect of privacy
— Right to withdraw
— Protection from harm: need to be careful of vulnerable groups,
physical and emotional harm
Example Either utilise an example or apply sociological understanding
Validity of How likely is the information going to produce a true or valid picture
Research of what is actually happening? Does it give a sense of verstehen?
Reliability of • Replicability. Will the method allow the research to be copied by
Information another research giving the same results?
• If the methods is high in representativeness it will allow the results
to be generalised
Theoretical • What is the methodological perspective on the research?
Issues • Positivism: they prefer quantitative date, seeking to discover
patterns and see sociology as scientific
• Interpretevists: they prefer qualitative data, seek to
understand the meaning of research, beyond the statistics
In reality many sociologists utilise triangulation which refers to researchers
employing multiple methods to obtain a more well-rounded picture of what they
are studying.
METHODS
REVISION
, PEVERT STRUCTURE
Factors Influencing Choice of Methods
Practical Issues • Time • Requirements for funding bodies
• Money • Personal skills & characteristics
• Resources • Subject matter (how easy it is to access)
• Research opportunity
Ethical Issues Can Do Can’t Do Without Participant
— Consent: participant should be fully informed of what’s involved
— Deception: especially in covert operations
— Confidentiality/anonymity: respect of privacy
— Right to withdraw
— Protection from harm: need to be careful of vulnerable groups,
physical and emotional harm
Example Either utilise an example or apply sociological understanding
Validity of How likely is the information going to produce a true or valid picture
Research of what is actually happening? Does it give a sense of verstehen?
Reliability of • Replicability. Will the method allow the research to be copied by
Information another research giving the same results?
• If the methods is high in representativeness it will allow the results
to be generalised
Theoretical • What is the methodological perspective on the research?
Issues • Positivism: they prefer quantitative date, seeking to discover
patterns and see sociology as scientific
• Interpretevists: they prefer qualitative data, seek to
understand the meaning of research, beyond the statistics
In reality many sociologists utilise triangulation which refers to researchers
employing multiple methods to obtain a more well-rounded picture of what they
are studying.
