Studying Society - Research Design Pros and Cons

The advantages and disadvanges of using certain types of research design: such as Postal Questionnaires, Hand-delivered Questionnaires, Formal Interviews etc.

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  • Created by: Scarlett
  • Created on: 25-01-13 12:05

Studying Society - Research Design Pros and Cons

Advantages

  • Postal Questionnaires - Cheap and efficient when used to obtain large amounts of information from a large number of people
  • Postal Questionnaires - With no reasearcher present, those being interviewed may be more willing to answer hoenstly to potentially embarassing or personal questions
  • Postal Questionnaires - Closed questions provide quantative data which can be analysed
  • Postal Questionnaires - This type of research can be replicated by other sociologists as there are fixed questions
  • Structured/Formal Interviews - They are standardized. Each interviewee has the same set of questions to answer
  • Structured/Formal Interviews - The reasearcher can compare the responses and measure the strength of a connection between different factors. This provides statistical data
  • Structured/Formal Interviews - The interviewer can ensure that all relevant question are fully answered
  • Unstructured Interviews - More flexible than standardized methods. The interviewer can clarify questions or clear up misunderstandings
  • Unstructured Interviews - There is the opportunity for interviewee's to develop their answers fully
  • Group Interviews - Enables researchers to access a winde range of views and experiences
  • Group Interviews - Participants of group interviews may feel more comfortable talking about issues in a group because there is support from the other members of the group
  • Longitudinal Studies - Allows reasearchers to study social changes over a long period of time
  • Participant Observation - Allows the researcher to study a group in it's natural everyday settings
  • Participant Observation - The researcher can observe things from a groups perspective and develop a deeper understanding of the group. The researcher can obtain a more valid, truthful picture of the group
  • Participant Observation - Some groups (such as religious cults) may not agree to be interviewed. In this case, participant observation appears to be the only available method

Disadvantages

  • Postal Questionnaires - The respondant may not fully answer the questionnaire and some may not send it back
  • Postal Questionnaires - Closed answers do not allow development of answers
  • Postal Questionnaires - You can never be sure that the right person is answering the questionnaire. For example, a group may complete it together
  • Postal Questionnaires - No researcher is present to help respondants with questions they may not understand
  • Structured/Formal Interviews - The appearance of the interviewer could influence the inteviewee's responses. Also know as "the interview effect," respondants may answer untruthfully as they feel the answer they give is more socially acceptable, for example
  • Structured/Formal Interviews - The standardized questions do not allow interviewee's to elaborate on their answers
  • Unstructured Interviews - Can be time consuming and expensive to conduct.
  • Unstructured Interviews - Can be affected by "the interview effect." The interviewee may give answers that they think the interviewer wants to hear
  • Unstructured Interviews - It's difficult for other sociologist to replicate
  • Unstructured Interviews - The data recieved is not quantative and may be very difficult to analyse
  • Group Interviews - The need to be carefully managed by the reasearcher
  • Group Interviews - The interviewee's may influence each other's answers
  • Longitudinal Studies - The timescale makes the study expensive
  • Longitudinal Studies - People may change their minds over time and refuse to continue participating in the reasearch
  • Participant Observation - It could be difficult to gain entry to the group or their trust
  • Participant Observation - Covert observation may seem morally wrong if the participants don't know they're being observed
  • Participant Observation - The group may give answers they feel the observer wants to hear, therefore the validity of the reasearch will be affected

Evaluation

Different research designs are carried out depending on the type of research sociologists wish to aquire.

Comments

Pete Barnes: GR Director

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This is really useful Scarlett, I hope others users come across this as I am sure they will find it so helpful 

Hasan Bhatti

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  • Postal Questionnaires - Cheap and efficient when used to obtain large amounts of information from a large number of people
  • Postal Questionnaires - With no reasearcher present, those being interviewed may be more willing to answer hoenstly to potentially embarassing or personal questions
  • Postal Questionnaires - Closed questions provide quantative data which can be analysed
  • Postal Questionnaires - This type of research can be replicated by other sociologists as there are fixed questions
  • Structured/Formal Interviews - They are standardized. Each interviewee has the same set of questions to answer
  • Structured/Formal Interviews - The reasearcher can compare the responses and measure the strength of a connection between different factors. This provides statistical data
  • Structured/Formal Interviews - The interviewer can ensure that all relevant question are fully answered
  • Unstructured Interviews - More flexible than standardized methods. The interviewer can clarify questions or clear up misunderstandings
  • Unstructured Interviews - There is the opportunity for interviewee's to develop their answers fully
  • Group Interviews - Enables researchers to access a winde range of views and experiences
  • Group Interviews - Participants of group interviews may feel more comfortable talking about issues in a group because there is support from the other members of the group
  • Longitudinal Studies - Allows reasearchers to study social changes over a long period of time
  • Participant Observation - Allows the researcher to study a group in it's natural everyday settings
  • Participant Observation - The researcher can observe things from a groups perspective and develop a deeper understanding of the group. The researcher can obtain a more valid, truthful picture of the group
  • Participant Observation - Some groups (such as religious cults) may not agree to be interviewed. In this case, participant observation appears to be the only available method
stellaeden

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