Research methods

Questionnaire

Questionnaire/survey A way of obtaining information in a standardised manner from a large group of people.

Advantages

• Get to know exactly what you want
• Provides quantitative data – easy to analyse
• Larger samples can be studied
• Replicable and reliable

Disadvantages

• People may not answer truthfully
• Researcher bias in the framing of the questions
• May not have them all returned

Similar to a questionnaire where the questions are asked by the interviewer.

Advantages

• Get to know more detail than with questionnaires
• Can provide both quantitative and qualitative data
• Answers can be followed up with more questions to gain more information
• Questions can be clarified if they are not fully understood

Disadvantages

• Can be time-consuming
• Researcher bias in the framing of the questions
• Presence of interviewer may affect the responses

A highly controlled situation where the researchers try to isolate the influence of each variable.

Advantages

• Replicable and reliable
• Control over independent variable
• Controlled environment Can establish cause and effect relationships

Disadvantages

• Artificial environment
• Ethical issues
• Behaviour changes as a result of the researcher’s presence orthe knowledge of being the subject of an experiment –‘Hawthorne effect’

An experiment conducted in the participants natural environment e.g. workplace.

Advantages

• Results generalisable to the real world
• Real life situations in natural setting
• Researcher can focus on specific aspects of social life

Disadvantages

• Results only applicable to the ‘field’ studied
• Lack of control over variables
• Difficult to repeat in the same conditions
• Ethical issues

Observer becomes part of the group they are observing

Advantages

• Study of a one or small number of groups
• Possible to study deviant groups
• Appropriate for non-literate societies

Disadvantages

• Getting too involved
• Ethical issues
• Difficulty of recording data
• Time consuming

Observer observes the individual or group from a distance without interfering with the participant’s behaviour.

Advantages

• More accurate than asking people about their behaviour
• Observe behaviour in natural environment
• Small scale detailed research

Disadvantages

• Only possible to study small samples
• Ethical issues
• Difficulty of recording data
• Time consuming

A detailed study of one or two situations or groups

Advantages

• Study of a one or small number of groups
• Obtain in-depth information of small group

Disadvantages

• Getting too involved
• Ethical issues
• Difficulty of recording data
• Time consuming