Socological research methods

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  • Created by: EllenMa15
  • Created on: 12-11-16 21:11

Trianguation

- Looks at the validation of data

- Cross verificatin of two or more sources

- Increasing the validity of the reaearch

-Derran (1970) way of assessing the validity and reliability of reseach

- ADVANTAGES

Quantitave and qualitative data

Overcoming constraints

Check reliabilit of sources

- DISADVANTAGES

Time consuming

Costly

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Positivism

- Only study what they see, measure and count

- Use methods that produce interpretive data

- Data favoured in numerical form

- Based on exeriment or observation

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Interpretivism

- People are free to make decisions

- They need to understand the individual

- Favour qualitative data

 - Can give a sense of the person's feelings

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Quantitative data - Official statistics

- Collected by central or local government

- Make comparisons between groups eg: census

- Favoured by positivists

ADVANTAGES:

Avoid biases

Easy to access

Value free

DISADVANTAGES:

Not cheap to collect

Some lack validity eg: massaged to look better by gov

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Emille Durkheim Suicide

Method: Correlational method using official statistics

Findings: Constant suicide rates, Protestants more likely, Single more likely than married

Conclusion: Scil integration affects likleyhood, Suicide was a Social factor, Influential not individual

Strengths: Large scale, Identify patterns and trends, Can be used as a prediction

Weaknesses: Lack of validity, Can never stop it, Never know if someone meant it

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Surveys - Primary Data

Strengths

Sampling larger ammounts

Cheaper

Less time consuming

Weaknesses

People can't be bothered

Worst Response rates

Life is too complicaed to categorise (interpretivists)

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Interviews - Primary Data

Strengths

Large ammounts of quantitative data

Constructed quickly

Better response rates

Weaknesses

Artificial devices - suspicion

Inflexible

Ony taken at one moment in time

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Observed behaviour - Tally Charts - Primary Data

Strengths

Researcher observed first hand

Results are valid

Weaknesses

Mistrust

Bias

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Quantitative - Secondary Data

Strengths-

Cheap

Comparable

Reliable

Weaknesses -

Time consuming

Subjective

Can analyse texts out of context

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Qualitative Data examples (8)

In depth interviews

Focus Groups

Case notes

Diaries

Field notes and observation

Personal documents

Semi - structured interviews

Text, audio, videos

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Practical issues in Qualitative data

PRACTICAL

Recording data

Access

Time

Safety

Cost

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Ethical Issues in Qualitative Data

ETHICAL

Rapport

Permission

Confidentiality

Right to withdraw

Debrief

Right to Privacy

Anonymity

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Random and Non - Random Sampling

Random - Type of lottery

Non - random - deiberately targetting specific groups rather than a sample

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Systematic Sampling - Random

Picking out a number and choosing every 10th from a sampling frame until required nuber is reached.

Strengths:

Larger sample

Representative

Less likely to be biased

Weaknesses:

Does ot always guarentee a representative sample

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Quota sampling - Non random

-Like stratified but variation

- How many of each person should be included

STRENGTHS:

Specific characteristics

Likely to be interested so better data

WEAKNESSES:

Bias

Doubtful whether you can gather a fully representative sample

Limited views - can't be generalised

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Purposive sampling - Non random

-Choosing individuals that fit the nature of the research

STRENGTHS:

Specific characterstics

Likely to be interested

WEAKNESSES:

Bias

Limited view- can't be generalised

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Opportunity sampling - Non random

Making the most out of situations that the research population is likely to be found

STRENGHTS:

People want to take part

WEAKNESSES:

Only certain types of people take part

Views may not be representative

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Quota sampling - Non random

-Like stratified but variation

- How many of each person should be included

STRENGTHS:

Specific characteristics

Likely to be interested so better data

WEAKNESSES:

Bias

Doubtful whether you can gather a fully representative sample

Limited views - can't be generalised

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Snowball sampling - Non random

existing study subjects recruit future subjects from among their acquaintances. Thus the sample group is said to grow like a rolling snowball. As the sample builds up, enough data are gathered to be useful for research.

STRENGTHS:

Might have specific experts in the area of study

More likely to be representative

WEAKNESSES:

Ony certain people will take part

Views may not be representative

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Ethics in sociology

PROFESSIONAL INTEGRITY

Is the research socially useful?, Do they have appropriate skills?, Can you represent the groups being stuied accurately?

RELATIONSHIPS + RESPONSIBILITIES WITH RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS

Participants should be protected from harm - personal safety, Should be able to give informed consent, Should be able to withdraw from research at any time

ANONMITY, PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

Participants should have their privacy respected, Participants identity should be kept confidential, Participants should be informed that researchers can be forced to give evdence in a court of law.

RELATIONS WITH & RESPONSIBILITIES TOWARDS SPONSERS AND / OR FUNDERS

Should be based on professionalism and whilst the researcher has the obligation to the funder, their primary responsibility is to the wider society

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STUDIES: Humphrey's tea room trade ethical issues

ETHICAL ISSUES:

No informed consent

No confidentiality or anonymity

No right to withdraw

Did not protecct them from harm

HOW COULD THESE ISSUES HAVE BEEN OVERCOME?

Informed the participants

Should have taken more measures to ensure the anonymity

Should NOT have interiewed them - put them at risk

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STUDIES: Us army human terrain system ethical issu

ISSUES:

Put peple at risk

No freedom from coercion

No informed consent

Did not protect from harm

HOW THE ISSUES COULD HAVE BEEN OVERCOME

Informed the participants

Should not have interviewed them

Should have kept the research confidential

Given freedom from coercion

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STUDIES: Venkatesh gang leader for a day ethcal is

ETHICAL ISSUES

Should have kept prvacy

Did not have appropriate skills to carry out research

Deciet - not anonymous

No informed consent

Written an expose - could have been in danger

HOW THE ISSUES COULD HAVE BEEN OVERCOME

Informed participants

Ensured anonymity

Should not have taken part in illegal activities

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STUDIES: Philipe Bourgois Selling crack in El Barr

ETHICAL ISSUES

Unnecessary safety risks

No informed consent

No protection from harm

STRENGTHS:

Covertly done and detailed informative results

WEAKNESSES:

Faked his identity and the activities done were unlawful and illegal

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Philipe Bourgois study 2

REASONS WHY THE STUDY COULD BE USEFUL:

Provided rich data about ethnic identity

Information on racism and drug rings in NY

WAYS THE STUDY COULD HAVE BEEN IMPROVED:

Bourgois should not have moved his family as he put them in danger

Should have had the right to withdraw

Should not have taken part in illegal activities

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STUDIES: Triangulation Making of the Moonies

METHODS:

Used participant observation to get an insight into their lives. In depth interviews to get rich data and Questionnaires to provide depth and validity

STRENGTHS:

High in validity

Stuck to ethical guidelines

WEAKNESSES:

Not representative

Not reliable

Participant observation not reliablle ad subjective

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Making of the moonies triangulation 2

Why did triangulation improve the validity of the research?

The methods complimented each other to ensure that the findings were correct nd increased the validity - can depict a true picture of social reality

Explain why Barkers' research cannot be considered reliable

Her chice of methods would make i hard for someone to replicate the study and she could have developed a relationship with the participants

How could you change the research to increase the reliability?

Should not have used participant observation as it is subjective.Should have used more quantitative research methods so it would have been easier for someone to replicate the study. Should have studied other religious groups to contrast to the Moonies

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STUDIES: Lads and Ladettes

Examies laddishness and understands boys' motives subscribing to the cultures. Explores whether girl adopt ladish attitudes and whethe it has an impact on work ethic.

Pilot project including semi - structured interviews 2 groups of boys

Larger project funded by ESRC boys and girls both studied

STRENGTHS:

mixed quantitative and qualitative data

Representative

WEAKNESSES:

Results may only reflect a specific culture

Assumes that pupils unerstand the term 'laddishness' as the same thing

No certainty that the pupils didnt exaggerate laddishness to gain status

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STUDIES: The BCS

Example of a victimisation study - a survey that asks people about their experiences of victims of crime.

Uses a questionnaire and face to face interviews. The sample is reresentatie of the households in th UK. The sampling involves multi stage stratified random sampling and a booster sample

STRENGTHS:

Large sample

Longitudinal

Can give a better picture of the true extent of crime

WEAKNESSES:

Police figures subject to criticism

Cannot measure all types of crime

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