Socological research methods
- 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
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
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
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
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
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)
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
Observed behaviour - Tally Charts - Primary Data
Strengths
Researcher observed first hand
Results are valid
Weaknesses
Mistrust
Bias
Quantitative - Secondary Data
Strengths-
Cheap
Comparable
Reliable
Weaknesses -
Time consuming
Subjective
Can analyse texts out of context
Qualitative Data examples (8)
In depth interviews
Focus Groups
Case notes
Diaries
Field notes and observation
Personal documents
Semi - structured interviews
Text, audio, videos
Practical issues in Qualitative data
PRACTICAL
Recording data
Access
Time
Safety
Cost
Ethical Issues in Qualitative Data
ETHICAL
Rapport
Permission
Confidentiality
Right to withdraw
Debrief
Right to Privacy
Anonymity
Random and Non - Random Sampling
Random - Type of lottery
Non - random - deiberately targetting specific groups rather than a sample
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Related discussions on The Student Room
- BTEC H/S Care Unit 4: Enquiries into Current Research in Health and Social Care »
- A-level geography NEA »
- access to HE Introduction to Psychology unit.. HELP NEEDED »
- A level Psychology help!! »
- A level AQA Psychology »
- What is the purpose of analytical method validation? »
- Synoptic Question - Psychology AQA GCSE »
- Psychology »
- Unit 4 Health and Social »
- MA Big Data at KCL vs MSc Social Research Methods LSE »
Comments
No comments have yet been made