introduction to sociological research

what is sociological research?

• the founders of sociology in the 19th century attempted to produce a science of society
• attempt to follow the methods of the natural sciences when investigating the way the world works
• seen to be an attempt to challenge common sense ideas about the world and to provide solid evidence for the subsequent theories about society
• common sense explanations of the world are often based on subjective opinions which have been held for a long time, often failing to change when alternatives are presented

differences between common sense and research

common sense

• what is common sense for one person is not common sense for another
• derives from personal experience and people have limited experience
• not objective
• can be based on false beliefs and information
• often based upon memories which may be faulty

research

• based on evidence
• can be conducted in areas where most people have little experience
• objective
• can be tested
• can compare memories with other evidence to check their accuracy

examples of common sense versus research

• migrants are a drain on the economy
• exams are getting easier so examination grades go up
• children are more at risk from strangers today than in previous years

what is the purpose of sociological research?

gathering data

• knowledge can take the form of statistical information and sociological facts
• can also include observations of people in social situations or people talking about their own lives
• need to be wary about accepting these data at face value
• much effort is made in sociological research to make sure that the data gathered is as clear and accurate as possible
• sociologists always approach any data in a very cautious way

exploring relationships

• sociologists desrcibe a correlation as the situation where when social event occurs, another one tends to do so as well
• just becuase statistics demonstrate that 2 social events tend to occur together, it does not mean it is actually a causal relationship
• identifying and agreeing a causal relationship between social events is often complicated and linked with developing a sociological theory

developing and confirming theories

• the final purpose of research is to support or disprove a sociological theory
• researchers gather information and statistics which help sociologists explain why certain social events occur
• often involve providing an explanation for correlations

types of data and research methods

primary data- information that a researcher collects themselves e.g. conducting interviews

secondary data- data which already exists e.g. using historical documents

quantitative data- information that can be expressed in statistical or numerical form, positivist approach

qualitative data- information that is concerned with the meaning and interpretations people have, in depth, detailed information, interpretivist approach

evaluating sociological research

reliability

• if when repeated using exactly the same methods, research produces results in the same form
• is the research of a similar group repeatable using the same method?

representativeness

• the degree to which the findings of a study would be the same if other similar groups were studied
• the information from a representative sample should be roughly the same as…