choosing a research method

?
what is primary data?
info collected by sociolgist themselves for their own purposes
1 of 14
3 methods for gathering primary data?
social surveys, participant observations, experiment
2 of 14
an advantage of primary data?
gather pricisely what is needed for their research to test their hypotheses
3 of 14
disadavntage of primary data?
costly and time consuming
4 of 14
what is secondary data?
info that has been collected by someone else for their own purposes
5 of 14
2 sources of secondary data?
official statistics, documents
6 of 14
advantages of secondary data?
quick and cheap
7 of 14
disadvantages of secondary data?
the info may not be exactly what the sociologist requires
8 of 14
what is quanititative data?
info in numerical form (includes official statistics, opinion poll data)
9 of 14
what is qualitative data?
gives a 'feel' for what something is like
10 of 14
5 pratical issues that influence choice of method?
time and money, requirements of funding bodies, personal skills and characteristics, subject matter, research opportunity
11 of 14
5 ethical issues that influence choice of method?
informed consent, confidentiality and privacy, harm, vulnerable groups, covert research
12 of 14
what are theoretical issues?
refers to questions about what we think society is like and whether we can obtain a truthful and accurate picture of society.
13 of 14
3 theoretical issues that influence choice of method?
validity, reliability, representativeness
14 of 14

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

3 methods for gathering primary data?

Back

social surveys, participant observations, experiment

Card 3

Front

an advantage of primary data?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

disadavntage of primary data?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

what is secondary data?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
View more cards

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Sociology resources:

See all Sociology resources »See all Sociological research methods resources »