Sociology Education - Methods in Context

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Strengths and limitations of Research Methods
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Strengths
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who prefers open questionaires? (theoretical)
interpretivists
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what are the practical strengths of postal questionaires?
big sample size (quantative = representative) and cheap.
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why are postal questionaires used?
population is geographically disperesed across the country = comparing scottish views on NHS compared with english and welsh.
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how are they customer-friendly?
do not require a lot of time (especially closed questions), returend quickly to researcher.
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how are they useful when asking certain questions?
asking embarassing or sensitive questions (health-related).
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how do questionaires increase validity of research?
people may be more liekly to tell truth, if gurantees anonymity.
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how do postal questionaires have an advantage ?
can be completed in home, so influence of others wont affect answer.
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what do questionaires ensure?
minimum contact with researcher so personal characteristics won't influence results.
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why are positivists keen on questionaires?
high in reliability, produces alot of statistical data which can be compared and correlated.
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what are closed questionaires?
series of questions accompanied by choice of answers.
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what data does it produce?
quantitative data (statistical).
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what are open questionaires?
open-ended questions.
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what data does this produce?
qualitative.
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Weaknesses
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what are the weaknesses of poor question design?
questions can be biased, technical vocab some people won't understand.
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what do postal quetionaires suffer from?
low response or non-response rates.
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what are the impacts of low response rates?
not be representative, response rates of 50% can undermine validity of research.
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why is difficult to go into depth?
questionions need to be clear and simple.
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what do interpretivists suggest?
low in validity, respondents interpret questions differently.
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who can use questionaires?
literate people.
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Strengths
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why are positvists keen on structured interviews?
scientific, highly reliable and easily repeated.
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what increases quantitivity of data?
use of closed questions - esily converted into tables.
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how does this method increase representative sample?
can be conduted quickly, pre-set range of questions, short period of time = generalisations can be made.
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how does it reduce non-responses and ethical concerns?
interviewers can explain aims and objectives to clarify instructions.
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why do interviews get better response rates?
interviewers can return if the respondent is not at home.
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what increases reliability?
pre-coded answers to questions, rsearcher will categorise responses.
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who are keen on unstructured interviews?
interpretivist.
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why do interpretivists like unstrucutred interviews?
allow the researcher to establish an relationship with respondent.
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what are interview subjects more likely to do in unstructured interviews than in questionaires and structured interviews?
more likely to open up and say what they really feel and mean.
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how does this produce more valid and qualitative data?
allows researcher to get inside heads of people, see world through their eyes.
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why are respondents more likely to discuss sensitive issues?
if the respondent feels interviewer is sympathetic, empathetic and interested. Respondent is placed at centre of research.
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why might the researcher formulate a new hypotheses?
unstructured interviews flexible, interviewer is not restricted explore whatever is interesting.
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how does this produce more valid responses?
suited to researching sensitive groups, allows researcher to explain purpose of research. Anonymity and confidentiality encourages people to open up.
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how is data highly valid?
provide richer more vivid and more colourful data.
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how do group interviews help with responses?
example = children who fell threatened if interviewed by an adult, feel reassured if friends are present.
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what do sociologists believe?
truer more valid picture of participants behaviour will emerge.
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Weaknesses
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why do structured interviews produce partial or false information?
artificial devices, not a normal part of everyday reality = people may respond with suspicion.
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why do positivists criticise unstructured interviews?
unscientific, lack reliability. Not a standarised measuring instrument becuase interview is different depends on unique relationship.
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why might data be biased?
researcher has got a personal relationship with interviewee, researcher might overly-sympathise = data is biased.
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why might selected material be biased?
researcher has to be selective, researcher may consciously or unconsciously select material that supports their views.
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what are the impacts of having no pre-coded answers?
qualitive data from unstructured interviews is difficult to analyse. Positivists dont like this data = impossible to quantify.
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what do positivists claim?
unstructured interviews use fewer participants than surveys = less representative of research population.
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what is the danger of group interviews?
1 or 2 strong personalities may lead to other respondents to give particular answers. Peer pressure.
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Strengths
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what are the impacts of no observer effect?
behaviour should be natural = valid.
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what does this enable researchers to do?
penetrate deviant groups and other areas considered forbidden.
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what does this produce?
rsearch can produce insightful data rich in validity.
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who prefers this?
interpretivists.
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what is ethically correct with overt observations?
researcher is being honest and open about his/her role - no one is being deceived.
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due to participants being aware what does this lead to?
participants may agree to take part in interviews or self-complete questionaires.
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Weaknesses
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what may limit sample size?
can be hard to gain entry into remote groups and then to achieve acceptance from all members.
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what is ethically wrong with covert observations?
spying on people behind their backs (no consent).
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what may compromise researchers?
group studied breaks law.
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what are the impacts of overt observations?
researching certain deviant behaviour or groups closed to outsiders - only someone on the inside can really gain access to their behaviour and secrets.
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what affects validity?
Hawthorn effect = change behaviour because know the are being watched.
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Strengths
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what are the practical impacts of offcial statistics?
extremely easy and cheap to access - available via internet involve little effort from sociologist.
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what are they often gathered by?
surveys which involve large representative samples, usually be generalsed to similar populations.
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what do positivists think about official statistics?
'hard' reliable facts, collected in a standarised, systematic and scientific fashion.
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how do they avoid bias?
collected in the 'national interest' avoid biases of private research.
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because its secondary what do researchers not have to consider?
ethical issues.
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who favours official statistics?
positivists - allow us to spot trends/correlation make generalisations = less room for subjective bias to interfere with research process.
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Weaknesses
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what are the practical issues?
expensive to collect, takesa lot of time to cllect data.
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how does it affect validity?
may not present a complete picture - only partial.
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how are they sometimes selective and biased?
socially constructed -end result of someone making a decision or judgement that a particular set of activities needs recording an
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Strengths
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what are they used to supplement?
quantitative secondary data.
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what are they rich in?
detailed and valid - everyday experiences and practices.
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when are they used?
where no other source of data exists.
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what do they provide?
only insight sociologists have into the past, how things were done in the past = comparisons over time (trends).
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what do they show?
effectiveness of social policy measures.
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Weaknesses
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what is the danger of personal or expressive documents?
biased - not present an objective view of situation.
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what is this type of data?
unreliable - cannot be checked for accuracy. unrepresentative - mainly product of middle-class professionals.
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how does it affect validity?
doubts about authenticity - can be forged.
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why are public documents not reliable?
cannot be checked in a firsthand way.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Strengths

Back

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Card 3

Front

who prefers open questionaires? (theoretical)

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

what are the practical strengths of postal questionaires?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

why are postal questionaires used?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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