choosing a research method

Question 1

3 methods for gathering primary data

Answer 1

social surveys
participant observation
experiments

Question 2

2 disadvantages of collecting primary data

Answer 2

costly
time consuming

Question 3

2 examples of secondary data

Answer 3

official stats
documents

Question 4

1 disadvantage of secondary data

Answer 4

the person who produced it may not be interested in the same questions as sociologists so inaccurate info

Question 5

5 practical issues

Answer 5

time and money
funding bodies
personal skills and characteristics
subject matter
research opportunity

Question 6

example of subject matter as a practical issue

Answer 6

difficult for a male sociologist to study an all female group through participant observation
-written questionnaires useless to those who cant read or write

Question 7

5 ethical issues

Answer 7

informed consent
confidentiality and privacy
harm
vulnerable groups
covert research (can cause deception)

Question 8

3 theoretical issues

Answer 8

validity
reliability
representativeness

Question 9

why do interpretivists like validity?

Answer 9

produces a true picture of what something is like. eg qualitative methods like participant observation

Question 10

which methodological perspective prefers reliability

Answer 10

positivists (uses quantitative data)

Question 11

which structural theories are positivists?

Answer 11

functionalists and marxists

Question 12

which methodological approach do interactionists prefer?

Answer 12

interpretivists

Question 13

4 factors influencing choice of topic

Answer 13

sociologists perspective
societys values
practical factors
funding bodies

Question 14

how can the sociologists perspective influence choice of topic?

Answer 14

feminist researcher- domestic violence

Question 15

how can practical factors influence choice of topic

Answer 15

access can restrict what they study

Question 16

positivists

Answer 16

cause and effect relationships
sociology as a science
objective

Question 17

do interpretivists favour a hypothesis to begin with or an aim, and why?

Answer 17

aim, more open-ended, arent tied to trying to prove a hypothesis

Question 18

operationalising concepts

Answer 18

positivists prefer this
interpretivists dont because they are interested in actors own meanings and definitions rather than imposing their definitions of concepts

Question 19

pilot study

Answer 19

trying out a version/ draft

Question 20

example of sampling frame

Answer 20

electorial register

Question 21

random sampling

Answer 21

random number generator or names picked out of hat. everyone has an equal chance of being selected

Question 22

systematic/ quasi-random sampling

Answer 22

every nth person in the sampling frame is selected

Question 23

stratified random sampling

Answer 23

stratifies (breaks down) population in sampling frame. the sample is then created in the same proportion

Question 24

quota sampling

Answer 24

population is stratified and each interviewer is given a quota which they have to fill with respondents who fit these characteristics. continue until quota is filled

Question 25

3 practical reasons it may not be possible to create a representative sample

Answer 25

1. social characteristics of research population may not be known. so impossible to create a representative sample 2. impossible to find/ create a sampling frame for that particular research population 3. potential respondents may refuse to participate

Question 26

snowball sampling

Answer 26

collecting a sample by contacting a number of key individuals who are asked to suggest others who may be interviewed (word of mouth)

Question 27

opportunity sampling

Answer 27

selecting from passers-by in the street

Question 28

theoretical reasons not to have a representative sample

Answer 28

interpretivists believe validity is more important