Secondary Sources of Data: Qualitative Methods (AQA A Level Sociology): Flashcards
Exam code: 7192
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Define personal documents.
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Cards in this collection (15)
Define personal documents.
Personal documents, also known as life documents, are documents created by individuals that record personal experiences and social actions, e.g. letters, diaries and blogs.
Why do interpretivists prefer personal documents?
Interpretivists prefer personal documents because they give insight into meanings and lived experiences.
What did Thomas and Znaniecki (1918-20) analyse to study migration?
Thomas and Znaniecki analysed 764 personal letters to explore individuals' experiences of migration and social change.
True or False?
Personal documents are seen as high in validity.
True.
Personal documents offer rich, qualitative insights into people's thoughts, feelings and experiences in their own words.
Personal documents are often unrepresentative because only certain groups, such as ...................... and reflective individuals, tend to leave them behind.
Personal documents are often unrepresentative because only certain groups, such as literate and reflective individuals, tend to leave them behind.
Why can access be a problem when using personal documents?
Access can be a problem because gaining permission to use letters, diaries or other private materials can be difficult due to ethical and privacy concerns.
How can diaries provide longitudinal insight?
Diaries provide longitudinal insight because they can cover extended periods, showing how attitudes or behaviours change over time.
Define public documents.
Public documents are documents produced by organisations such as schools, hospitals and government departments, e.g. Ofsted reports and census data.
Why do positivists prefer public documents?
Positivists prefer public documents because they are reliable and can be quantified.
Which of Scott's (1990) criteria asks whether a document is genuine?
Authenticity is the criterion that asks whether a document is genuine and free from error.
True or False?
Scott's credibility criterion asks whether a document is believable.
True.
Credibility asks whether a document is believable, e.g. whether it was intended for publication or edited to persuade.
Define content analysis.
Content analysis is a method used to systematically analyse the content of documents, either qualitatively or quantitatively.
In quantitative content analysis, the researcher first constructs a set of ...................... categories.
In quantitative content analysis, the researcher first constructs a set of predetermined categories.
Why may public documents be affected by censorship?
Public documents may be affected by censorship because governments or organisations may omit, distort or censor documents to present a favourable image or hide sensitive information.
Why are historical documents useful to sociologists?
Historical documents are useful because they allow researchers to study past societies, values or policies that cannot be researched using modern methods.
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