Research Methods: Research Design (AQA GCSE Sociology): Flashcards

A sociologist's choice of method is influenced by practical, ethical and theoretical issues.

Positivism is the view that knowledge about the social world should be gained through scientific methods, by developing and testing hypotheses to discover the facts.

False.

Positivists focus on behaviour that can be observed and measured, rather than on people's feelings or emotions.

Positivists prefer quantitative methods, such as large-scale surveys, which gather facts and figures to describe society in statistical terms.

Interpretivism is the view that sociologists should use non-scientific methods to understand the meaning behind people's behaviour.

Interpretivists prefer qualitative methods such as in-depth interviews and participant observation, where the researcher joins the group being studied.

Interpretivists argue that scientific methods are inappropriate because people are completely different from the subject matter studied in the natural sciences.

One criticism of interpretivist research is that it is difficult to achieve objectivity, as the researcher's own beliefs and interpretations can affect the research outcomes.

False.

The distinction is less rigid nowadays, and sociologists see both approaches as crucial for gaining knowledge about society.

A mixed methods approach uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to produce both types of data in a single study.

A mixed methods approach creates a complete picture of the topic, enables connections and comparisons and uses the strengths of both types of data.

Triangulation is cross-checking the results of a qualitative approach and a quantitative approach.

In research, the population is the whole group the sociologist wants to study, such as students, stay-at-home dads or prisons.

A sample is a subgroup of the population that is studied, because it can be impossible to question the full population.

A sampling frame is a full list of all members of the population being studied, such as a school register or the voters' roll.

An inaccurate sampling frame produces a sample that is not representative, so it is difficult to generalise the results to the wider population.

Non-probability sampling is used when no sampling frame is available, such as when studying homeless people.

Random sampling is where each member of the population has an equal chance of being selected.

Systematic random sampling involves taking every nth participant from the sampling frame.

A stratified random sample is selected by dividing the population into strata (subgroups), such as by age and gender, and drawing a sample randomly from each subgroup in proportion to its size in the population.

False.

Probability sampling is more difficult and time-consuming, as a sampling frame may be hard to obtain.

Snowball sampling is where the researcher contacts one member of the population and gains their trust until they identify others who may take part.

Market researchers often use quota sampling, interviewing an exact number of people from certain categories in proportion to the wider population.

Purposive sampling is where a sample is selected according to a known characteristic, such as being a headteacher or an MP.

False.

Non-probability methods are biased, as the researcher controls who is selected; for example, they may avoid people they don't like the look of.

Sources of primary data include questionnaires, structured interviews, in-depth interviews, participant observation and non-participant observation.

Sources of secondary data include official statistics, non-official statistics, the mass media and personal documents.

Quantitative data is data presented in numerical form, usually displayed in graphs, bar charts or tables.

Qualitative data is data presented in visual or verbal form, such as words or quotations rather than numbers.

False.

Qualitative data is collected using less standardised methods, such as unstructured interviews or diaries.

Unstructured interviews require a lot of time and money to carry out, input and analyse the data.

A researcher who cannot afford a large study may carry out a small-scale project, which is cheaper to conduct.

A researcher's access to resources, such as research funds, can be a major factor in deciding which methods they use.

Analysing data means interpreting or making sense of the information and summarising the key outcomes.

Computer software can summarise the data, examine relationships between factors and present results as graphs and bar charts.

True.

After analysing the data, the sociologist can draw conclusions and decide whether the data supports their hypothesis.

Research is valid if it actually measures what it set out to measure.

Research findings are reliable if the same results are obtained a second time using the same methods.

A sociologist could test whether a piece of research is reliable by having another sociologist replicate the study to see whether they get the same results.

False.

Questionnaires are considered more reliable because they are standardised, so all participants are asked the same questions.

Qualitative methods such as participant observation give the researcher deeper insight through first-hand experience.

Representativeness refers to whether the participants in a study represent a larger group.

If research is valid, reliable and representative, sociologists can use the findings to make generalisations about the wider population.

Sociologists can obtain a representative sample by using large-scale quantitative methods such as questionnaires and sampling methods such as stratified sampling.

Informed consent means participants are told the aim of the research and their role in it, so they can decide whether to take part and have the right to refuse.

False.

Consent should be obtained before the research begins and again during the study.

If participants are under 18, parental consent should be gained.

Confidentiality means keeping participants' identity secret and never reporting on them in a way that reveals who they are.

Researchers must anticipate and prevent harm such as police intervention, harm to employment prospects and psychological harm.

Experienced sociologists review their peers' work before publication to determine how valid the research is.