methods in sociology (for lmaonah from vent; hope it helps!)

METHODS - KEY TERMSSample – small number of people selected for the study from the overall target populationTarget Population – the overall group to be studiedSampling Frame – complete list of all the members of the target populationOperationalisation – defining a concept so it is measurableImposition – the selections a researcher makes in their studyPrimary Research/Data – research that didn’t pre-exist and is collected by the researcher themselvesSecondary Research/Data – pre-existing research that the research finds as collected by someone elseOvert Observation – participants know they are being studiedCovert Observation – participants don’t know they are being studied, uninformed of the purpose of the researchEthnography – the study of a group of people’s way of life and their cultureGatekeeper – someone who knows you are a researcher and keeps you safe

SAMPLING METHODSQuota – researcher looks for people who fit the imageSnowball – participants introduce researcher to new people who are suitable for the studyStratified- dividing the population up into categoriesCluster – selecting sample from hotspots of activity that match the researcher’s studySimple Random – picking names out of a hatSystematic – picking the nth name from a listOpportunity – select people who fit the criteria of the target population from around youVolunteer – participants offer to take part in the study in response to ads

Non-Random Sampling Random Sampling

PARTICIPANT OBSERVATIONAdvantages Disadvantages

Produces strong qualitative data, uncovers meanings and achieves verstehen

Researcher risks going native if they become too involved with the participants

Can provide great insight into the participants’ lives

Hawthorne Observer effect

Flexibility Can be time-consuming and costlyPractical, some social groups closed to

outsiders so PO may be the only method to give researcher access to them

Gaining access

Participants often deceived, covert observations require studying people without

consent

PracticalEthicalTheoretical

QUESTIONNAIRESAdvantages Disadvantages

Can cover a wide audience on a geographical scale

Low response rate

Cheaper, no need to train an interviewer Unable to answer questions participants may have, define concepts if they haven’t already

been, lack validityPilot surveys iron out any problems with the questions before they are properly released

Cannot achieve verstehen

Closed questions can easily be analysed by a computer

Closed questions don’t allow the participant to elaborate or explain their opinions, reduces

validityAnonymity may encourage participants to give

honest and controversial opinionsNo way of checking if the intended person filled

in the questionnaireCan easily be repeated by other researchers when questions are posed in the same order

No interviewer bias


FORMAL STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS

Advantages DisadvantagesHigher response rate than postal

questionnairesMore expensive, have to train interviewer

Interviewer can explain questions and concepts Interviewer biasProduces scientific and objective quantitative

dataInterpretivists say it’s impossible to achieve

verstehen More reliable than qualitative data, can be

repeated by other researchersClosed questions don’t allow the participant to

elaborate or explain their opinions, reduces validity

Can develop correlations Operationalising concepts doesn’t allow people to reveal their attitudes in their own way

Representative sample means data easy to generalise

Answers easy to quantifyQuicker than unstructured interview, specific

agenda, no digression


INFORMAL UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEWSAdvantages Disadvantages

Researcher can establish rapport and trust with sensitive groups, e.g. victims of rape or

domestic violence

Digression means it’d be hard to replicate the interview by other researchers, lacks reliability

and comparabilityValidity and depth Interviewer bias

Uncovers meanings and attitudes, participants aren’t restricted by closed questions

Researcher may lose the detachment and make the research less scientific because of

becoming personally involved with participantCan generate hypotheses and theories the

researcher might not have thought ofInterviewer needs to be skilled and well-

trained, expensiveVery time-consuming


GROUP INTERVIEWSAdvantages Disadvantages

Can uncover group dynamics Dominant speakers obstruct some participants from voicing their opinions

Participants may feel more comfortable being with others, be more open and increase validity

of research

Peer pressure may influence what the participants say, may not be entirely open or

may exaggerate the truth to bow to social desirability

Participants share ideas and stimulate one another's way of thinking

Data generated from a group interview more complex to analyses, reduces reliability


CONTENT ANALYSISAdvantages Disadvantages

Cheap Unobjective, researcher chooses what categories to count

Reliable Incredibly time-consumingRepresentative samples analysed, generalisations can easily be made

Doesn’t reveal meanings behind the data

Easy to gain access to media


DOCUMENTSPersonal Documents Public Documents

Diaries Government reportsMedical records Parish registers

Letters NovelsBank statements Newspapers

Shopping lists MapsPhotographs

Paintings/drawingsPupils’ work Train timetables

School reports written about pupils School websitesGraffiti School prospectus

Letters from parents OFSTED inspection reportsText messages between pupils School textbooks

QualitativeQuantitative

OFFICIAL STATISTICSAdvantages Disadvantages

Availability Definitions used in the original research may not be the same, lacks reliability

Can examine trends and changes over time Political biasScientific, allows objectivity Cannot uncover meanings behind data

Representativeness The Dark Figure, lacks validityMake comparisons, before and After studies Support ruling class/patriarchal ideology

Cheap and quickTest hypotheses and measure correlations


LAB/FIELD/COMPARATIVE EXPERIMENTSAdvantages Disadvantages

Highly reliable, other researchers can repeat the test

Social life can’t always be reproduced artificially in a lab

Scientists are detached from study, objective Highly expensive and time-consumingExperimental effect (laboratory experiment)

Hawthorne effect (Field experiment)People may act differently depending on the

social characteristics of experimenterDeceptionConsent

Subjects who take part might not be representative of the population

Difficult to find experimental and control groups that are alike in every aspect

Possible psychological side-effects left with participants


methods in sociology (for lmaonah from vent; hope it helps!)

Education