Choosing a Research

Method:

Within this methods topic you will be studying many different research methods.

Before you consider any of these in any detail you will need to be aware of all

the factors that might influence the researchers choice of research method/s.

This includes having an understanding of different types of data, practical issues,

ethical issues, theoretical issues & the issues regarding the choice of research

topic itself.

By the end of this topic you

should:

> Know what the main types of data are & what research

methods sociologists use

> Understand the practical, ethical. Theoretical factors

influencing choice of method & topic, and be able to assess

their relative importance.

> Understand the difference between Positivist &

Interpretivist approaches to research.

This is TEXTUAL information which is usually obtained

in smaller quantities i.e. on a MICRO Scale (Quality).

This is NUMERICAL information which is usually

obtained in large quantities i.e. on a MACRO Scale

(Quantity).

Types of Data:

One of the first things that researchers will take into account when conducting

research is the type of data that they want to obtain from their studies.

Quantitative

Data:

Qualitative Data:

This is standardised data is OBJECTIVE & RELIABLE. It is easy to QUANTIFY.

This is detailed, in-depth data that is SUBJECTIVE & VALID. It is difficult to

quantify and relies on INTERPRETATIONS.

Give examples of topics

you could study that

would be better suited to

a)Quantitative Data

&

b) Qualitative Data.

This is information that has been collected by other

researchers which the sociologist can then draw on for their

research i.e. it is data THAT ALREADY EXISTS.

This is information collected by sociologists

themselves during their research i.e. it is NEW data.

Researchers also need to take into account whether or not they wish to use/ need

to use Primary or Secondary Sources…

Primary Sources:

Secondary

Sources:

This allows researchers to gather specific information that they need for their particular

research. This can be costly & time consuming.

This can be used to support Primary Sources and/or inspire new ideas for other

research. It is usually quick, easy & cheap to obtain. It can however be ‘outdated’

quickly & difficult to find data to suit the sociologists current research.

Here then, the researcher is faced different combinations of data: He/She could

choose:> Primary Quantitative

Data > Secondary Quantitative

Data > Primary Qualitative

Data> Secondary Qualitative

Data

> Give Examples of Primary Sources of Data as well as

Secondary Sources of Data.

See table on next

slide…..

Primary Data

Collection:

Secondary Data

Collection:

Quantitative Data Qualitative Data

Artificial Experiments Natural/ Field

Experiments

Comparative Method

Large Scale Surveys

Questionnaires (Closed

Ended/ Pre-Coded Qs)

Structured

(Formal)

InterviewsNon-Participant

Observations

Small Scale Surveys (Case Studies)

Questionnaires (Open-Ended

Qs)Unstructured (Informal) Interviews

Participant

Observations

Official Statistics

Diaries

Newspaper Articles

Auto/ Biographies

Life Histories

Documentaries

(TV/ Radio)

Moving away from choosing types of data, there are other vital factors that

researchers must consider too before embarking on any research….

Practical Issues:

Ethical Issues:

Theoretical

Issues:

P.E.T

Can you think what any of

these might refer to/ include?

Practical

Issues: Time & Money:

Funding Bodies:

Personal Skills

& Characteristics:

Subject Matter:

Research

Opportunity

:

Different methods use up various amounts of resources e.g. the

researcher might need to employ people to carry out surveys &

input data which is expensive. Participant Observations are cheap

but take up lots of time.

Governments, Businesses, Universities etc may require different

types of data & therefore the researcher has limited choices e.g.

Governments like to collect Statistical Data to inform Social policy.

Each researcher is different & therefore may be

limited in their choices of methods e.g. if hey need to

blend into a group, / have good obs. Skills /

patience / Memory etc.

If the topic requires opinions, feelings, thoughts on just plain facts

and figures will impact on choice of method. Also whether or not

the subject is sensitive or difficult to study needs considering.

In some cases research opportunities may occur

unexpectedly & therefore effects the researchers time &

planning.

Ethical Issues:

Consent:

Confidentialit

y & Privacy:

Danger &

Harm:

Vulnerabl

e Groups:

Covert Research:

…What are Ethics?...

Participants should be able to refuse being researched. The

researcher should be open & honest about the research so that

informed consent can be given by the participant. They should be

able to opt out of the research if they so wish.

All participant identities should be kept confidential to

prevent any negative effects. Participants have the right to

refuse information.

No psychological or physical harm should come to the

participants. Also, participants should not be placed in any

illegal or immoral situations.

Extra care & attention should be give to any group/ participants

that are deemed as vulnerable in terms if age, gender, disability,

ethnicity, physical or mental health.

This is when the researcher goes ‘Under Cover’ & keeps their

identity as a researcher hidden from the participants. This

obviously creates many ethical problems as deceit, lying, lack of

consent etc.

There are 2 main groups of sociologists who have conflicting

views on how society works. These are known as POSITIVISTS &

INTERPRETIVISTS (See separate PowerPoint)

Whether or not the participants are a good cross-section of the

group the researcher is interested in. If the participant ‘Sample’ is

a good cross-section then the information obtained from them can

be ‘Generalised’ to the bigger group.

(Truthfulness) A valid method is one that produces a true, full

picture of what is being studied. It is not Repeatable as different

results could occur everytime the method is implemented.

(Replicability) A reliable method is one that, when repeated by

another researcher, the same results will be obtained.

Theoretical

Issues:

Reliability

:

Validity:

These reflect how the researcher sees society as working e.g. can behaviour be

predicted? Are individuals more important than overall structure of society?

This applies to Quantitative Methods like

Experiments.

This applies to Qualitative Methods like Participant

Observations.

Representativenes

s:

Generally speaking, the

bigger the sample, the more

Representative it becomes.

Methodologica

l Perspective:

Choice of

Topic:

A sociologists choice of topic depends largely on what theoretical

perspective they are affiliated with/ interested in e.g. Feminists might

study the Domestic Division of Labour or Wage differences between

males & females.

Theoretical

Perspective

:

The social, political & economic climate of society might influence which

topics get studied e.g. Global Warming has/ is recently a hot topic of

research.

Societies Values:

As research is often expensive it needs funding. This funding comes

from Universities, Charities, Government Bodies, Businesses etc. As

such these organisations often get to dictate which topics should

studied and which ‘aren’t worth’ studying & therefore not worth their

funding.

Funding Bodies:

Time, Geography, Transport, Accessibility may all impact

on the choice of topic.Practical

factors: