Download Research Methods Lesson 1 choosing a research method types of

Research
Methods
Lesson 1
choosing a
research method
types of data
Objectives:
• To know the main types of data are and what research methods
sociologists use
• Understand the practical, ethical, and theoretical factors influencing
choice of method and topic, and assess their importance
Starter
Look at the
photograph, As a
sociologist, you want
to study a particular
group in school. In
pairs think about the
following questions…
1. Which group
might you want
to study? Why?
2. What ways could
you use to find
out information
about the group?
3. What prior
knowledge or
training might
you need to
carry out the
research?
Why do we need to do research?
• Sociologists create theories to explain
social phenomena but these need to be
You
need to by
be evidence…
able to comment on whether
supported
research is ‘good evidence’ or not; in order
– Other sociologists may challenge the credibility
to do this you need to understand the
of the theory and the sociologist.
methods and issues involved.
– Theories may inform government policy so they
need to be correct!
– It is the acquisition of empirical evidence that
separates sociology from common sense.
Types/sources of data
Quantitative data
Qualitative data
Numerical data e.g
• official statistics on how many
girls achieved A*-C
• % of marriages ending in divorce
Non-numerical data
Gives a ‘feel’ for what something is
like. More in-depth e.g
• What does it feel like to
underachieve
• How does it feel to get divorced
Often collected via in depth
interviews or participant observations
Primary sources of data
Secondary sources of data
Information collected by the
sociologist for their own purposes to
test their hypothesis (an untested
theory) e.g
• Questionnaires
• Experiments
• Participant observations
Information collected by someone
else for their purpose, which the
sociologist may then use. E.g
• Official statistics produced by the
government (i.e unemployment
figures)
• Documents such as newspapers,
diaries, TV broadcasts
Primary Data
Primary data: collected by sociologists themselves
for their own purposes. To get a ‘picture’ of a
group in society or to test a hypothesis.
Social surveys: asking people questions in a
written questionnaire or an interview
Participant observation: the sociologist joins in
with the activities of the group he/she is
studying
Experiments: sociologists rarely use lab
experiments, but may use field experiments and
the comparative method.
Primary Data
Secondary Data
• Information that has been collected or created
by someone else for their own purposes, but
which the sociologist can then use.
Official statistics: produced by government
on a wide range of issues such as education, crime,
divorce and unemployment. As well as other stats
produced by charities, businesses ect.
Documents: such as letters, emails, diaries,
photographs, official reports, newspapers,
internet and television broadcasts.
Secondary Data
Qualitative vs. quantitative data
• Sociologists use 2 types of data in their
research.
Quantitative: info in numerical form.
Qualitative: ‘feel’ for what something is
like.
Provide rich descriptions of people’s
feelings and experiences
TASK
• Sort the cards out into strengths
and weaknesses of each type of
data
• We will go through the answers as a
class when all groups have
completed this
Primary data - strengths
• The sociologist can gather the precise
information they need.
• The data is contemporary and up-todate.
Primary data - limitations
• It’s costly and time consuming.
– The sociologist may be limited in terms of the
amount of data they can collect.
• The sociologist may not be able to gain
personal access to the people they wish to
study.
• Sociologists do not have the power to
compel people to take part in their
research.
• It can still be biased
Secondary data - strengths
• It’s a quick and cheap way of doing
research.
• The sociologist can have access to large
amounts of data.
Secondary data - limitations
• It may not provide the precise
information the sociologist is interested
in.
• The data may have been collected by
someone/an organisation with ulterior
motives and therefore may be biased.
Quantitative data - strengths
• Quick and easy to analyse.
• Enables the sociologist to identify
trends and patterns over time and
between groups.
• Generally regarded as more reliable and
objective and therefore scientific.
Quantitative data - limitations
• It lacks detail – it doesn’t reveal the
reasons for the behaviour or the
meanings attached to it by those
involved.
• May lead to overgeneralisations being
made which prove to be invalid.
Qualitative data - strengths
• Provides rich detailed information.
• Allows the sociologist to appreciate the
reasons for behaviour and the meanings
attached to it by those involved.
Qualitative data - limitations
• Time consuming and difficult to analyse.
• Often analysis of the data requires
interpretation on the part of the
sociologist, it therefore may be open to
bias and therefore not be valid.
• Sociologists may misinterpret what
people say; the meaning of words
differs between people.
• Tends to come from smaller samples
limiting the extent to which
generalisations can be made.
• No data produced by research is perfect and when
considering their limitations, the following
concepts need to be considered:
• Reliability- data is reliable if another researcher
using identical methods would produce the same
results. Reliability can be checked when research
is replicated.
• Validity- this concerns how true the data is, that
is, how close the fit is between the data and
reality. Data is invalid if does not match reality.
• Representativeness- data is representative if the
individual’s studies are a typical cross section of
the wider population that the researcher is
interested in. If it is not, then generalisations
about the wider group they represent cannot be
made.
Plenary
• Draw a table summarising
primary, secondary,
qualitative and quantitative.
• Include one strength and one
limitation of each.