Download Factors influencing choice of Methods

Factors influencing
choice of Methods
Practical issues
• Time and money- large scale surveys may employ
dozens of interviewers and cost a great deal of
money. By contrast, a small scale project involving
a lone researcher may take several years to
complete
• Requirements of funding bodies- Research
institutes may require results to be in a particular
form
• Personal skills- Each sociologist has different
personal skills and this may affect their ability to
use different methods
More practical issues
• Subject matter- It may be harder
to study a particular group or subject
by one method than by another
• Research opportunity- Sometimes
the opportunity to carry out
research occurs unexpectedly and
this means that it may not be
possible to use methods that take
longer to prepare
Ethical issues
• Informed consent- Consent should be obtained
by the researcher
• Confidentiality- Researchers should keep the
identity of research participants secret in order
to help to prevent possible negative effects on
them
• Effects on research participants- Researchers
should try to anticipate and prevent possible
harmful effects on their subjects
More ethical issues
• Vulnerable groups- Special care should be taken
where research participants are vulnerable
because of their age, disability or physical or
mental health
• Covert research- Some sociologists argue that
the use of covert methods may be justified in
certain circumstances . These may include gaining
access to areas of social life closed to
investigation by secretive, deviant or powerful
groups
Theoretical issues
• Validity- A valid method is one that produces a
true or genuine picture of what something is
really like. It allows the researcher to get closer
to the truth
• Reliability- A reliable method is one which when
repeated by another researcher , gives the same
results
• Methodological perspective- Sociologists are
influenced by their view of what society is like
and how we should study it. There are two
contrasting perspectives on the choice of
methods: Positivism and Interpretivism
Factors influencing
choice of topic
• Theoretical perspective- A sociologists
theoretical perspective is a major influence on
their choice of topic
• Society’s values- focus of research changes over
time e.g. 60s and 70s focus on gender inequalityenvironmentalist concerns in 21st century
• Funding bodies- As the funding body is paying for
the research, it will determine the topic to be
investigated
• Practical factors-The inaccessibility of certain
situations to the researcher may also restrict
what topic they are able to study
Task
• Using p-g 164/165 explain how ‘practical’ and
‘ethical’ factors influence a researchers choice of
method
• Using p-g 165 explain the difference between
‘Validity’ and ‘Reliability’
• Using p-g 166 copy Box 20-why do positivists and
interpretivists prefer different types of data
• Using p-g 167 explain what factors influence a
researchers choice of topic