unit 1a experiments surveys interviews unit 1 cie syllabus

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UNIT 1: METHODOLOGY Research methods used in sociological research

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Page 1: Unit 1a experiments surveys interviews Unit 1 CIE syllabus

UNIT 1: METHODOLOGYResearch methods used in

sociological research

Page 2: Unit 1a experiments surveys interviews Unit 1 CIE syllabus

Forms of research

Experiments

Social surveys (incl questionnaires)

Informal/unstructured interviews

Observation (participant and non-participant)

Use of secondary data

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Testing ideas (p.26-7)

Validity If the findings of

research reflect the reality they describe then they are valid.

I.E. Information obtained is truthful

Reliability If the findings can be

checked by another researcher and the results obtained will be the same

Can someone else doing the same research, in the same way, get the same results?

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Quantitative and Qualitative Data

Sociological research can produce two different kinds of data:

Quantitative -research based on numbers and statistics, presented in bar charts, graphs, tables etc ( easier and faster to analyse, may be limited in scope)

Qualitative – Descriptive research in form of words, views explained in words, not quantified (difficult to analyse, needs to be coded)

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Experiments (p.28-9) Usually start with a hypothesis

Take place in controlled environment (variables all the same)

Not common in sociology (difficult with humans)

‘Positivists’ approve of this method- ‘sociology should be more scientific’

Need to be objective-not let own values influence outcome

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Experiments

•Hawthorne Effect-If subjects know they are being studied their behaviour is affected and the outcome changed – results becoming invalid•Based on research in Hawthorne factory in USA

•Ref: textbook p.28

Problems with experiments

Hawthorne Effect

Ethics – concealing real purpose of research –is it right to deceive?

Artificiality-tests short term effects, situations are not natural, measure short term changes

Ref: textbook p.29

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Rosenthal and Jacobson field experiment

Elementary school , California 1968

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Questions

•Could this have been done in a laboratory?

•Why have a ‘control’ group?

•Which two variables were found to relate to each other?

An example of a field experiment

Researchers: Rosenthal and Jacobson

Place/time: San Francisco primary school ,1960s

Investigated effect of teacher’s expectations on academic performance

Researchers said 20% to be ‘high-attainers’ based on IQ test. (not true)

Children (randomly selected) did improve performance dramatically over 18 months

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Social Surveys: Questionnaires (Read Blundell p.30-31)

Self-completion1. Posted to/ handed to

respondent2. Low response rate (don’t

bother to reply)3. Cheaper4. Sometimes misunderstood5. Can reach larger group6. Said to be reliable because

can be carried out by other researchers

7. May not be valid-pre-set questions close off possible answers/issues

Interview 1. Researcher reads out

questions, records respondent’s answers

2. Good response rate3. Expensive (pay staff)4. Questions can be

explained if necessary5. More time-consuming6. May be more valid

because respondent can give intended response

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Pilot Studies

What is a pilot study?

A small scale, preliminary test of the questionnaire

Putting problems right at an early stage can save time, effort and money later on

Aim: it helps researchers

spot problems early on, before the research is fully underway

By testing out the questionnaire out on a few people first, difficult questions can be re-written or removed

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Types of questions in questionnaire

Open Allows respondent

to answer in own way

Harder to make it quantitative (to produce as a statistic)

More likely to reflect what respondent wanted to say (valid) truthfully

Closed ‘Fixed-choice’

question: two way or multiple choice

Can be scaled (strongly agree, agree etc)

Easy to analyse and quantify (present as graph etc)

May limit respondent’s response

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Examples of open and closed questions

Closed (fixed choice)questions: Q. Outline your reasons for choosing to study

sociology:

I wanted to try something new It was recommended to me by a teacher I think it will help me with my future career I didn’t know what else to choose

Open-ended questions: Q. Why did you opt for sociology at IGCSE? ____________________________________

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Successful Questionnaires

Think carefully about what you want to find out Use questions respondent wants to and is able

to answer Word the questions in an unprejudiced way Respect respondents right to refuse to answer Choose a sample carefully (the smaller group

which is representative of the larger group you want to investigate)

Carry out a pilot study first (a very small trial group)

Use a combination of both open and closed questions in your questionnaire

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Unstructured interviews

Seem like informal conversations but are guided by skilled, trained interviewers

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Interviewing (Read Blundell p.34-35)

Widely used technique in social research Needs good interpersonal skills and careful

preparation Suitable for sensitive topics Can produce valid data although it is not

easily replicated (i.e. Less likely to be reliable)

There are two types of interviews: structured and unstructured ( for’ Structured Interviews’ see questionnaires p.30,31)

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Strengths and LimitationsUnstructured interviews (p. 34)

STRENGTHSLIMITATIONS

Higher response rate (than self-completion questionnaires)

Respondents can answer in own words (greater validity)

More personal issues may be explored, candidate may feel they can trust the interviewer after rapport had been developed

Interviewer needs to be skilled Interviewer bias /effect* may

interfere with course of interview or results

Recording of content time-consuming/difficult/difficult to categorise data as much might be off topic/difficult to generalise from

Takes long time (interview itself) and more costly than S.C.Q.

Can’t be checked for reliability

*Interview bias occurs when the interviewer may lead, distort or present data in a biased way. /Influences the way the interviewee answers questions: can include characteristics such as ethnicity, age , gender etc.

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Overview

In real life, both structured and unstructured interviews are not always two distinctly different options. They vary in the degree to which they are one or the other.

Different research projects are suited to different interview approaches

If you need to count something..opt for the structured interview

If you want to find out why people behave in particular way..opt for unstructured interviews-

Focus group -popular.

Group discusses topics while interviewer listens, makes notes (market research/political parties)

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Vocabulary/definitions check

Write out and learn definitions for the following:

Interview bias Sample Pilot study Respondent Open-ended questions Self-completion questionnaire Response rate Hawthorne effect Ethical issue Hypothesis Generalisations