Sociological research methods
What's covered
Key facts
Informed consent means participants should know they are being studied and agree to take part understanding the research purpose.
The census is a government survey of every household in the UK, carried out every ten years, and is a key source of official statistics.
Interpretivists prefer qualitative methods to gain an in-depth understanding of the meanings behind people's actions.
Quantitative methods tend to prioritise reliability and representativeness, while qualitative methods tend to prioritise validity.
An aim is a broad statement of what the researcher intends to study or find out; it is wider and less specific than a hypothesis.
Interpretivists prefer qualitative methods and prioritise validity, often sacrificing reliability and representativeness.
Documents are a type of secondary source and include personal documents (diaries, letters, autobiographies) and public/official documents (reports, records, newspapers).
Mixed methods (triangulation) combine quantitative and qualitative data to improve the strength of the research.
In random sampling every member of the sampling frame has an equal chance of being selected, removing researcher bias.
Generalisation is applying the findings from a representative sample to the wider population being studied.
Sample questions
A taste of the 74 questions in this topic, answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
Which of the following is a practical factor affecting a sociologist's choice of method?
- •Obtaining informed consent from participants
- ✓Time, cost and access to the group studied
- •Whether the data is valid and representative
- •Whether the method fits a positivist approach
Which best defines secondary data?
- ✓Data that already exists, produced by someone else for another purpose
- •Data the sociologist collects first-hand for their own study
- •Descriptive data about people's feelings and experiences
- •Numerical data displayed in charts, tables and graphs
Which of these methods typically produces quantitative data?
- •Participant observation
- •Personal diaries
- ✓Structured questionnaires
- •Unstructured interviews
What does validity mean in sociological research?
- •Every member of the population had an equal chance of selection
- ✓The research measures what it claims to and gives a true picture
- •The sample is typical of the wider population studied
- •The study gives the same results when repeated by others
What is a hypothesis in sociological research?
- •A broad statement of what the researcher hopes to study
- •A sample chosen to represent the wider population
- •A summary of the findings written after the research is complete
- ✓A testable statement that research aims to prove or disprove
What ethical principle requires participants to know they are being studied and to agree to take part?
- •Confidentiality
- ✓Informed consent
- •Reliability
- •Representativeness
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