Sociological research methods
What's covered
Key facts
Practical, ethical and theoretical issues
The British Sociological Association (BSA) publishes a Statement of Ethical Practice that sets out the ethical standards sociologists should follow.
Primary and secondary data and sources
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.
Quantitative and qualitative methods
Closed questions offer respondents a fixed set of answers to choose from, producing quantitative data that is reliable and easy to analyse.
Sampling, reliability, validity and representativeness
The Hawthorne effect is when people who know they are being studied change their behaviour, which lowers the validity of the data.
The research process and research design
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.
Practical, ethical and theoretical issues
Covert observation raises ethical problems because participants are deceived and cannot give informed consent.
Primary and secondary data and sources
The 'dark figure' of unreported and unrecorded crime means official crime statistics under-state the true level of crime, lowering their validity.
Quantitative and qualitative methods
Interpretivists prefer qualitative methods to gain an in-depth understanding of the meanings behind people's actions.
Sampling, reliability, validity and representativeness
Overt observation is the method most at risk of the Hawthorne effect because participants know they are being watched.
The research process and research design
Generalisation is applying the findings from a representative sample to the wider population being studied.
Practice questions with answers
A taste of the 66 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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