10. Pilot studies and longitudinal studies

pilot study

a small scale trial that is carried out- this is done prior to the main study

why are pilots studies useful?

to test the idea of the small scale (if the research method would work)
if its a questionnaire or survey, they can be used to check that all the participants interpret the questions the same way
check the sample taking part are truly representative}check the interviews are well trained

pilot study

a small scale trial that is carried out- this is done prior to the main study

why are pilots studies useful?

to test the idea of the small scale (if the research method would work)
if its a questionnaire or survey, they can be used to check that all the participants interpret the questions the same way
check the sample taking part are truly representative}check the interviews are well trained

what is a longitudinal study?

studies that carried out over a long period of time.

identify one other example of a longitudinal study

the national child development study which is followed up a group of individuals born in 1958.

what research methods may be used as part of a longitudinal study?

observations, questionnaires, interviews

explain 2 reasons why positivist sociologists may favour using longitudinal study?

able to identify trends over time, scientific methods are used in the longitudinal study as they would rather get the data all by themselves. able to get many patterns and trends

explain 2 different reasons why interpretivist sociologists may not like using longitudinal studies

participants may act differently and reduce validity
would be impossible to get the researcher to be involved with the group