research methods definitions

Objectives

The aim to test a theory or simply describe a situation

Sociological knowledge

Represents data that has been systematically collected, analysed and interpreted through the research process

Planning

The initial decision making stage where the researcher decides the basic details of the research

Information gathering

A data collection stage where research methods are used

Information processing

Analysing and interpreting data once it has been successfully gathered

internal analysis

Asking questions such as if the hypothesis was addressed and tested properly and if the data was collected in an appropriate way

External analysis

The process whereby conclusions are presented to a wider public audience for their analysis and criticism

Hypothesis

A statement that can be tested to discover whether it is true or not

Secondary data

Data that has been gathered by another researcher or come from another source, not the own researchers’ work

Primary data

Data that has been collected first hand by the researcher

Operationalisation

A process researchers go through to make it easier to carry out the research- they do this by determining what a key term involved in the investigation means

Pilot study

A small scale explanatory piece of research, to test and tweak the research design

Closed question

Questions with limited answers

Representative and generalisable data

Data that reflects the makeup of the target population and then can be applied beyond it

Transcribed

When someone ( typically the research assistant ) has to listen to a recording of an interview or conversation and has to type out every word

Interpreting data

Sociologists must decide what the data means, what data to focus on and what to deem significant and relevant out of the data

Reflexivity

When the researcher continuously reflects upon their values throughout the research, constantly checking they have made judgements that are as value free as possible

Responding validation

When you check with the original sample that the conclusions / interpretations being made correlate with the sample’s perspective