FACTORS AFFECTING CHOICE OF RESEARCH METHODS

What is methodological pluralism?

using a mix of qualitative and quantative data methods to gain a fuller understanding of society

What are the three benefits of methodological pluralism?

greater validity and reliability, can cross check/triangulate findings, flexible

Examples of primary data?

experiments, interviews/questionnaires (self report techniques), observations

Examples of secondary data?

historical documents, personal documents, government statistics, media content, research by other sociologists

What does PET stand for?

practical, ethical and theoretical considerations

How is time a practical consideration?

how long does it take the researcher to do the research, how many researchers are available to carry out the work involved

What are the 5 main practical considerations?

time, money, skill and characteristics of the researcher, subject matter and access to participants

How is money a practical consideration?

how much funding is available, and who will provide it, if the paid researcher takes longer it is likely to be more expensive as researchers have to be paid

How is skill and characteristics of the researcher a practical consideration?

all have different strengths and preferred research methods, gender age, ethnicity and social class will also affect the rapport in interviews or success in covert observation

How is subject matter a practical consideration?

some topics lend themselves to certain research methods

How is access to participants a practical consideration?

some groups are easier to recruit for research than others

What are the 6 main factors in ethical considerations?

fully informed consent, deception, protection from harm, confidentiality and privacy, not breaking the law

How is fully informed consent an ethical consideration?

participants should be told what will happen to them in the study and how their data will be used so they can decide whether to participate or not

How is deception an ethical consideration?

participants should not be lied to in the study, if deception is necessary safeguards need to be put into place to protect participants and they should be debriefed at the end

How is protection from harm an ethical consideration?

participants and researchers should be kept safe psychologically and physically

How is confidentiality and privacy an ethical consideration?

participants should not be identifiable in research and their privacy should not be invaded

How is illegal activity an ethical consideration?

researchers should avoid taking part in any illegal activity

What are the 4 main factors in theoretical considerations?

reliability, validity, theoretical perspective and generalisability

How is reliability a theoretical consideration?

can the findings be replicated effectively

How is validity a theoretical consideration?

are the findings telling the truth about the situation

How is theoretical perspective a theoretical consideration?

positivism vs interpretivism, viewpoint (feminist, functionalist…)

How is generalisability a theoretical consideration?

how well can it be applied to the general population