research methods case studies

lab experiment

bandura bobo doll

aim- see if children learn aggression watching each other

method- children watched an adult behave either aggressive or calmly with a bobo doll in a lab setting

findings- children who saw aggression were more likely to copy it

field experiment

rosenthal and jacobson

aim- if teacher expectations effected performance

method- in a real school, teachers were told some students would show great improvement

findings- those students did improve even though they were randomly chosen

closed questionnaire

the census

aim- to gather quantitative data about the population

method- sent to all UK households every 10 years with closed questions

use- provides large scale data on things like age, work, religion and health

open questionnaire

oakley

aim- explore women of pregnancy and motherhood from a feminist perspective

method- open questionnaires with over 60 pregnant women in the UK where they could express their personal feelings

findings- many women felt excluded from decision making at birth

online survey

global drug survey

aim- an annual web survey of drug users

method- 100,000 responses from over 50 countries

social survey

british social attitudes survey

aim- looking at what it is like to live in britain and how they think the country is run

method- 3000 people involved randomly selected of over 18 year olds with a self completion questionaire

unstructured interviews

oakley

aim- study womens role in the home

method- asked open ended questions so women can express freely about their daily lives and built a rapport

findings- many women felt isolated and undervalued

structured interviews

young and willmott

aim- investigate changes in family life in bethnal green

method- standardised set of mainly closed questions asked in a formal consistent manner

findings- working class east londonders were deeply attached to their neighbours and families

secondary sources

durkheim

aim- study social factors influencing suicide rates

method- analysed existing official statistics on suicide from various countries and social groups

findings- suicide rates are influenced by social integration and regulation

official statistics

crime stats

aim- track crime patterns in the UK

method- collected by the home office from police records and victim surveys

findings- shows trends in crime rates including increases in some areas

longitudinal study

7 up series

aim- study how social class influences life outcomes over time

method- followed 14 children from different social classes, interviewing every 7 years

findings- showed some broke out of their social class while others remained and affected their education health and career

ethnography

willis lads

aim- understand why working class boys end up in working class jobs despite meritocracy

method- participant observed working class boys in their last year of secondary school and open ended interviews

findings- working class boys formed their own subculture which led them to working class jobs

case studies

the case of Genie

aim- to study the effects of extreme isolation and neglect on a childs development

method- researchers studied her after she was released to observe her language development and social skills

findings- she made some progress in language but suffered severe emotional and social delay

mixed methods

tikly et al

aim- explore their perspectives on friendship formation and the social dynamics that influence these

method- used interviews and personal documents

findings- girls form friendships with those of similar attractiveness