Research Methods Key Concept Glossary

Vocabulary flashcards generated from the Research Methods Key Concept Glossary.

Case Study

A study of a particular focus

Closed Question

Questions in which the range of responses is fixed by the researcher

Correlation

A statistical link between two or more variables

Covert Role

Where the researcher conceals their true identity to gain access to the group and avoid disrupting normal behaviour.

Documents

Secondary, mainly qualitative, data in written, visual or broadcast form.

Ethics

Concerns ideas about what is morally right or wrong

Ethnography

The study of the way of life of a group of people.

Experimenter Bias

The unintended effect of the experimenter on the participant

Field Experiment

A experiment conducted in a natural environment

Focus Group

A form of group interview which focusses on a particular topic in-depth

Gatekeeper

A person or group for allowing a researcher to undertake research in that site e.g. headteacher

Generalisation

A statement based on a relatively small group which is then applied to a larger group

Going Native

When the researcher becomes part of the group they are studying and does not return to their previous life

Group Interview

When the researcher interviews several people at the same time.

Guilty Knowledge

Information that the researcher acquires that might be criminal or deviant

Hawthorne Effect

The behaviour of a group changes when they know they are being studied

Historical Documents

Documents from the past

Hypothesis

A testable statement

Imposition Problem

The risk of researchers imposing their own views or framework on people being studied.

Informed Consent

Those who are taking part in a Sociological study have agreed to and understand the full aims and purposes of the study and the risks.

Interpretivism

An approach which emphasises the importance of trying to understand people's beliefs, motivations and behaviours and qualitative research methods should be used.

Interviewer Bias

Answers given in an interview being influenced by the presence or behaviour of the interviewer

Lab Experiment

An experiment conducted in a specially designed and controlled setting

Life History

A case study of a person's life

Longitudinal Study

A study of the same group or people over time

Macro Approach

An approach which focusses on large numbers of people and the large-scale structure of society.

Methodological Pluralism

When sociologists use a variety of methods in a single piece of research.

Micro Approach

An approach which focusses on small groups or individuals not society as a whole.

Objectivity

Approaching research with an open mind and having it available for scrutiny

Official Statistics

Statistics produced by local and national government and government agencies and organisations funded by the government

Open-ended Questions

Questions which allow the respondent to answer in their own words.

Operationalise

Translating concepts into a form that can be measured

Overt Role

Whereby the researcher reveals to the group being studied his/her true identity and purpose

Personal Documents

Private documents which record part of a person's life e.g. personal diaries or photos

Pilot study

Small scale practice carried out before the final research to check for any problems

Positivism

Believes society can be studied using similar scientific techniques to those in the natural sciences.

Primary Data

Data collected first hand by the researcher

Public Documents

Documents which have been produced for public knowledge e.g. Ofsted reports

Qualitative Data

Data in the form of words, documents and images giving in-depth description and insight into people attitudes and values.

Quantitative Data

Anything that can be expressed in statistical or numerical form and measured.

Quota Sample

A stratified sample in which selection from the strata is not random

Rapport

A friendly, trusting and understanding relationship

Reliability

When repeating the research using the same method for the same research, the same results are achieved.

Representative Sample

Smaller group drawn from the target population which contains the right proportion of people from different cohorts of society.

Replication

Repeating an experiment or research study under the same conditions

Response Rate

The % of the sample that participates in the research

Sample

Smaller representative group drawn from the survey population

Sample Attrition

The reduction of the original sample when it is used again

Sampling Frame

List of all the names of those included in the survey population from which the sample is selected.

Sampling Methods

Techniques used to select representative individuals to study from the population

Secondary Data

Data which already exists and has not been collected by the researcher themselves e.g. diaries or newspaper reports.

Semi-Structured Interview

Similar to a structured interview but the interviewer is allowed to probe with additional questions

Self-completion questionnaire

A questionnaire completed by the research participant

Snowball Sample

Members of the sample put the researcher in contact with other people

Social Desirability

The desire of the interview participant to reflect in their responses what is generally considered the right way to behave.

Social Facts

External social forces which make up a society's social structure that cause or mould people's ideas and actions.

Stratified sample

A sample which attempted to reflect particular characteristics of the research population. The population is divided into strata e.g age, gender and then a sample is drawn randomly

Structured Interview

A questionnaire which is read out and filled in by the interviewer.

Surveys

Means of collecting primary data from large numbers of people in a standardised way using questionnaires.

Triangulation

The use of two or more research methods to check the reliability and validity of research evidence.

Unstructured Interview

Few, if any, pre-set questions, though researchers usually have certain topics they wish to cover.

Validity

How far the findings of the research provide an accurate and authentic picture of what is being studied.

Value Freedom

Sociologists should not let their prejudices or belief influence the way they carry out research and interpret the evidence

Variables

Factors which affect behaviour and can vary e.g. temp

Verstehen

Understanding human behaviour by putting yourself in the position of those being studied to gain an in-depth understanding.

Volunteer Sample

Members of the sample are self-selecting