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Sociological
Methods
Research topics go in
and out of fashion and
Funding sociologists reflect these
trends (although factors
Research costs money and Fashions like research funding
those who commission and always exert some form
pay for it generally want of influence here).
some say over choice of
topic (and possibly even Topic
choice of method).
Method
Some methods are more
time-intensive than others.
Participant observation, for Time Subject
example, may involve
years of research.
The size and composition of the
group being studied may be a factor
in choice of method(s). Social
surveys and questionnaires lend
themselves easily to the study of
Funding large, widely-dispersed, groups.
Participant observation may be more
appropriate for the study of small,
The amount of money a researcher has to geographically-localised, groups.
spend will directly influence the methods
used (questionnaires are generally Topic
cheaper than in-depth interviews,
interviews are generally cheaper than
participant observation). Money will also Some topics may lend themselves more easily to one
influence the size of any research team. type of method than another; quantitative methods
tend to be used when the researcher wants reliable
data to establish statistical relationships. Alternatively,
with studies such as Diken and Laustsen’s analysis
of tourist behaviour in Ibiza and Faliraki (2004), a
qualitative approach is more appropriate, given the
Triangulation descriptive nature of the research.
A mix of methods is frequently used to satisfy different types of research question within the same topic . For
example, if I’m interested in understanding “Why people fear crime”, I will probably use a method that provides
in-depth, qualitative data (such as a focused interview). However, before doing my interview-based research I
might do a small establishing study using a simple (quantitative) questionnaire.
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Focus
Audiences may dictate topic choice in terms of
who you’re trying to reach with your research.
To an academic audience, something like
Jessop’s ”Governance and meta-governance.
This can be influential in terms of what
On Reflexivity, Requisite Variety, and Requisite
the researcher is aiming to do – if
Irony” (2003) is a perfectly acceptable topic; to a
testing a hypothesis, for example, the
non-academic audience, however, it probably
topic is likely to be much narrower in
wouldn’t prove so alluring (even if we allow for
scope than if the objective is to provide
the requisite irony of this statement).
a descriptive account of something.
Audience
Purpose
Topic
Method
Perspective
Values
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Rights
Research data can be used in many different ways
In the UK, the collection, storage and (not necessarily in the way the researcher intended)
retrieval of data are governed by things and participants should be aware of any possible
such as the Data Protection Act, the consequences of their participation. In addition, if
Human Rights Act, Copyright laws and respondents feel they have been mistreated
the laws of libel. In addition, if research (physically or verbally, for example) or misled, this
involves criminal or deviant activities, the may have legal consequences for the researcher
researcher may have to consider the and create problems for any subsequent research.
ethical question of participation in such
behaviour or their responsibilities to both
the perpetrators and their possible victims. Purpose
Legal
This refers to the morality of doing
something and ethical questions
relating to sociological research involve
It would be unethical to bully or Ethics beliefs about what you should or should
blackmail (emotionally or physically) not do. This will include consideration of
people into participating in your both legal and safety issues (for the
research. In addition - especially researcher, those being researched
when researching people who are Power and any subsequent researchers).
relatively powerless - relationships
need to be based on trust and
personal integrity on the part of the
researcher. For example, if the
researcher promises anonymity as a
way of researching people involved in
criminal or deviant activities,
disclosing respondent identities to the
authorities would be unethical.
Involvement
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Item A
Item B
20 marks
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