Sociological Research Methods

Description

A quiz on Unit 2 sociology, on sociological research methods.
Jebbie
Quiz by Jebbie, updated more than 1 year ago
Jebbie
Created by Jebbie over 9 years ago
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25

Resource summary

Question 1

Question
What are the advantages of a questionnaire?
Answer
  • Quick and cheap
  • Interviewee doesn't need to remain anonymous
  • They are reliable
  • More representative

Question 2

Question
What are the disadvantages of a questionnaire?
Answer
  • Can't be used for testing hypothesis
  • Give picture of reality at just one time
  • Can't be sure whether the questionnaire was recieved
  • Can't be processed easily by a computer

Question 3

Question
Who favors questionnaires?
Answer
  • Interpretivists
  • Positivists

Question 4

Question
What are the advantages of statistics?
Answer
  • Free
  • Show trends and patterns over time
  • Not biased as they are produced by the government
  • They are representative
  • Always valid

Question 5

Question
What are the disadvantages of statistics?
Answer
  • State may have different definitions/views
  • Small-scale studies are less representative
  • Not quick to compile
  • Not always reliable

Question 6

Question
Who favors statistics?
Answer
  • Positivists
  • Interpretivists

Question 7

Question
What are the advantages of experiments?
Answer
  • (Lab) Can study small areas
  • (Lab) No need for informed consent
  • (Lab) They are reliable
  • (Field) Can experiment a broader spectrum
  • (Field) In school, education isn't held back
  • (Field) Some can be repeated

Question 8

Question
What are the disadvantages of experiments?
Answer
  • (Lab) Difficult to investigate on a large scale
  • (Lab) Not very representative
  • (Field) In school, no two schools are the same and experiments are harder to repeat
  • (Field) Pupils can be deceived f unaware of the experiment

Question 9

Question
Who favors experiments?
Answer
  • (Lab) Positivists
  • (Lab) Interpretivists
  • (Field) Positivists
  • (Field) Interpretivists

Question 10

Question
What are the advantages of documents?
Answer
  • (Public) Free and easy to access
  • (Public and Personal) Always reliable
  • (Personal) Easy to obtain

Question 11

Question
What are the disadvantages of documents?
Answer
  • (Personal) Might have to pay to obtain them
  • (Personal) Confidentiality and informed consent with letters, diaries, etc
  • (Public and Personal) Doesn't always portray how everyone feels about the situation at hand (more historical)

Question 12

Question
Who favors documents?
Answer
  • Interpretivists
  • Positivists

Question 13

Question
What are the advantages of interviews?
Answer
  • (Structured) Less training as interviewers have to follow a set list of questions
  • (Structured) Can cover a lot of people
  • (Structured) Reliable
  • (Unstructured) Gain trust and unterstanding with interviewee
  • (Unstructured) No ethical issues
  • (Unstructured) Flexible

Question 14

Question
What are the disadvantages of interviews?
Answer
  • (Structured) Cost more than questionnaires
  • (Structured) Interviewee may feel under pressure to answer questions
  • (Structured) Not very valid
  • (Unstructured) Need informed consent and ensure anonymity
  • (Unstructured) Not very representative

Question 15

Question
Who favors interviews?
Answer
  • (Structured) Interpretivists
  • (Structured) Positivists
  • (Unstructured) Interpretivists
  • (Unstructured) Positivists

Question 16

Question
What are the advantages of observations?
Answer
  • Can be the only method for researching important areas of interest
  • Researcher doesn't need to be trained
  • They are valid
  • Can gain an insight in to how people live, verstehen (empathy)
  • Doesn't take a long amount of time

Question 17

Question
What are the disadvantages of observations?
Answer
  • Not valid/Hawthorne Effect
  • New areas can't be looked in to freely
  • Taking part in illegal activities can be dangerous and lead to more trouble
  • Personal characteristics can affect study

Question 18

Question
Who favors observations?
Answer
  • Positivists
  • Interpretivists

Question 19

Question
What are the advantages of life histories?
Answer
  • First-hand account
  • Researchers can't lead respondants
  • Provide a picture of social life over time

Question 20

Question
What are the disadvantages of life histories?
Answer
  • Can't provide insights or information
  • It is dependent on memory which can be selective
  • They can reflect biased opinions and attitudes

Question 21

Question
What are the advantages of case studies?
Answer
  • Give detail on a chosen area
  • Theories and hypothesis can be tested

Question 22

Question
'Case studies give useful information for a smaller research project'
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 23

Question
What are the advantages of longitudinal studies?
Answer
  • Can examine developments over time
  • Don't take a long time

Question 24

Question
'In longitudinal studies, people can be lost due to death, failure to trace, etc..'
Answer
  • True
  • False
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