Research Methodology

    Research designs
    If a study is “reliable”, this means that:
    The essential question about research is its reliability. It is often the case that concepts in the social sciences can be construed differently in different social contexts, so the promise of repeatability makes readers feel the results can be relied on more. But what is even more important is that there should be not much variation (or none at all) in responses to the same instruments by the same type of respondent. Bryman gives the example of wild fluctuations in IQ test scores as an indicator of low reliability of the test itself. When reviewing literature or consulting secondary sources, we are certainly influenced by the reputation, or simply good standing in the academic community, of the researcher. This does not imply uncritical acceptance of their findings, however.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 41
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Mixed methods research: combining quantitative and qualitative research
    How might quantitative research facilitate qualitative research?
    Similarly, quantitative research can form an important first stage of a qualitative project, by informing the process of sample selection. For example, a survey questionnaire distributed to a large group of people might reveal various different social groups or types of respondent, some of which could be identified as potentially informative interviewees.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 638,639
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Getting started: reviewing the literature
    Which of the following statements about plagiarism is most accurate?
    Option (d) might be favored by some academics but it is, perhaps, too extreme a punishment for what is undoubtedly a crime. Perpetrating a fraud, or a lie, knowingly is reprehensible and, in the realm of research, may be destructive of others’ work. There is a danger with on-line resources, particularly, to fall victim of the very advantages offered. These include copying and pasting utilities, contained in most computer software packages. Institutional rules vary but most agree on upper limits of the amounts of direct quotation that may be used. It is a lot lower than many students seem to imagine. Another consideration, of no less importance, concerns copyright. Authors and publishers will permit a very small amount of direct quotation if full attribution of the text is given. Larger amounts need express permission.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 115-11
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Breaking down the quantitative/qualitative divide
    Why does Bryman argue that research methods can be seen as relatively “free-floating” or autonomous?
    If a researcher chooses a particular research method, does that automatically presuppose a commitment to a particular epistemology or ontology? Bryman argues against this on pragmatic grounds (p624/625), pointing out that both quantitative and qualitative methods can be used within a single overall design and that there may be fashions in the predominant use of one type or another. It would not be unthinkable for a ‘post-modernist’ dissertation supervisor to suggest quantitative research methods for a student’s research, nor for a positivist supervisor to recommend ethnography or focus groups.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 625,626
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    The nature and process of social research
    What does ‘sampling cases’ mean?
    Social research is mostly conducted on people but not exclusively. Newspaper articles and television programmes can also supply useful research data, as can commercial firms and public institutions, for example. A ‘case’ is the general, collective word used for the unit of analysis. Sampling frames are essential if we want to make claims for the general population from our sample, by making sure that each member of the population has an equal chance of being selected for the sample. That means answer (b) is not just incorrect for this question but for almost every other, unless we mean people who have the appropriate criteria for our research. And as for the brief-case…what, no laptop?
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 9
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Sampling in qualitative research
    The minimum sample size for qualitative interviewing is:
    Trying to figure out the ‘right’ number of people to interview is almost impossible in theoretical sampling – who can say in advance when the point of theoretical saturation will be reached? On the other hand, if the objective of the research is to make comparisons, then a minimum number should be established. Warren (2002, cited on page 416) says that publishers (and we add: dissertation assessors!) are unlikely to be impressed with a number less than twenty. Bryman (p418) recommends concentrating on your reasons for using a particular sampling strategy and then explaining why you feel a particular sample size is justified. The very nature of qualitative research obliges us to give answer (d) as correct, even though it may not be very helpful!
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 416-418
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Ethics and politics in social research
    Why is it important that personal data about research participants are kept within secure, confidential records?
    When maintaining records of personal information about your participants, it is important that these data are kept in a safe, secure place to which no one but you has access (unless the participants have consented to other arrangements). Participants have the right to see what has been written about them, or which is stored on computer files about them. Much quantitative data can be made anonymous quite easily and, in any event, the identity of the respondent is not a focus of study but in qualitative research this is not as easily done. Great care must be taken with the handling of this data, particularly in the final published reports, so that individuals cannot be identified from their comments or any details about their backgrounds. The UK Data Protection Act of 1998 is referred to in “Tips and skills” on page 128 and can be accessed on-line for further information.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 128
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Sampling in quantitative research
    A simple random sample is one in which:
    Once we know the size of the population to be researched, we can determine the size of our sample. This latter number will depend a lot on our resources of time and money. Then we make (or obtain, if one is already available) a sampling frame, from which we select our future respondents, typically using random number tables. This is to ensure that each member of the population has an equal chance of being selected, so there can be no bias in the selection, the result being referred to as a ‘simple’ random sample. If you answered (a) you were probably thinking of a ‘systematic’ sample, a short-cut method of selecting directly from the sampling frame but you must be careful to make sure the frame has not already been ordered in a particular way for another purpose.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 176,177
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Content analysis
    Which of the following is not an example of a ‘unit of analysis’?
    Units of analysis are the tangible objects or subject matter that are coded as data in content analysis. These might include the people who produced the text as well as the people who figure most prominently in it; the item type, distinguishing between editorial comment and features, for example; the text perspectives and themes; and even actual words, including the frequency of their use. So a unit of analysis means what we study rather than how well we study it.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 289-292
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Documents as sources of data
    What is semiotics?
    Semiotics is a branch of social science research that focuses on the way symbols and signs are used in everyday life. This might involve studying the way visual images function as “signs” in a cultural text (objects and images as well as documents), referring not only to specific objects at a superficial level but also to underlying “deep structures” of the social world. It can be seen as an approach to analysis of data, as well as a subject area in its own right. The word should not be thought of as Latin ‘semi-‘, in the sense of ‘half’, but as Greek ‘sem(e)i-‘, meaning ‘sign’.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 565
    Author: rikazzz Comment