Research Methodology

    Ethnography and participant observation
    Which of the following will not help you to negotiate access to a closed/non-public setting?
    It can be difficult to be accepted into a “closed” social setting, and the ethnographer has to work hard to earn the trust of such group members. It is best to negotiate access gradually, through sponsors, gatekeepers and other contacts, rather than simply appearing on the scene and expecting to be accepted. Since the strategy is ‘open’, clearly answer (c) is inappropriate, in that it is more likely to destroy trust than to build it.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 427-428
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Documents as sources of data
    Which of the following can be studied as a documentary source from the mass media?
    The mass media provides a wide range of sources of documentary data, from newspaper and magazine articles to films, television programmes and the music press. All of these sources are available in the public domain. Answers (a), (b) and (d) all point to documents that can be used in research but they are not examples of mass media.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 554-555
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    The nature and process of social research
    We review the relevant literature to know:
    We will probably not be able to do a complete review of all possible contributions to our field of research because of time constraints. It is crucial, therefore, to identify the key books and articles on the topic, in part by finding out who the most influential contributors are. This is an area where supervisors should be able to help because they are possibly working in that area themselves. It is a waste of time to ‘go over old ground’ and, in any event, we want to show we are up-to-date with the research area. Naturally, we are not interested in just doing a ‘copy and paste’ job on what we read but, rather, reading critically to find out the various points of view on offer and any possible disagreements or controversies that may exist.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 6
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS)
    Single observation is called:
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS)
    The variables sex, age, extrover and car take______ values:
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Research designs
    “Internal validity” refers to:
    “Validity” has a special meaning in research, usually indicating the truth of something, its authenticity. Many of our research activities can be seen as valid steps towards producing a dissertation, for example, but our conclusions will not be worthwhile unless our research was valid. If a measure proves unreliable (see question 2), it lacks “measurement validity” but “internal validity” is lost when the “internal” relationship between variables is lost, or ambiguous, or confused. Typically, we argue that “a” causes “b”, but if “b” can actually influence the value of “a”, then the causal relationship suggested doesn’t really exist.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 41,42
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    The nature of quantitative research
    Quantitative social researchers rarely claim to have established causality because:
    An experimental design allows us to test for causal connections between variables, because one of the variables (the ‘independent’ variable) is manipulated to track changes in the other (the ‘dependent’ variable). However, most social survey research uses cross-sectional designs, where such manipulation is not possible. Consequently, degrees of correlation between variables can be determined but causality remains inferential. If you gave answer (b), you should recognize that very few researchers are interested in mere descriptions of things. They usually want to find out why things are the way they are so that they can be remedied or replicated. Causality is an appropriate goal, simply difficult to achieve.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 163,164
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Writing up social research
    The introductory section of a research report should aim to:
    Reports of both quantitative and qualitative research usually contain an introductory section that sets out the main arguments of the paper. This section also helps to attract the reader’s attention by providing a clear focus for the research and identifying some of the key debates in which it can be contextualized. Simply saying you wrote about something because you were interested in it is not enough. You must locate your interest within a body of theory, or at least an area of general concern. This is also the place to show your research questions.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 664, 669-670, 673, 678
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS)
    Which technique is used to fitting general linear models and linear mixed models and for assessing survival data:
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Social research strategies: quantitative research and qualitative research
    The interpretivist view of the social sciences is that:
    All of these answers reveal something about the interpretivist view of the social sciences. The approach is based on a reaction to positivism, insisting that people are not objects that can be studied by means of natural science’s methodologies. Most social phenomena are produced through human interaction and their meanings are formed through human discourse. Consequently, what things mean to human actors is an essential part of social research. Some research philosophers hold that this is the only proper object of social research; the study of what things mean to people and how people feel and react to that interpretation.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 26-28
    Author: rikazzz Comment