Social Research Methods

    Language in qualitative research
    What is meant by the term “ethnographic particulars”?
    Potter (1997, cited on page 532) argues that discourse analysts prefer not to make reference to “ethnographic particulars” in their analysis: this means that they focus on the “here-and-now” aspects of a situated encounter rather than the wider social context in which it occurs. However, Bryman (p533) suggests that discourse analysts are more likely to take external factors into account than conversation analysts, perhaps partly because the conversation can be understood in- and of-itself, whereas discourses in general may need help in the form of location and time, for example.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 532-533
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Focus groups
    Why is it particularly difficult to get an accurate record and transcript of a focus group session?
    When transcribing a focus group, it is important to have an accurate record of not only what was said but also who said what. This can be difficult if participants’ speech overlaps or they have similar sounding voices. This means that a lot of extra care must be taken in preparation for the focus group meeting, including the hardware required. It is unlikely that a dictation machine for use in a one-to-one interview setting would work as well for a focus group. In commercial settings, it is now quite usual to use video cameras so that voices can be matched to faces, for example. The main point is that if a proper record cannot be made, an inadequate transcript will be the result.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 503
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Interviewing in qualitative research
    Why is it helpful to prepare an interview guide before conducting semi-structured interviews?
    Preparing an interview guide allows you to gather responses about the same range of topics from everyone in your sample. This means that the interviewee does not have complete control over what they talk about, but as the interviewer can vary the order and phrasing of questions, this technique is still much more flexible than the structured interview. We are not talking about an interview schedule that would be prepared for a structured interview but, rather, a list of the areas that could be covered. These areas are typically generated by ‘interviewing’ yourself about your own research questions. It is also a good idea to consider which topics flow more naturally from others, so that a sequence of topics can be worked out. The tighter the sequence and closeness of topics from interview to interview, the more likely it is that a semi-structured form will be chosen by the researcher.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 469-471
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Documents as sources of data
    Why is it important to study the way audiences “read” cultural documents?
    There is some debate over the extent to which audiences respond actively or passively to texts in the mass media, but it is generally accepted that people can make various different interpretations of a cultural text. This is particularly significant insofar as audience readings of a document may be quite different from those intended by its creator. Some readers may accept the statements in the text as they are stated; others may attempt to resist them or incorporate them into a separate interpretation. We are reminded, here, of advice given to dissertation writers concerning the ‘critical’ reading of texts for the purposes of a literature review.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 560,561
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Ethnography and participant observation
    Which of the following is a component of ethnographic research?
    Ethnography refers to a research design that is based on participant observation and is also used as a label for the final research report. However, in social studies research, the ethnographer becomes a part of the group studied. In this sense, we say that ethnography is a research design that involves immersing oneself in a particular social group or culture for an extended period of time and observing, listening to and recording what goes on. The ethnographer may also initiate conversations and conduct interviews with group members.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 423, Key concept 19.1
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    The nature of quantitative research
    Written accounts of quantitative research rarely include the results of reliability and validity tests because:
    It should be obvious by now that developing measures that are valid and reliable is an extremely rigorous process. This can explain why researchers are often tempted into short-cuts, since they really are concerned with discovering things and reporting on them as urgently as possible. Although this means that a lot of fascinating research remains at the indicative level only, the underlying impulse can be understood. This does not provide an excuse for haphazard research methodology. On the contrary, it means that for your research to be taken seriously, you must pay great attention to the research tools you use. The more attention you give to development of your methodology, the less the criticism can be of your findings.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 167, 168
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Breaking down the quantitative/qualitative divide
    Why is it argued that qualitative research may not really be “naturalistic”?
    Another of the alleged contrasts between quantitative and qualitative methods is that of artificiality versus naturalness. Although qualitative research is generally assumed to be more naturalistic, in the sense of studying people as social actors rather than as objects of a research survey, this is not necessarily the case. Bryman (p628) discusses the focus group method as a case in point: “Â…when it is borne in mind that people are sometimes strangers, have to travel to a site where the session takes place, are paid for their troubleÂ…” it is difficult to maintain the fiction of naturalness.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 628,629
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Language in qualitative research
    Potter & Wetherell use the term “interpretative repertoires” to refer to:
    The term “interpretative repertoires” coined by Potter and Wetherell (1994, cited on page 535) refers to the general resources (bodies of knowledge, linguistic styles, patterns of speech and so on) that people can draw upon to present certain versions of events. Gilbert & Mulkay’s (1984) study of scientists (shown in “Research in focus 22.5) revealed that they used different discourses and interpretative repertoires depending on the situation they were in and the audience to which their accounts were directed. The ‘interpretation’ is made so that we can determine the form of our discourse most likely to be acceptable in a particular set of circumstances.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 535-537
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Content analysis
    Which of the following is not an advantage of content analysis?
    Content analysis is unobtrusive and tends not to suffer from the reactive effect, because the newspapers are not written with any sense that they might be subjected to this kind of analysis at some point in the future. It is flexible and can be kind to researchers with low financial resources. The time required can be considerable but the reward of high potential reliability can offset this. A further advantage is that it may allow us to gather information about social groups that are difficult to access, such as elite sections of society or celebrities, partly because it does not depend on direct observation or interviews with these people.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 302-305
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Content analysis
    Why might a researcher want to count the frequency of certain words in a text?
    Social researchers have examined the way in which certain words have been used as part of a wider discourse. Why are some words used more often than others? These can be deeply interesting questions concerning the reportage of events and the creation of a ‘mass-mood’ or feeling towards events and start by counting the individual words. Seale et al (2006, cited on p 291), for instance explored the frequency of particular keywords in breast cancer and prostate cancer posting. His team found men with prostate cancer were more likely to use technical words associated with research, whilst women were more likely to use words associated with feelings.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 289-292
    Author: rikazzz Comment