Social Research Methods

    The nature and process of social research
    Which of the following is not a data-collection method?
    Later chapters go into the precise details of many data-collection methods, including those shown in answers (b), (c) and (d). Interviewing implies asking questions to get answers – data – , whether structured or unstructured. Clearly, questionnaires are designed with the same intention in mind. Participant observation means, usually, that a group of people is studied by a ‘member’ of that group, again with the intention of gathering data. The problem with answer (a), although correct, is, as Bryman says “Â…that we use the same word – question – for both research questions and the kind of questions that are posed in questionnaires and interviews”.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 10
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Using existing data
    What is the “ecological fallacy”?
    The ecological fallacy is the mistake some researchers make of assuming that they can infer the nature and causes of individual people’s behaviour by studying more general, aggregated data about the social groups to which they belong). Often, secondary analysis is used to study a sub-group contained within a data-set and it can seem natural to impute something to the sub-group which has been found to apply to the larger set. This is the logical error of confusing ‘some’ people with ‘all’ people.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 322, Key concept 14.2
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    The nature of quantitative research
    Quantitative research has been criticised because:
    Some critics of quantitative research see it as pretending that a photograph is a good representation of life, rather than being a ‘frozen’ instant of it. As a consequence, quantitative research is accused of assuming that social life is static, clearly not the case. Furthermore, the ontological basis of this kind of research obliges the social-science researcher to regard people in the same way that physical-science researchers regard nature and again, clearly there is a ‘world’ of difference. However, the measurement process, largely because of the need for all those tests of validity and reliability, does tend to leave quantitative researchers with a deep sense of accuracy of their research results. In the view of some critics, this confidence is misplaced, because among other things, it is unlikely that respondents will share a precise interpretation of the terms used with the researcher. Most of the criticism comes from proponents of qualitative research.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 166, 167
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Focus groups
    What are the two main forms of group interaction that Kitzinger identifies in focus group sessions?
    Kitzinger (1994, cited on page 512) suggests that there are two main types of group interaction that can be helpful in focus group research. ‘Complementary’ interaction occurs when group members agree and build on each other’s remarks to develop a group viewpoint; ‘argumentative’ interaction occurs when members challenge or criticise each other, which can force people to reflect on and modify their viewpoints in a constructive way. If a group is fairly passive, the moderator may try to stimulate discussion based on one or other type of interaction.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 512-514
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Interviewing in qualitative research
    Which of the following is not a type of life story?
    Question two made a reference to ‘life history’ type of qualitative interview. Plummer (2001, cited on page 486) distinguishes between three types of ‘life story’ that can emerge from this process, including naturalistic (autobiographical), researched (specifically requested by researchers) and reflexive and recursive (recognizing the story as a construction partly made by the interviewer). ‘True’ life stories seem to be a media programming feature, hence totally constructed, but the emphasis is presumed to be on entertainment rather than research value.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 486-487
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Getting started: reviewing the literature
    What is a narrative literature review?
    A narrative review is highly subjective and remote from the concept of systematic reviewing, although the gap is beginning to narrow. Narrative reviewing is closer to the idea of trial and error than exhaustive surveying. Usually guided by a hypothesis, the researcher can change the focus of research as a result of this kind of review. Clearly more appropriate to qualitative research, in that separate viewpoints are likely to be more interesting than a gradual build-up of a conclusion, it must be fully and comprehensively referenced.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 91-94
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Social research strategies: quantitative research and qualitative research
    An important practical issue to consider when designing a research project is:
    Answer (c) is the correct answer because of its ability to force us to transcend the constraints imposed by scarcity of time and money. At the outset, we might persuade ourselves to tackle something we can achieve well, even if it is not very exciting, rather than producing poor research on a fascinating or ‘important’ topic. Furthermore, we will be forced to consider the target population and the likelihood of being able to construct probability samples. Practicality has to do with how you would implement your theoretical approach and the colour of the ring binder, while certainly an important issue, is an aesthetic choice.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 36-37
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Structured interviewing
    Closed ended questions are those that:
    Closed questions mean that the ‘conversation’ comes to a close because of the nature of the answer expected. This implies asking questions with a fixed number of possible responses, from which the respondent chooses their preferred answer. The irony for answer (b) is that respondents actually allocate themselves into categories through their responses. Since there are a fixed number of responses, more detail cannot be obtained with this type of question, which may be a disadvantage. Yet, in order to promote validity, researchers are strongly encouraged to restrict their interviews to closed-ended questions.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 200
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Quantitative data analysis
    What is the function of a contingency table, in the context of bivariate analysis?
    ‘Bivariate’ analysis means that we are analysing two variables together, usually to see if any correlation exists between them. There are various techniques available for this, one of which is a contingency table. This technique is principally used to compare nominal variables with another type, where the frequencies (in numbers or percentages) of the two different variables are simultaneously analysed to identify patterns of association between them.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 340
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Using existing data
    Which of the following is not a disadvantage of using secondary analysis?
    The disadvantages of secondary analysis stem from the researcher’s lack of direct involvement in the process of data collection, leading to unfamiliarity with the data. The process of getting to know the range of variables in the study and the ways in which they were coded is time-consuming. Sometimes the data-sets are quite complex, involving responses given at different ‘hierarchical’ levels – data may have been gathered at individual as well as at household level, for example. A further disadvantage lies in the quality of the original data. An examination of disclaimers given about the research should be taken into account. It should be clear by now that secondary analysis really does take a lot of time. Relatively speaking, however, it takes less time than gathering primary data and it is definitely kinder to your bank balance.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 312,313
    Author: rikazzz Comment