Social Research Methods

    Using IBM SPSS statistics
    What does the operation “Recode Into Different Variables” do to the data?
    Recoding variables involves changing the way scores or values for a particular variable are distributed across the range. For example, “age” (an interval/ratio variable) can be re-categorized into five different “age groups” (an ordinal variable). This creates a new variable (or variables) and transforms the way in which a concept can be analyzed and represented.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 357,358
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    The nature of qualitative research
    Which of the following is a method that is commonly used in qualitative research?
    Quantitative research is concerned with quantities, so qualitative research must be concerned with qualities. These stem from the words people use rather than how often they say them or how many people say the same words. Qualitative research studies what people say and how they say it, in terms of tone of voice and accompanying gestures, for example. Various methods have been devised to gather this kind of data, including in-depth interviews, focus groups and participant observation/ethnography, whereby the researcher becomes immersed in a social setting to observe the culture of a group. Answers (a), (b) and (d) belong to quantitative research strategies.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 377,378
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Computer-assisted qualitative data analysis: using NVivo
    Which is the correct sequence for creating a memo in NVivo?
    It is not only possible to create memos in NVivo, it is also desirable. “Memos” were discussed in chapter 24 as useful aids to the analysis of qualitative data. In NVivo, the sequence is as shown in answer (a), starting at the central, “navigation” screen. It is not necessary to write the memo first in another programme and then import it, since it can be done directly. This is one of NVivo’s strengths, in that it closely relates to the gradual, unfolding way in which qualitative analysis is typically done. Memos can be written during coding, or searching, for example, without disturbing the data array. Because memos are grouped separately they cannot be confused with other sources of data.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 615-616
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Getting started: reviewing the literature
    What is the first stage of a systematic review?
    The review needs an explicit statement of purpose of the review so that decisions about key issues, such as what kinds of research need to be searched for and what kinds of samples the research should relate to, can be made in a consistent way. Therefore it is necessary to define the purpose and scope of the review.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 99
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Self-administered questionnaires
    Which of the following steps can be taken to improve response rates to postal questionnaires?
    Lack of response can seriously hurt the representativeness of a randomly drawn sample, so any device that will tend to improve the response rate, like all the possibilities shown in this question, are to be encouraged. Professional researchers may go so far as to offer a small cash incentive, for example, to stimulate higher response rates. Not all samples are drawn randomly, however, so the actual response rate doesn’t have the same significance, if indeed it has any at all. Bryman concludes “Tips and skills” on page 225 with the advice that “you should not be put off using (these) techniques because of the prospect of a low response rate”.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 225
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    The nature and process of social research
    Which comes first, theory or research?
    It depends on your point of view. Focusing on theory or research represent the two main points of view in social research. Both viewpoints are felt deeply, even passionately, by their holders and it is virtually impossible to declare a winner, as it were. For some researchers, formulating and testing hypotheses is at the heart of science, whereas for others, what may be true for the physical sciences is almost certainly not appropriate to the social sciences. The question is meaningful, since the strategies and methods followed in research stem directly from it. Even the research results can be regarded as more, or less, reliable depending on the point of view. As with many other aspects of human endeavour, outside the world of research the question can be seen as yet another “chicken and egg” situation.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 6,7
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Focus groups
    What is the main difference between a focus group and a group interview?
    A focus group is a special type of group interview. Most group interviews are carried out to save time and, possibly, money by carrying out a number of interviews at once. This is not the point of a focus group. Here, what becomes interesting is the way the group members interact and develop topics for themselves as a result of their interaction. The researcher is more interested in how individuals express themselves as members of a group, than in the actual content. Therefore, like most qualitative research studies, how many people share a particular point of view is not relevant. How people come to hold the views they have, as a result of social interactions, is the raison d’être of a focus group. Bryman points out that the terms ‘focus group’ and ‘group interview’ are often used interchangeably (p501) but it is important to have a clear understanding of the unique characteristics of a focus group, so that it may be selected appropriately as a research tool.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 501
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Documents as sources of data
    Why might social researchers be interested in analysing photographs as a form of visual data?
    “Thinking deeply” 23.1, on page 550, highlights the various roles of photographs in social research. They may be used as illustrations, or prompts, or sources of data in themselves. In the latter case, these visual images are interesting not only in terms of their manifest content but also for what they reveal about the way people selectively retain and represent the past. Although photographs can be made purely for research purposes, the emphasis here is on extant photographs in archives and personal collections. Again, the issue of representativeness is a problem.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 550
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Quantitative data analysis
    Setting the p level at 0.01 increases the chances of making a:
    The p value represents the level of probability that an apparently significant relationship between variables was really just due to chance. If p is set at 0.01, this means that we would expect such a result in only 1 in 100 cases. This is a very stringent level, and while it means that the researcher can be more confident about a significant result if they find one, it also increases the chance of making a Type II error: confirming the null hypothesis when it should be rejected. Bryman shows the connections between Type I and Type II errors and levels of p in Figure 15.12 on page 347.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 347
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Breaking down the quantitative/qualitative divide
    In what way does the thematic analysis of interview data suggest quantification?
    It is argued that when qualitative researchers analyse data by looking for common themes in the text, they are actually using quantitative techniques of counting, comparing and assessing the relative frequency of particular words, topics or phrases. Chapter 25 examined the way CAQDAS aids analysis of qualitative data, including development of categories (nodes) for assembly of data. It will be difficult for analysts to ignore relative frequencies of occurrence of specific data strings and, as a consequence, assign a higher value to items mentioned more frequently than others. There is no logic in this, since almost certainly the sample was not randomly drawn, yet it is difficult to avoid.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 630
    Author: rikazzz Comment