6.1.3
Other Considerations
Practical Problems
Practical Problems
Practical problems are usually the issues that are related to time, cost and access.
Assessing sociological research
Assessing sociological research
- Clear aim of what the sociologists want to achieve is needed.
- Judge whether the aim has been met.
Choosing research tools
Choosing research tools
- Methods need to be decided depending on the aim of the study.
- If one is researching pupil/teacher interactions an observation might be a much better research tool in comparison to an interview.
Grounded theory
Grounded theory
- Grounded theory emerges once the data is collected.
- First the researcher observes and then suggests possible ideas that might explain their behaviour.
Avoiding bias
Avoiding bias
- Sometimes it is hard for the researcher to remain objective and make a distinction between opinion and facts.
- This is why researchers always need to take into account their collected data.
Using secondary sources
Using secondary sources
- Researchers need to conduct a literature review before they write up their study.
- This means that they need to be aware of research that already exists and how prior ideas can help them with the purpose of their study.
Costs
Costs
- Before conducting their study, the researchers need to calculate its budget.
- Apart from the apparent expenses, this might be affected by extra time needed or other practical issues such as denied access to the participants because of a gatekeeper.
Ethical Considerations
Ethical Considerations
The British Sociological Association ethical code was written to protect participants in sociological research. Research must never breach this code.
Aims of the BSA
Aims of the BSA
- Provide researchers with a code of conduct in order to avoid harming the participants sociological studies in any way.
- Ensure their safety.
- Avoid presenting a finding as a fact when there isn’t enough evidence.
- Cultivate an environment of mutual respect and trust.
Aims cont.
Aims cont.
- Obtain informed consent.
- In cases where informed consent isn’t gained beforehand, (such as in a covert observation) then the participants need to be debriefed and the researcher needs to ensure that they haven’t suffered any harm.
- Offer confidentiality and anonymity.
Informed consent
Informed consent
- Informed consent is one of the ethical issues that might be raised during research and the researchers need to ensure that their participants are fully aware of the study they are going to participate in and then allow them to make an educated judgment of whether they want to participate or not.
Informed consent cont.
Informed consent cont.
- Sometimes it might be impractical for the researcher to get informed consent.
- For example in cases of people with learning disabilities or in cases where the researcher wants to covertly observe their participants in order to avoid influencing their behaviour.
Consent
Consent
- Participants need to be made aware that if they disclose information that might prevent someone from being hurt, sociologists have an obligation to reveal this information.
Ethical Considerations
Ethical Considerations
The Nuremburg Code was established for ethical medical research in 1946 after WW2 when it was revealed that horrific experiments have taken place in concentration camps.
The Nuremburg Code
The Nuremburg Code
- The Nuremburg Code was established for ethical medical research in 1946 after WW2 when it was revealed that horrific experiments have taken place in concentration camps.
Anonymity
Anonymity
- Anonymity can be applied to participants, researchers or even places where a study has taken place.
- The reason this is important is to avoid exposing people or institutions, ensuring safety to participants and researchers.
- For example Heidensohn in 'Women and Crime' used ‘Rosa’ as her informant and Ball used the name ‘Beachside Comprehensive’.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality
- However, it is also important not to distort reality, i.e. the data.
- The data collected needs to be kept safe and confidential (avoid revealing them to people who aren’t involved in the research).
- However, sociologists don’t have the same legal protection as doctors when it comes to confidentiality.
- They have to reveal information if there are people at stake.
Harm
Harm
- Researchers need to make sure that no one who is involved in the research suffers any psychological or physical harm.
The Data Protection Act
The Data Protection Act
- The Data Protection Act is a law that ensures data and personal information are stored safely by anyone who collects it.
- Locked cabinets.
- Password-protected computers and servers.
- Firewalls.
- Virus-detection programmes.
- Change passwords regularly.
1The Sociological Approach
1.1Introduction to Sociology
1.2Sociological Approaches
1.3The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate
2Families
2.1Functions of Families
2.2Family Forms
2.3Conjugal Role Relationships
2.4Changing Relationships Within Families
2.5Criticisms of Families
3Education
3.1Roles & Functions of Education
3.2Processes Within Schools
4Crime & Deviance
4.1The Social Construction of Crime
4.2Social Control
4.3Criminal & Deviant Behaviour
5Social Stratification
5.1Social Stratification
5.2Poverty as a Social Issue
6Sociological Research Methods
6.1Research Methods
6.1.1Research Design
6.1.2The Scientific Method
6.1.3Other Considerations
6.1.4Primary Sources
6.1.5Secondary Sources
6.1.6Surveys
6.1.7Sampling
6.1.8Questionnaires
6.1.9Interviews
6.1.10Observation
6.1.11Statistics
6.1.12Case Studies
6.1.13Longitudinal Studies
6.1.14Ethnography
6.1.15Experiments
6.1.16Small Scale Research
6.1.17End of Topic Test - Research Methods
Jump to other topics
1The Sociological Approach
1.1Introduction to Sociology
1.2Sociological Approaches
1.3The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate
2Families
2.1Functions of Families
2.2Family Forms
2.3Conjugal Role Relationships
2.4Changing Relationships Within Families
2.5Criticisms of Families
3Education
3.1Roles & Functions of Education
3.2Processes Within Schools
4Crime & Deviance
4.1The Social Construction of Crime
4.2Social Control
4.3Criminal & Deviant Behaviour
5Social Stratification
5.1Social Stratification
5.2Poverty as a Social Issue
6Sociological Research Methods
6.1Research Methods
6.1.1Research Design
6.1.2The Scientific Method
6.1.3Other Considerations
6.1.4Primary Sources
6.1.5Secondary Sources
6.1.6Surveys
6.1.7Sampling
6.1.8Questionnaires
6.1.9Interviews
6.1.10Observation
6.1.11Statistics
6.1.12Case Studies
6.1.13Longitudinal Studies
6.1.14Ethnography
6.1.15Experiments
6.1.16Small Scale Research
6.1.17End of Topic Test - Research Methods
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