Factors influencing Factors influencing choice of Methodschoice of MethodsFactors influencing Factors influencing choice of Methodschoice of Methods

Practical issues• Time and money- large scale surveys may

employ dozens of interviewers and cost a great deal of money. By contrast, a small scale project involving a lone researcher may take several years to complete

• Requirements of funding bodies- Research institutes may require results to be in a particular form

• Personal skills- Each sociologist has different personal skills and this may affect their ability to use different methods

More practical issues• Subject matter- It may be harder to

study a particular group or subject by one method than by another

• Research opportunity- Sometimes the opportunity to carry out research occurs unexpectedly and this means that it may not be possible to use methods that take longer to prepare

Ethical issues• Informed consent- Consent should be

obtained by the researcher• Confidentiality- Researchers should keep

the identity of research participants secret in order to help to prevent possible negative effects on them

• Effects on research participants- Researchers should try to anticipate and prevent possible harmful effects on their subjects

More ethical issues• Vulnerable groups- Special care should be

taken where research participants are vulnerable because of their age, disability or physical or mental health

• Covert research- Some sociologists argue that the use of covert methods may be justified in certain circumstances . These may include gaining access to areas of social life closed to investigation by secretive, deviant or powerful groups

Theoretical issues• Validity- A valid method is one that produces

a true or genuine picture of what something is really like. It allows the researcher to get closer to the truth

• Reliability- A reliable method is one which when repeated by another researcher , gives the same results

• Methodological perspective- Sociologists are influenced by their view of what society is like and how we should study it. There are two contrasting perspectives on the choice of methods: Positivism and Interpretivism

Factors influencing Factors influencing choice of topicchoice of topic

Factors influencing Factors influencing choice of topicchoice of topic

• Theoretical perspective- A sociologists theoretical perspective is a major influence on their choice of topic

• Society’s values- focus of research changes over time e.g. 60s and 70s focus on gender inequality- environmentalist concerns in 21st century

• Funding bodies- As the funding body is paying for the research, it will determine the topic to be investigated

• Practical factors-The inaccessibility of certain situations to the researcher may also restrict what topic they are able to study

Task• Using p-g 164/165 explain how ‘practical’ and

‘ethical’ factors influence a researchers choice of method

• Using p-g 165 explain the difference between ‘Validity’ and ‘Reliability’

• Using p-g 166 copy Box 20-why do positivists and interpretivists prefer different types of data

• Using p-g 167 explain what factors influence a researchers choice of topic