The theoretical, practical and ethical considerations influencing the choice of topic, choice of method(s) and conduct of research.
Evaluate the view that practical considerations are the most important when deciding upon a topic and method for research.
| Choice of topic | Choice of methods | |
|---|---|---|
| Theoretical (nature of social world) | • Intended audience Burawoy | |
| • Purpose of research, hypothesis or describe | ||
| • Researcher’s values on funding | • positivists=causality | |
| • interactionists=descriptive | ||
| Practicals | • Money: Who pay for it, eg policy-makers | |
| • Access: to research subjects, eg Goffman denied, or eg research on poor people | • Nature of the topic being studied, eg if study social facts like suidice | |
| • Size and structure of the sampling frame, eg survey for dispersed groups | ||
| Ethical | Deception? | cMorally ambiguous, eg Milgram electric shocks |
How research findings may be biased by the actions and values of the sociologist and by choices made in funding, designing and conducting the research.
Validity, reliability, objectivity, representativeness and ethics as important concepts in assessing the value of different research methods.
Please define
Strength and weakness of
ESQIO - primary methods
SHOMP - secondary methods
PERVERT
Intro: define method, what data, what perspective
Paragraphs
1 practical TRAMP (TimeResercherbiasAcessMoneyPersonlacharacteristics)
2 ethical DRIPS (Deception Righttowithdraw Informedconsent Protectionftonpsycholohicalharm Situationalethics)
3 Reliability vs Validity debate
4 Enough vs Representativeness (no method is representativeness or collects enough methods, thus should use triangulation)