Evaluating Research Methods Flashcards

Question

What are the ethical strengths of a semi structured interview?

Answer 1

- These interviews have more chance for rapport to be built up than in a structured interview.This encourages INFORMED CONSENT to be given. This can allow for more empathy and understanding of sensitive topics being discussed by the participant. This could lead to them being better safeguarded and therefore potentially feeling more comfortable to answer honestly which increases the validity.

Answer 2

- POSITIVISTS would not like the flexibility of this method and would argue that if rapport builds then the interviewer can become biased and lose objectivity and therefore impacting on the reliability of the research data and findings, as it makes it difficult to replicate.

Answer 3

- Interviews can be more TIME CONSUMING. This means that it can be difficult to access a large sample of participants. This would impact on the generalisability of the research as wider claims cannot be made to all who hold the characteristics being researched.

Answer 4

- If the questions make the respondent feel uncomfortable this may lead to emotional HARM and SAFEGUARDING issues. This can decrease the validity of the research as the respondent may feel they have to provide socially desirable responses. Interviewer effect can also lead to this.

Answer 5

- This method leads to lots of in-depth data collection as the interviewer can probe and ask extra questions. Rapport and verstehen can also be built. This dramatically increases the validity meaning INTERPRETIVISTS would like this method.

Answer 6

- Due to interviews being pre-arranged with the interviewee, you are able to gain ACCESS to the required participants for the research and the response rate is likely to be higher. This will increase the representativeness of the research as your sample will reflect the characteristics of the target population.

Answer 7

- INFORMED CONSENT will be given and participants can build rapport can be built between the researcher and participant meaning that a conversational flow can occur meaning they would not feel emotional HARM. This means the participants are generally more comfortable, meaning they will answer honestly which increases the validity.

Answer 8

- POSITIVISTS would not like the lack of structure of this method and would argue that if rapport builds then the interviewer can become biased and lose objectivity and therefore impacting on the reliability of the research data and findings, as it becomes difficult to replicate

Answer 9

- Interviews can be TIME CONSUMING so only a small sample is gathered. This decreases the generalisability as wider claims cannot be made.

Answer 10

- If the questions make the respondent feel uncomfortable this may lead to emotional HARMand SAFEGUARDING issues. This can decrease the validity of the research as the respondent may feel they have to provide socially desirable responses. Interviewer effect can also lead to this.

Answer 11

- INTERPRETIVISTS would favour this method as rich and in-depth discussions are encouraged. The questions and themes set out will be tailored to specific group needs creating a relaxed and informal setting which increases validity as the participants feel more comfortable to answer honestly.

Answer 12

- Due to the focus groups being pre-arranged with the respondents, you are able to gain ACCESS to the required participants for the research and the response rate is likely to be higher. This will increase the representativeness of the research as your sample will reflect the characteristics of the target population.

Answer 13

- INFORMED CONSENT will be given and participants can build rapport can be built up with the participants, meaning they would not feel emotional HARM due to the relaxed environment. This means that the respondents will again provide more rich and valid data.

Answer 14

- If rapport builds then the interviewer can become biased and lose objectivity. This will reduce the reliability as it will be difficult to replicate the study in the same way. As a result, POSITIVISTS will not like this method.

Answer 15

- Data recording and analysis can be difficult and TIME CONSUMING as all respondents will give varying accounts and opinions on the topics being discussed therefore sample size is likely to be small which will reduce the generalisability of the results as wider claims cannot be made about the whole population based on a small group of people.

Answer 16

- Respondents may feel uncomfortable if sensitive topics arise or if other respondents dominate the discussions. This could lead to others feeling uncomfortable, in some extreme cases they may also suffer emotional HARM, therefore meaning that they do not input as they naturally would which decreases the validity.

Answer 17

- INTERPRETIVISTS would favour this method as rich and in-depth insight can be gained which increases validity.

Answer 18

- The researcher is not involved in the group meaning that it is a fairly easy and cost effective method. As a result the researcher may be able to ACCESS more people to observe which can increase the representative and generalisability of the research.

Answer 19

- As the participants know they are being observed, INFORMED CONSENT is likely to be gained, this increases the validity as the participants will be more informed and should feel more comfortable to behave normally.

Answer 20

- POSITIVISTS would not like this method as it is difficult to replicate, especially if there isn’t a coding scheme, meaning that reliability is reduced.

Answer 21

- Observations can be fairly TIME CONSUMING and therefore the researcher may not be able to carry out as many observations. As a result, this can reduce the generalisability as wider claims cannot be made based on a small number of observations.

Answer 22

- Empathy and understanding may be reduced if the participants feel uncomfortable being observed. They may not display their true behaviour and could feel some form of emotional HARM if they feel this way. This reduces the validity of the findings as behaviour may not be natural and they may demonstrate social desirability.

Answer 23

- INTERPRETIVISTS would favour this method as rich and in-depth insight is gained which increases validity.

Answer 24

- The researcher is not involved in the group meaning that it is a fairly easy and cost effective method. As a result the researcher may be able to ACCESS more people to observe which can increase the representative and generalisability of the research.

Answer 25

- The researcher is unlikely to influence the group studied. Also they are at less risk of HARM if they are not fully involved in the group. Therefore the group is less likely to change their behaviour increasing the validity of the data collected.

Answer 26

- The research would be hard to replicate reducing reliability. POSITIVISTS would not like this method as a result of this.

Answer 27

- Observations can be fairly TIME CONSUMING and therefore the researcher may not be able to carry out as many observations. As a result, this can reduce the generalisability as wider claims cannot be made based on a small number of observations.

Answer 28

- This method holds real ethical issues as no INFORMED CONSENT can be given if the participants do not know they are being observed. As a result, the researcher could hold prejudices/biases towards the group which could reduce the validity of the research.

Answer 29

- INTERPRETIVISTS would favour this method as rich and in-depth insight can be gained which increases validity.

Answer 30

- As the participants know that they are being observed and the researcher is part of the observation, they may be able to gain ACCESS to more participants through discussion. This can increase the representative and generalisability of the research.

Answer 31

- The researcher can be fully immersed in the group to be studied and experience verstehen / understanding. This can mean that a really true insight into groups can be gained. As the participants know they are being researched, BSA ethical guidelines are followed and INFORMED CONSENT is likely to be gained, this increases the validity as the participants will be more informed and should feel more comfortable.

Answer 32

- POSITIVISTS would not like this method as it is difficult to replicate, especially if there isn’t a coding scheme, meaning that reliability is reduced.

Answer 33

- Observations can be fairly TIME CONSUMING and therefore the researcher may not be able to carry out as many observations. As a result, this can reduce the generalisability as wider claims cannot be made based on a small number of observations.

Answer 34

- Participants may feel uncomfortable being observed and this could lead to emotional HARM. They may treat the researcher as an outsider therefore this would reduce validity as they may not act naturally and display social desirability. By being immersed in the group the researcher has the potential to be at risk of HARM (depending on the group being researched) also they could become too involved meaning they present the group with bias which reduces the validity of the findings.

Answer 35

- INTERPRETIVISTS would favour this method as rich and in-depth insight is gained which increases validity.

Answer 36

- As the researcher is part of the observation, they may be able to gain ACCESS to more participants through discussion. This can increase the representative and generalisability of the research.

Answer 37

- The researcher can be fully immersed in the group to be studied and experience verstehen / understanding. This can mean that a really true insight into groups can be gained. This increases the validity as the researcher will have the opportunity to build up a rapport meaning the participants should feel more comfortable to act naturally. This leads to less risk of emotional HARM.

Answer 38

- The research would be hard to replicate reducing reliability. POSITIVISTS would not like this method as a result of this

Answer 39

- Observations can be fairly TIME CONSUMING and therefore the researcher may not be able to carry out as many observations. As a result, this can reduce the generalisability as wider claims cannot be made based on a small number of observations.

Answer 40

- This method holds real ethical issues as no INFORMED CONSENT can be given if the participants do not know they are being observed. As a result, the researcher could hold prejudices/biases towards the group which could reduce the validity of the research. There is also a higher possibility of ‘going native’ or losing objectivity decreasing validity

Answer 41

- Ethnographic research is preferred by INTERPRETIVISTS sociologists as rapport can be built and verstehen can be gained which allows the researcher to access the ‘lived experience’ of particular social groups which increases validity as a true insight is gained.

Answer 42

- By immersing yourself with the group, you can gain ACCESS to a range of participants. This will increase the representativeness of the research as your sample will reflect the characteristics of the target population.

Answer 43

- Allows the researcher to gain INFORMED CONSENT from participants. This increases validity as the participants feel comfortable answering questions meaning they are more likely to be honest.

Answer 44

- POSITIVISTS do not favour this type of research because quantitative data is not gained and therefore it will not be objective, or replicable which will decrease the reliability.

Answer 45

- A good ethnographic research study will require a huge investment in the researcher's TIME, this means a small sample can only be researched which can decrease the generalisability of the research as wider claims cannot be made about the whole population.

Answer 46

- If sensitive topics are covered within the research, it may cause emotional HARM as participants may not feel comfortable to respond honestly. This will reduce the validity of the research. • Additionally if the participants are deemed as vulnerable (e.g under 18/ elderly) this could be a SAFEGUARDING ISSUES issue. They may not feel comfortable to respond honestly. This will reduce the validity of the research. • As the researcher is immersed in the group - This type of research can be HAMRFULfor the researcher as they can put themselves in dangerous situation, e.g. when researching gang culture. Also they may go native or lose objectivity if they become too involved. This will decrease the validity as a true insight may not be shown.

Answer 47

- POSITIVISTS like this method of data collection as it is very objective and has been collected in a systematic, scientific and standardised way increasing reliability as it can be replicated easily.

Answer 48

- As it is not a TIME CONSUMING method, a large representative sample can be accessed which can increase the generalisability of the method.

Answer 49

- As official statistics are secondary data, following ethical guidelines is not an issue as the research has already been done. The data also tends to be gathered by the government in the form of questionnaires which are likely to be ANONYMOUS. Therefore responses are likely to be honest which increases the validity.

Answer 50

- Statistics are quantitative, and tell us nothing about the stories behind the statistics, INTERPRETIVISTS and feminists would therefore not like this method as a result. They would state that the research is low in validity as no verstehen can be gained.

Answer 51

- They may not fully represent the whole picture of what is being researched as although data can be collected from a large sample, RESPONSE RATE CAN BE LOW and this can reduce the generalisability of the research as wider claims cannot be made about the whole population.

Answer 52

- Official statistics are open to political abuse, which can be manipulated to look better, for instance to give a good impression of the government's economic policies. They could also lead to HARM as some groups may be misrepresented. This means the validity of the data is reduced.

Answer 53

- POSITIVISTS favour the statistical/numerical data that is used and the trends that are gained and would state that this increases the reliability of the data, meaning the same or similar results can be achieved each time

Answer 54

- The lengthy time spent researching means that it may enable good ACCESS to a wider range of participants as time goes on.

Answer 55

- Regular contact with the sample can create trust and rapport increasing validity as they will feel more comfortable (and less risk of emotional HARM) leading to more honest responses.

Answer 56

- INTERPRETIVISTS would be less likely to use longitudinal research because it often provides quantitative data to assess patterns and trends which is low in validity as deeper explanations are not gained.

Answer 57

- HIGH ‘DROP-OUT’ RATE and obviously a TIME CONSUMING METHOD - Participants may get bored, move address, school and change friendship groups. Tracking the sample can be complex and the sample size may be reduced, which reduces the generalisability of the research.

Answer 58

- If the research is of a sensitive nature, it could lead to EMOTIONAL HARM for participants if they are required to readdress issues surrounding inequality over a long period of time. Participants may change their answer or withhold information which could reduce the validity of the research.

Answer 59

- Positivists favour the statistical/numerical data that is used and state that this increases the reliability of the data, meaning the same or similar results can be achieved each time.

Answer 60

- This method is extremely cheap and easy to access and are usually up to date. This means that this method is reliable as its scientific and objective nature makes it replicable.

Answer 61

- No participants are required, therefore meaning that ethical considerations and guidelines set out by the BSA are easy to follow. This can again increase the reliability as this method is easily replicable.

Answer 62

- Interprestivists would state that statistics provide little information about human stories or behaviour as no meanings/feelings/opinions are given. This decreases the validity.

Answer 63

- Statistics can show trends and patterns but not deeper explanations about why correlations are this way meaning that validity is reduced. This is because an honest insight into the social reality isn’t gained.

Answer 64

- Statistics are open to ‘political abuse’ meaning that they can be manipulated incorrectly. This means that the group/s being researched are not presented fully/fairly. This impacts on the validity of the data and may cause some involved harm. Also the researcher has not had control over how this data was collated - The participants may have suffered regarding ethical issues.

Evaluating Research Methods Flashcards

(88 cards)