Assess the relative importance of the different factors

April 23, 2018 June 5th, 2018 Sociology

There are different factors that influence sociologist’s choice of research. Sociologists have to firstly decide what particular area or topic they want to study, in order for them to carry out their research. When sociologists choose a topic, there are two types of sources available to the sociologists, they are Primary and Secondary.

Primary is the data collected by the researchers themselves, usually in the form of questionnaires or interviews. Secondary is the data that is already available e.g. official statistics, diaries, historical documents etc. The researcher then has to decide what type of method they will use for their research.

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The topic chosen for research will indicate the method to be used e.g. voting would involve the use of large numbers of people, therefore quantitative methods would be used. Quantitative methods involve reliability and are more practical as they take less time, require less commitment from the researcher and are cheaper.

Quantitative methods are mostly used by Positivists, as they like to compare and statistics. However, topics such as Bullying cannot be studied with quantitative methods. It would involve qualitative research, because it is a detailed topic, which allows a deeper, and a valid relationship. Qualitative methods involve validity because the researcher get involved in the research and tries to get “verstehen” which is empathy towards the researched people. Qualitative methods are more likely to be used by Interpretivists, who prefer to get in depth and truthful details.

Traditionally, a sociologist’s choice of research method depended on whether they subscribed to a positivist or interpretivist view of society. Positivists believe that only science can provide the objective ‘truth’ or facts about the world.Positivist sociologists believe that human behaviour is determined by social forces beyond the control of society’s members. These forces are generally referred to as ‘laws’ or ‘social facts’. Positivists claim these are the product of the way in which societies are organised.

Positivist sociologists therefore believe that sociology should be a scientific discipline based on the logic and methods of the natural sciences. The job of sociologists is to uncover the social laws that govern human behaviour. When they collect information about the social world, they usually subscribe to a scientific model known as the hypothetico-deductive approach. This is the model that natural science employs in, for example, laboratory experiments. Stage 1 – Phenomena are observed.

Stage 2 – A testable hypothesis (an educated guess) is constructed to explain the phenomena. Stage 3 – Empirical data (factual information) is collected in a systematic way. Stage 4 – The data is interpreted and analysed to see whether it confirms or refutes the hypothesis. Stage 5 – If the hypothesis is confirmed time and time again, it becomes a theory. If the data refutes the hypothesis, the scientist should reject or revise it, and begin the data-collection process again.

The major scientific method in the natural sciences used for collecting data is the laboratory experiment. In Sociology, the major scientific method used by positivists is the social or sample survey, which incorporates the use of the questionnaire and/or structured interview. Positivists also advocate the use of some types of secondary data, particularly official statistics.

However, Interpretivist (anti-positivist) sociologists are sceptical about sociology’s scientific status. They argue that human behaviour is not the result of external social laws. Society is the product of interaction – meaning when people come together in social groups. The way people interpret these social interactions is centrally important to the understanding of social behaviour. Interpretivists prefer methods such as unstructured interviews and observation because these uncover the meanings behind action and emphasise validity. Such methods attempt to see the social world through the eyes of the people who inhabit it by studying their everyday life (verstehen) or by letting those being studied speak for themselves.

In addition to the theoretical, there are also practical reasons why a particular research method might be chosen. Funding – if the sociologist does not have access to large funds, a cheap method will be required. Secondary data is cheap because it has already been collected. Postal questionnaires are cheaper than interviews, which are probably cheaper than observation studies. Time – if you have years, observation may be possible.

However if you only have months, you need a method that results in a quick response like questionnaires and/or interviews. The subject matter is going to influence choice of research. For example, research into trends may suit quantitative research whilst research into attitudes may suit qualitative methods. The research population may not be accessible because it is regarded as deviant and may feel threatened. If this is the case, covert observation may be necessary. The research population may be geographically dispersed. If it is, a postal questionnaire may be necessary, especially if money is tight. Furthermore, there are some generally agreed professional guidelines which are followed in social research (ethics).

For example, subjects should not have their physical, social and psychological well-being adversely affected by research. Research should be based on the freely given, informed consent of those being studied and research should not involve an intrusion on privacy, and research subjects should be allowed anonymity and confidentiality if they so wish. Therefore we can note that there are different factors that influence sociologists’ choice of research methods and of topics to investigate.

All things considered, we could criticise this by using postmodernists’ view which states that there is nothing out there to study “out there”. They believe that everything is about the individual and we all are different, therefore we cannot study society as a whole. It is the way it is.

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