Sociological research methods

Sociology · Foundations. The idea in plain words, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid and a worked example, written and checked by Mega Lecture.

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The idea

Research starts with a hypothesis: a testable statement about how two variables are related. The independent variable is the supposed cause; the dependent variable is the effect that is measured.

Quantitative methods (surveys, structured questionnaires, experiments) give numbers that can be tested statistically. Qualitative methods (participant observation, unstructured interviews, case studies) give depth and meaning. The choice depends on the question asked.

Since a whole population can rarely be studied, a sample is drawn. Good measurement needs reliability (the same result when repeated) and validity (it measures what it claims to measure). A measure can be reliable without being valid.

Rules to remember

Probability sampling (every member has a known chance): simple random, systematic (every nth name), stratified (random sample from each subgroup), cluster.
Non-probability sampling: quota, purposive, convenience, snowball (members lead to other members).
Experiment: the experimental group receives the independent variable; the control group does not.
Participant observation: the researcher joins the group. Non-participant: the researcher only watches.
Structured interview: fixed questions, easy to compare. Unstructured: flexible, deeper, harder to compare.
Case study: in-depth study of one unit (a village, a family, an institution).
Correlation does not prove causation; a third variable may produce a spurious link.

Common mistake

Stratified and quota sampling both divide the population into groups. In stratified sampling the people inside each group are chosen at random; in quota sampling the interviewer simply picks whoever is available until the quota is full.

Worked example

A researcher wants to know whether watching television for longer lowers children's reading scores. She gives the same reading test to the same children twice in one week and gets very different scores each time. Name the dependent variable and the weakness of the test.

The supposed cause is hours of television, so that is the independent variable.
The effect being measured is the reading score, so that is the dependent variable.
A test that gives different results when repeated under the same conditions is not consistent.
Lack of consistency is a lack of reliability, and an unreliable test cannot be valid.

Answer: Dependent variable: reading score. The test lacks reliability.

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