Theoretical, Practical and Ethical Considerations - Theory and Methods topic 2

Specification

• the theoretical, practical and ethical considerations influencing choice of topic, choice of method(s) and the conduct of research

Influences on the choice of research topic and method

It may not come as a shock to hear this, but most academic sociological researchers choose to research a topic for which they have a deep interest. It is often an area where they work, something that has affected them or something that they have experienced and wish to further research to develop knowledge to share. 

Once the topic is chosen there are a range of factors to consider how best to go about researching the topic. 

A useful way to remember the influences of choice of research topic and method is PET - Practical issues, Ethical Issues and Theoretical issues.

Practical Issues

- Accessibility - in some settings accessibility is easy. We are often approached in public places by people conducting surveys and happy to take random people from the street to do it. Other settings prove more difficult, such as research in schools requires parental consent, research closed or private settings such as in prisons, hospitals, etc requires permission from prison staff, school principal, etc, therefore research in this areas comes with accessibility problems.

- Time and funding available - a study may have to be scaled back for it to be completed within a time frame. Funding can also impact a study, e.g. large scale research is expensive and beyond the means of most Sociologists. Most large scale surveys are carried out by government and results can be seen at ONS and gov.uk

- Availability of existing data may impact a study. If it has been done before, is it worth doing again?

Ethical Issues 

- taking into account the personal safety of the researcher and avoiding harmful consequences for either the researcher or the research participants

-  respecting the privacy and confidentiality of those who agree to take part in a study, no names, etc.

- avoiding deception

- findings should be reported truthfully and honestly

- informed consent - researchers should make it clear what they are doing/researching, why they are doing it and what they will do with their findings. Those who take part should be aware of all of this.

Theoretical Issues

Positivist and interpretivists will have very differing views on what to research and how it should be researched. For example, a Functionalist may seek to look at the function and running of a social institution and statistics gained through surveys may be the their preferred way of collecting data on this topic. Positivists would want to see how this institution (e.g. education) is contributing to the smooth running of society.

Interpretivists on the other hands may seek to find out how an institution is affecting people and to discover this, they would conduct unstructured interviews to allow participants to elaborate on their experiences rather than being reduced to numbers. 

In their research topics, Marxists would want to look at social inequalities and seek to expose them to shed light on the flawed and unequal capitalist system. Feminists would want to research gender imbalances and inequalities and draw them into the light. 

Thinking time! 

If you were a researcher, what topics, subjects or areas might you like to investigate? 

To help you decide; 

What are your interests in life? What do you enjoy? What injustices bother you? What would you like to change? What would you like to learn more about?

Then how would you go about doing it? Would you prefer to gather statistics on your chosen topic, or would you prefer to talk to participants, or perhaps go undercover in participant (covert) observation?

Present your topic to the class and we will then question you on your subject and choice of research method.

Key Issues in Social Research

Reliability - this is concerned with replication. If a study is repeated using all the same methods and shows the same results then it is seen to be reliable.

Validity - this is concerned with truth. Does a study actually measure what it claims to measure? For example, do crime statistics truthfully represent the crime rate of society? Or do they represent the behaviour of the police and where they searched for crime! Don't forget, no one looked at Downing Street for lockdown parties until an anonymous whistle blower informed the media and police. 

Some of the most invalid statistics are on domestic violence/assault. Can you think why the official figures on domestic violence may be inaccurate?