Social Science Research

SOCIAL SCIENCE
RESEARCH
METHODS

WEEK 5

QUALITATIVE VS

QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

METHODS

Word Cloud

How would you describe RESEARCH in a single word?

QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

▪an inquiry into an identified
problem, based on testing
a theory, measured with
numbers, and analyzed
using statistical techniques

Goal:

▪to determine whether the
predictive generalizations
of a theory hold true

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QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

▪measures and describes
whole societies, or
institutions, organisations or
groups of individuals that are
part of them.

Goal:

▪To understand a social or
human problem from
multiple perspectives

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Research Methods

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QUANTITATIVE

SECONDARY
ANALYSIS

SURVEY

EXPERIMENT

QUALITATIVE

CASE STUDIES

ETHNOGRAPHY

PHENOMENOLOGICAL

Multiple Choice

Which type of data describes something in more detail using words, like "enjoyable" or "frustrating"?

• Quantitative

• Qualitative

Multiple Choice

I survey 100 people and ask them how many hours they sleep each night. What kind of data am I collecting?

• Quantitative

• Qualitative

Multiple Choice

A teacher reviews student essays on a book and analyzes the common themes. This is an example of what kind of research?

• Quantitative

• Qualitative

Multiple Choice

Which of the following could NOT be quantitative data?

• Number of customers in a store

• Customer satisfaction rating (1-5 stars)

• Color of a car

Multiple Choice

True or False: Both qualitative and quantitative data are important for understanding a situation.

• True

• False

SURVEY RESEARCH

METHOD

Survey Research

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SURVEY
METHOD

INTERVIEW

QUESTIONNAIRE

CLOSE ENDED

OPEN ENDED

UNSTRUCTURED

STRUCTURED

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INTERVIEW

-A method in which a
trained researcher
asks questions and
records the answers

-It could be
structured or
unstructured

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PERSONAL INTERVIEW

▪one of the most used types
of interviews, where the
questions are asked
personally directly to the
respondent

▪can have a guide online
surveys to take note of the
answers

INTERVIEW METHODS

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TELEPHONE INTERVIEW

▪Telephonic interviews are
widely used and easy to
combine with online
surveys to carry out
research effectively

INTERVIEW METHODS

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E-MAIL/ONLINE INTERVIEW

▪The increase in people with
Internet access has made it
popular that interviews via
email or web page stand out
among the types of interviews
most used today.

INTERVIEW METHODS

Open Ended

During a student council interview for a Grade 7 representative, you as an interviewer asks the candidates about their perspective and opinion of wearing the Non - Official Southville Hoodie/Jacket within the school premises.

What question would you like to ask to the candidates?

INTERVIEW

STRUCTURED

-Relies on a set of
standardized or
premeditated
questions in order to
gather information

UNSTRUCTURED

-A type of interview in
which interviewer asks
questions that are not
prepared in advance

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Sample Structured
Interview Questions

▪ Did you receive any medical treatment

while in prison?

(Prompt: type of illness, treatment,
medication?

▪ Were you given a copy of your medical

records?

(Prompts: If no, did you ask for a copy?)

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Sample Unstructured
Interview Questions

▪ Tell me about yourself.
▪ Describe your ideal job.
▪ What accomplishment are

you most proud of and why?

WORKPLAN- Day 2

▪Routines

▪News Report

▪Review of the Lesson

▪Activity: Interview

▪Wrap Up

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WORKPLAN- Day 4

▪ Routines
▪ News Report
▪ Interview Presentation
▪ Feedback

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Multiple Choice

Interviews are typically used in what type of research approach?

• Experimental

• Quantitative

• Qualitative

• Descriptive

Multiple Choice

Which of these is NOT a common type of interview used in research?

• Email/Online Interview

• Telephone Interview

• Personal Interview

• Post-mortem Interview

Multiple Choice

Interviews can be a good way to understand:

• How many people hold a certain opinion

• The reasons behind people's behaviors or opinions

• Changes in variables over time

• Large-scale population trends

BRAIN BREAK

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Poll

How familiar are you with the concept of a questionnaire as a data collection method?

• Very familiar

• Somewhat familiar

• Not familiar at all

Poll

Have you ever participated in a survey or study where a questionnaire was used to collect data?

• Yes

• No

Poll

How effective do you think questionnaires are in gathering information compared to other data collection methods (e.g., interviews, observations)?

• Very effective

• Moderately effective

• Not very effective

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QUESTIONNAIRE

-A written set of
questions to be
answered by a
research participant

-It could be
open-ended or close
ended

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QUESTIONNAIRE

-Invented by Sir Francis
Galton, it consists of a set of
questions (items) intended
to capture responses from
respondents in a
standardized manner.

QUESTIONNAIRE

OPEN ENDED

-Questions a person to
answer in his or her
own words

CLOSED ENDED

-Questions a person
must answer by
choosing from a
limited,
predetermined set of
responses

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TYPES OF QUESTIONNAIRES

DICHOTOMOUS

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OPEN ENDED

MULTIPLE CHOICE

PICTORIAL

SCALING

▪“yes or no”questions

▪Used to validate reponses

▪Free flowing answers with little to no restrictions

▪Uses nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio

▪Uses rank or Likert-scale questions

▪respondent has to select one or more answers
from the choices

▪Close ended questions

▪answer choices are images

Dichotomous Questionnaire

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Open Ended Questionnaire

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Scaling Questionnaire

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Task

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● In your google docs, create TWO questions

using the five types of questionnaires:
○ Dichotomous
○ Open ended questions
○ Scaling
○ Multiple choice
○ Pictorial

Multiple Choice Questionnaire

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Pictorial Questionnaire

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Multiple Choice

What is a questionnaire?

• A type of survey used to collect data

• A multiple-choice test

• A type of interview conducted by a single interviewer

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a type of questionnaire?

• Open-ended questionnaire

• Closed-ended questionnaire

• Verbal questionnaire

Multiple Choice

True or False: Likert scale is a commonly used type of questionnaire for measuring attitudes and opinions.

• True

• False

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MAIL

▪same questionnaire is
mailed to a large number of
people, and willing
respondents can complete
the survey at their
convenience and return it in
postage-prepaid envelopes

▪Requires continuous
monitoring responses

▪Not suitable for questions
that requires clarification

QUESTIONNAIRE METHODS

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QUESTIONNAIRE METHODS

GROUP

ADMINISTERED

▪respondents is
brought together at a
common place and
time

▪Easy to administer

▪Convenient and has
high response rate

▪Easy to assemble

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QUESTIONNAIRE METHODS

ONLINE/WEB

▪administered over the Internet using
interactive forms

▪may receive an electronic mail request for
participation in the survey with a link to an
online website

▪survey may be embedded into an email, and
can be completed and returned via e-mail

▪inexpensive to administer, results are
instantly recorded in an online database,
and the survey can be easily modified if
needed

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QUESTIONNAIRE METHODS

ONLINE/WEB

▪if the survey website is not
password-protected or designed to
prevent multiple submissions, the
responses can be easily
compromised

▪sampling bias may be a significant
issue since the survey cannot reach
people that do not have computer or
Internet access

▪Computing the response rate may be
problematic

BRAIN BREAK

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Poll

Which questionnaire method do you personally find most preferable?

• via Mail

• Group Administered

• Online/Web

SECONDARY DATA

ANALYSIS

ADVANTAGES

▪Precision & Comparability
of answers

▪Use of statistical
techniques

▪Information on large
numbers of people

▪Detailed analysis

Survey Method

DISADVANTAGES

▪Expensive

▪Low response rate

▪Phrasing of questions
introduces bias in favor of
certain answers

▪Researcher’s behavior can
affect answers given

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SECONDARY DATA

ANALYSIS

-Using pre-collected information for
data collection and research
purposes

-It could be government reports,
company records, voting lists,
census, historical records

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ARCHIVAL DATA

-information that already exists in
someone else’s files

-It could be public records from

-Governmental agencies

-Research organizations

-Health and human service organizations

-Schools and education departments

-Academic and similar institutions

-Business and industry

ADVANTAGES

▪Inexpensive

▪Can study a topic over a
long period of time

▪Researcher’s influence on
subjects avoided

Secondary Analysis

DISADVANTAGES

▪Information collected for a
different reason may not suit
another researcher’s needs

▪Original researcher may have
already introduced biases

▪Information may be outdated

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Multiple Choice

What is secondary analysis?

• Collecting primary data for a new study

• Analyzing existing data collected by others

• Conducting experimental research

• Designing surveys for a specific population

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a common source of secondary data in social science research?

• Census data

• Survey data

• Experimental data

• Observational data

Multiple Choice

What is the advantage of secondary analysis?

• It allows for the collection of new and original data

• It is less time-consuming and costly compared to primary data collection

• Experimental dataIt provides more control over the research process

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a potential limitation of secondary analysis?

• Data is always up-to-date and relevant

• Lack of availability of suitable data

• Limited flexibility in research design

• Difficulty in publishing findings

Multiple Choice

When conducting secondary analysis, researchers should pay attention to:

• Ethical considerations and data quality

• Speed of data collection

• Exclusively relying on one data source

• Avoiding collaboration with other researchers

FIELD RESEARCH

Field Research

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FIELD RESEARCH

CASE STUDY
PARTICIPANT
OBSERVATION
ETHNOGRAPHY

FIELD RESEARCH

CASE STUDY

-Intensive study
of a single
group,
incident, or
community

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ETHNOGRAPHY

-A research
approach
where you look
at people in
their cultural
setting

PARTICIPANT
OBSERVATION

-A case study
where the
researcher
becomes
member of the
group being
studied

Poll

What is your primary method of data collection in your current research project (PASS Descriptive)?

• Surveys/questionnaires

• Interviews

• Observations

• Others

Poll

What ethical considerations do you prioritize in your research?

• Informed consent

• Confidentiality/anonymity of participants

• Minimizing harm

• Other

DATA GATHERING
METHODS IN FIELD

RESEARCH

Observation Method

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PARTICIPANT

NON PARTICIPANT

the

observer

or

researcher

becomes

part of the situation or
interaction that he/she
is observing

the

observer

or

the

researcher

does

not

become

part

of

the

situation or interaction that
he/she is observing and
recording

Observation Method

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PARTICIPANT

NON PARTICIPANT

an active member of the
situation

and

his/her

presence might impact
the situation

-preferred

when

becoming part of the
situation can impact
the situation

Focus Group Discussion

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DEFINITION

involves gathering people from
similar

backgrounds

or

experiences together to discuss
a specific topic of interest.

Focus Group Discussion

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involves group interviewing in
which a small group of usually 8
to 12 people.

CHARACTERISTICS

participants are free to talk with
other

group

members

and

it

encourages discussions with other
participants

questions are asked about their
perceptions attitudes, beliefs,
opinion or ideas

led by a moderator (interviewer)
in a loosely structured discussion
of various topics of interest

Focus Group Discussion

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TYPES OF QUESTIONS NEEDED IN A FGD

PROBE TYPE

FOLLOW UP

EXIT

introduces participants to the discussion topic and
make them feel more comfortable sharing their
opinion with the group

delves further into the discussion topic and the
participants’ opinions

checks to ensure that you didn’t miss anything

Multiple Choice

What is participant observation?

• A method where researchers observe a social setting without actively participating

• A method where researchers participate in the social setting they are studying while also observing

• A method where researchers conduct surveys with participants

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an example of qualitative data gathering method in field research?

• Surveys

• Experiments

• In-depth interviews

Multiple Choice

What does the term "ethnography" refer to in social science research?

• The study of ancient cultures

• A research method focused on understanding the culture of a particular group through immersive fieldwork

• The statistical analysis of large datasets

Poll

On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with the depth of information provided during this discussion about social science research?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

Poll

Did the discussion adequately cover various data-gathering methods used in social science research?

• Yes

• No

Poll

How clear was the explanation of different research methods such as participant observation, interviews, and ethnography?

• Very clear

• Clear

• Neutral

• Unclear

• Very unclear

Poll

Overall, how valuable do you consider this discussion on social science research?

• • Very valuable

• • Moderately valuable

• • Somewhat valuable

• • Not valuable at all

Sources:

https://openstax.org/books/introduction-sociology-3e/pages/2-2-research-methods#:~:text=Sociologists%
20generally%20choose%20from%20widely,or%20use%20of%20existing%20sources.

https://www.gcsnc.com/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=106970&dataid=89367&FileNam
e=chap02.pdf

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/alamo-sociology/chapter/secondary-data-analysis/

https://www.questionpro.com/blog/what-are-open-ended-questions/

https://www.questionpro.com/blog/what-is-a-questionnaire/

https://humansofdata.atlan.com/2017/09/conduct-successful-focus-group-discussion/

https://www.herd.org.np/uploads/frontend/Publications/PublicationsAttachments1/1485497050-Focus%20Gr
oup%20Discussion_0.pdf

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