Research Methods - Lesson 1 Recap

Validity is about...

• The CHARACTERISTICS of respondents

• Ensuring the research is REPLICABLE

• Getting a TRUE INSIGHT of respondents

• Ensuring WIDER CLAIMS can be made about the target population

Answer explanation

Validity is about how valid findings are, its about methods which give us true insight into what is being studied, avoiding methods that give us vague results with no reason why.

Numerical data found in research is also known as...

• Qualitative data

• Quantitative data

When a researcher is trying to find out true meanings and feelings of respondents which type of data will they want to collect?

• Quantitative

• Qualitative

Answer explanation

Remember I want to know WHY people commit crime so by collecting numerical data I won't find any true reasonings. Instead I will collect qualitative data which allows me to get a true insight into the individual circumstances that cause people to commit crimes.

Which method do you feel is most appropriate to find out why people commit crime?

• Questionnaire

• Unstructured interviews

Answer explanation

I would unstructured interviews, it allows me to go off-topic with my respondent and ask further questions about the individual. If I used a questionnaire I would be restricted to set questions - that is if I even get a response!

What theorists prefer qualitative data?

Answer explanation

So who prefers quantitative?

'A strength of a questionnaire is that it can reach a large sample of people'

• True

• False

Reliability is about...

• The CHARACTERISTICS of respondents

• Ensuring the research is REPLICABLE

• Ensuring WIDER CLAIMS can be made about the target population

• Getting a TRUE INSIGHT of respondents

Verstehen is...

• Being able to have empathy with respondents

• Being friends with respondents

• Being enemies with respondents

What is rapport?

• When research is in the form of a report.

• When the researcher builds a good relationship with participants.

• Being able to find patterns and trends in research.

• Being able to identify true meanings and feelings of the respondents.

What is a sample group?

• A small group that reflects the wider population the researcher is studying

• A tester group that do an experiment before others to check it works