Podcasts with Pictures: Evaluating Sociological Research Methods
Alexandra Sugden’s YouTube Channel contains a load of online lectures, for both GCSE and A-level, covering areas like crime and deviance, education, sociological theory, research methods and a tiny bit of religion. The Channel’s well worth a visit and a watch if you have the time and inclination and, as with many of the other […]
Research Methods: Triangulation
Over the past few years the concept of triangulation has become increasingly central to an understanding of both research methodology and methods – their strengths, weaknesses and limitations in particular – at High School and A level and it’s a topic I’ve already addressed a few times in one form or another. If you want […]
Psychological Research Methods: A Practical Approach
I know I said the Teacher Guides were the “third and final” post in this series of Psychology Lesson Elements and Delivery Guides but I may have been caught up in the moment and hence guilty of slightly over-exaggerating things, vis-à-vis the finality angle. In other words, I’ve found another OCR Resource that both complements […]
Research Methods Booklet
This Booklet was created by Steven Humphrys, based on one of Ken Browne’s many Sociology textbooks. I don’t know which one but since the Booklet’s dated 2018 I chose the most recent. Probably. I can’t keep up. Also, when I say “guessing”, the Word version has a bank page that says “Ken Browne Scan”, which […]
Of Methods and Methodology 6 | 3: Theoretical Research Considerations
Theoretical research considerations – from methodological perspective to questions of reliability and validity – form the third part of the P.E.T. (Practical, Ethical, Theoretical) triumvirate of research considerations and they represent an important counterweight to the idea that sociological research simply involves choosing the right tool for the job. In everyday life, when faced with […]
Of Methods and Methodology 6 | 2: Ethical Research Considerations
Ethics refers to the morality of doing something and ethical questions relating to sociological research involve beliefs about what a researcher should – or should not do – before, during and after the research in which they’re involved. This will, as a matter of course, include a consideration of both legal and safety issues: for […]
Of Methods and Methodology 6 | Practical Research Considerations
Sociologists do research for a wide range of reasons and in this post we’re looking at a range of practical research considerations relating to, firstly, choice of topic and secondly, choice of method. As luck would have it (you didn’t seriously think I planned this stuff, did you?), this all fits neatly into my “5 […]
Of Methods and Methodology: 5. Triangulation
methodological pluralism While it’s necessary, for the sake of illustration, to differentiate between different sociological methodologies, this doesn’t mean positivism and interpretivism simply occupy their own unique social space into which the other cannot enter – an idea reflected in the notion “positivists” would not use qualitative methods for methodological reasons, because such methods “lack […]
Of Methods and Methodology: 4. Postmodernism
A methodology is a framework for research that focuses on how it is possible to collect reliable and valid data about, in this instance, the social world. It’s shaped by two main considerations: 1. Our beliefs about the fundamental nature of the social world (ontological concerns). 2. How we believe is possible to construct knowledge […]
Of Methods and Methodology: 3. Realism
A methodology is a framework for research that focuses on how it is possible to collect reliable and valid data about, in this instance, the social world. It’s shaped by two main considerations: 1. Our beliefs about the fundamental nature of the social world (ontological concerns). 2. How we believe is possible to construct knowledge […]