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Questions and Answers
What type of sampling is typically used in grounded theory studies?
What is a major limitation of online opt-in polls?
What is the primary focus of survey research?
What is a limitation of asking questions about behavior in survey research?
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What is the purpose of discriminant sampling?
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What is the main characteristic of a positivist approach in survey research?
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How is the size of a sample determined in quantitative research?
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What is a type of question that can be answered by survey research?
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What is a characteristic of survey research?
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What is a limitation of non-probability sampling?
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Study Notes
Idealism and Social Science
- Max Weber's perspective: science is about interpreting and understanding individuals (social action) through interpretative sociology.
- Focus on individuals and their actions as the basic units (atoms).
Worldviews and Research Approaches
- 4 worldviews (Creswell & Creswell):
- Post-positivism
- Constructivism
- Idealism
- Pragmatism
Post-positivism
- Also known as 'the scientific method'
- Typically quantitative
- Deterministic: cause and effect; drive to assess the causes that influence outcomes
- Deductive: begins with theory and data is collected to support or refute the theory
- Research seeks to develop true statements that can explain or describe phenomena
- Objectivity is essential: researchers must examine methods and conclusions for bias and maintain a standard of reliability and validity in quantitative research
- Based on empirical observation and measurement
- Reductionist: reduces ideas into a small, discrete set to test
Constructivism
- Typically qualitative
- Researchers generate theory through induction
- Focus on understanding: individuals seek understanding of the world in which they live and work
- Multiple participant meanings: researcher looks for complexity of views rather than narrowing meanings into a few categories or ideas
- Meaning is constructed through individual experiences, resulting in varied and complex views
- Goal of research relies on participants' views of the situation
Research Approaches
- 3 components:
- Philosophical worldviews: basic set of beliefs that guide action
- Research design/strategies of inquiry: provide specific direction for procedures in a research study
- Specific methods: forms of data collection, analysis, and interpretation that researchers propose for their studies
Types of Data
- Qualitative data: non-numerical data
- Quantitative data: numerical data
- Mixed methods: combination of qualitative and quantitative
- Note: false dichotomy, useless distinction; survey questions may be a mix of both
Conceptual Model
- Simplified representation of reality
- Can be either deductive or inductive
- Key: mechanisms that are at play
- Visual/graphical or in a narrative form
Types of Conceptual Models
- Based on the type of relationship they represent:
- Direct relationship (between variables)
- Mediating/intervening variables
- Moderating variable
Sampling
- Non-probability sampling:
- Convenience sampling
- Purposeful sampling
- Snowball sampling
- Opportunistic/emergent sampling
- Maximum variation sample
- Extreme/deviant case
- Typical case
- Theoretical sample
- Discriminant sampling
Survey Research
- Positioning survey research:
- Deductive (rather than inductive)
- Nomothetic (rather than idiographic)
- Quantitative (rather than qualitative)
- Positivistic (rather than constructivist)
- Pragmatic (rather than transformative)
- Surveys answer 3 types of questions:
- About behavior
- About attitudes/beliefs/opinions
- About characteristics
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Description
Explore the foundations of sociology research, including Max Weber's interpretative approach and the four worldviews of Creswell & Creswell.
