1. Running Head: METHODS IN SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH 1
Methods in sociological research
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Date of submission
2. METHODS IN SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2
OBSERVATION METHODS
Participant observation method
Participant observation method is one of the research methods whereby the observer
participates in what is happening and records it in real time. I would bother using this method since
as an observer, I become a ‘player” in the action. In addition, this technique is not only used in
sociology but also in other closely related areas like anthropology (Giddens et al., 2016). As a
researcher, one becomes part of what is under study.
Advantages of participant observation research method
Validity: this kind of research produces raw qualitative data which expresses the reality of how
people live. The researchers, in this case, are in a position to see for themselves. In fact, the
researcher participates in the research process. This ensures the accuracy of the data obtained.
Flexibility; this kind of research is more flexible and allows for an open mind. The researcher can
make a proper follow up if something that is very crucial occurs. The research can get answers to
question would have proved hard to ask (Spradley, 2016).
Practical advantages; in this kind of research, the researcher can gain access and trust in more
suspicious groups such as gangs.
Disadvantages of participant research method
Practical disadvantages
This type of research method is time-consuming. One study may take over one year or more. As
such, it is very demanding and requires one to secure much time to obtain accurate results. If done
covertly, this research method can be stressful.
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Ethical issues; covert participation raise many questions, deceiving people to participate in a
processor to gain information from them is unethical (Spradley, 2016). Participating is immoral
activities is equally wrong.
Representatives; a researcher can only hand small sample sizes at the time which makes it so hard
to generalize the data.
Bias; the researcher risks being so much involved. This may force the researcher to give bias data.
Bias data comes in as a result of sympathy with the group. This should be avoided.
SURVEY
The survey is one of the research methods that makes it easy to conduct and collect
information for research services. The survey can be conducted both in private and public areas
(De Vaus, 2013). The survey generally deals with collection information through interviews and
or discussions.
Advantages of surveys
High level of representation; data obtained through survey generally represents a large population.
A large number of people answers questions, therefore, the data obtained is an indicator of the true
characteristics of the general population under study (De Vaus, 2013). As compared to other
methods of research, surveys produce data that is almost the same as the attributes of the larger
population.
Low cost; the most important cost incurred in this case is in the production of questionnaires.
Printing services are very cheap in most of the countries. A researcher can allocate 2 dollars per
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person. Other methods of research such as personal interviews and focus groups require a
researcher to incur more cost.
Convenient data gathering; in this method of research, participants can be contacted in many ways.
For instance, the researcher can send the questionnaires through email or fax (De Vaus, 2013).
Currently, the online survey method has drawn much interest among researchers. It has become a
popular way of gathering information and collecting data.
Precise results; this method provides uniform to the participants who are to answer the
questionnaires. This is due to the fact that the questions are scrutinized and standardized first before
issued out to the subjects (De Vaus, 2013). The participants are provided with the standardized
stimulus. This helps in eliminating the researcher’s own biases.
Disadvantages
Inflexible design; once the survey has begun, it cannot be changed. The process of data collection
must remain the same.
It is not a good method of research for controversial issues; the participants may not be willing to
answer questions that bear controversies accordingly (De Vaus, 2013). This may be due to the
difficulty in recalling information related to their personal life. It is usually hard for the participants
to personal information accurately in this case as compared to when using research methods such
as focus groups.
Wrong answers; certain survey questions may be answered wrongly since the respondents may
interpret them in a wrong way. In face to face interviews, the researcher can explain more on his
or her research questions.
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Data errors; respondents may not answer all questions. They may also answer questions wrongly
or differently. This will lead to errors at the end of the research.
As a sociologist tasked with offering solutions to the problems of suburban poverty I would
use descriptive research design. This is because descriptive research design allows a researcher to
collect raw data and present it as collected. In this case, I will settle on a known suburban setting
and collect data on what specifically takes place there.
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References
De Vaus, D. (2013). Surveys in social research. Routledge.
Giddens, A., Duneier, M., Appelbaum, R. P., & Carr, D. S. (2016). Introduction to sociology. WW
Norton.
Spradley, J. P. (2016). Participant observation. Waveland Press.
