Download Chapter 2 Studying Social Life: Sociological Research Methods | SOC - Contemporary Sociological Theory and more Quizzes Contemporary Sociology in PDF only on Docsity!
Ethnography
A naturalistic method based on studying people in their own environment in order to understand the meanings they attribute to their activities; also the written work that results from the study. TERM 2
Grounded Theory
DEFINITION 2 An inductive method of generating theory from data by creating categories in which to place data and then looking for relationships among categories. TERM 3
Interview
DEFINITION 3 Face-to-face information-seeking conversations, sometimes defined as a conversation with a purpose. TERM 4
Respondent
DEFINITION 4 Someone from whom a researcher solicits information. TERM 5
Sample
DEFINITION 5 The part of the population that will actually be studied.
Bias
An opinion held by the researcher that might affect the research or analysis. TERM 7
Survey
DEFINITION 7 A research method based on questionnaires that are administered to a sample of respondents selected from a target population. TERM 8
Target Population
DEFINITION 8 The entire group about which a researcher would like to be able to generalize. TERM 9
Control
DEFINITION 9 In an experiment, the process of regulating all factors except for the independent variable. TERM 10
Experiments
DEFINITION 10 Formal tests of specific variables and effects, performed in a controlled setting where all aspects of the situation can be controlled.
Existing Sources
Materials that have been produced for some other reason, but can be used as data for social research. TERM 17
Replicability
DEFINITION 17 Research that can be repeated, and thus verified by other researchers later. TERM 18
Reliability
DEFINITION 18 The consistency of a question or measurement tool; the degree to which the same questions will produce similar answers. TERM 19
Confidentiality
DEFINITION 19 The assurance that no one other than the researcher will know the identity of a respondent. TERM 20
Validity
DEFINITION 20 The accuracy of a question or measurement tool; the degree to which a researcher is measuring what he thinks he is measuring.
Experimental Group
The part of a test group that receives the experimental treatment. TERM 22
Control Group
DEFINITION 22 The part of a test group that is allowed to continue without intervention so that it can be compared with the experimental group. TERM 23
Access
DEFINITION 23 The process by which an ethnographer gains entry to a field setting.
