Sociological Research Methods

RERE 6022 - PEMIKIRAN SOSIAL TENTANG KAJIAN
ETNIK (SOCIAL THOUGHT IN ETHNIC STUDIES)

These slides are strictly for circulation within the RERE 6022 -
PEMIKIRAN SOSIAL TENTANG KAJIAN ETNIK
(SOCIAL THOUGHT IN ETHNIC STUDIES) class only. Please
do not share or reproduce without the lecturer’s permission.
Research
Methods
Compiled as teaching material
for RERE 6022 class lectures by:
Dr. Rachel Chan Suet Kay
Research Fellow
Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA)
National University of Malaysia (UKM)
Principles of sociological research
Research

a process of investigating something systematically

Sociological research
investigating social life using sociological theories and methods
Data
the information collected by researchers
Research design
the way you plan and organise research
Methods
the tools used to collect the data
Methodology
the study of sociological research methods

Standardisation
Making something procedural rather than on hearsay.

• Reliability – is
Transparency
• Transparency – In
Validity
Reliability
• Validity – In sociology,
the research other words, the this has a more
repeatable, and quality of being specific meaning than
will you get the ‘see-thru’. Means in common use. It
same results? that a researcher refers to ‘how justified
Refers to the has shown exactly are we in drawing
extent to which how the research conclusions from a set
repeated was done. For of data?’ It can also
measurements example, in a study be expressed as ‘is it
using interview, the representing what it is
using the same researcher should
method, supposed to
also provide the list represent?’
produces the of actual questions
same results. It used, mention how
is commonly they were asked,
used in the number of
quantitative people interviewed
research. etc.
life?
used
more variables
Construct Validity –
Internal Validity – How
the research truly reflect

conclusion regarding the
Types of Validity
Ecological Validity – Does

Accuracy of the variables
the actual reality of social

relationship between two or
justified are we in drawing a
Research Design
Planning and Choice
Thinking about how you would actually do the research. Sometimes we all come up with interesting
research topics but when we actually want to carry it out, we are at a loss. How do I even start, you
might ask.
– Theoretical Indicators
Concepts categories used The tool you would use to measure a
to describe and concept. This process is called
explain the ‘operationalising’. Operationalising
social world. Are means ‘way of measuring’.
clearly defined
categories given
to aspects of the
social world, So, indicators are tools use to
that have measure concepts. Eg, if the
significant concept is poverty, the indicator
common would be the aspect that confirms
features. Eg. whether poverty exists. These would
Poverty. be things like monthly income,
number of meals per day, whether
These slides are strictly for circulation within the RERE 6022 - the person has access to electricity,
school, and so on.
Research Design
Descriptive and Explanatory Research Designs

• Is about trying to construct a much

clearer and more comprehensive
picture of how something works, often
on the basis of earlier exploratory
Descriptive studies.
• Eg. A study of social change which asks how family life,
work, and leisure have changed over the last 25 years.
(Tries to tell the story of the big picture without defining
a ‘law’ of the situation)
• Asks why something happens

and identifies possible ‘causal’
mechanisms.
Explanatory • Eg. Testing a theory that youth today have shorter
attention spans than 25 years ago, and forming a theory
on why this is so. (Asks a specific questions and looks
for a specific answer, usually defining a ‘law’)
Research Design
Quantitative and Qualitative

Quantitative Qualitative
Enables relationships between

variables to be documented More ecologically valid
systematically
Are more likely to fulfil the key

Provides knowledge of how people
criteria of standardisation,
behave in their natural contexts
reliability, and transparency
Enables researchers to explore

Give data more authority,
people’s experiences and the
especially with government
meanings they give to their actions
departments and the media.
and how they develop over time.
in Sociology
Methods
Major Research Designs
Research
Major Research Designs in Sociology
Experimental
Content Longitudinal and

Survey Ethnography
Analysis studies evaluative

research
Most
commonly
done by asking
people
questions, Dependent
thrugh variable
questionnaires
, or face to
face
interviews.
Includes:
Sampling
1. Probability
sampling
2. Simple random Independent
sampling variable
3. Stratified
random sampling
4. Non-probability
sampling
Primary research methods
Structured interviews and questionnaires

Is the most popular Interviewees are

method in asked identical
Easy to code
sociological questions in exactly
research the same way
Can obtain a lot of

Close-ended answer answers from a lot Might cause
options of people in a fast ‘interviewer effect’
and cheap way
Lacks ecological
Difficult to get
validity (accurate
More objective deeper, descriptive
applicability to all
meanings
situations)
Unstructured Interviews

More like ordinary Most commonly

conversations, there used in Depends upon rapport
is no fixed interview ethnographic with respondent
structure research
More depth and More valid as

flexibility than subjects can
Difficult to code
structured express to their
interviews heart’s content
Less reliable as it is
Might cause
impossible to
‘interviewer effect’
reproduce exactly
Observational methods
Can be unstructured, or semi-

structured, (participant structured.
(eg. experiments) observation ) (mixture)

Official
Statistics
Observational methods
Documents
(content analysis)
Secondary Sources
Factors Influencing Choice of Research Methods
Research Design
Typical Subjects Typical Methods

Survey Samples of large Structured

populations interview
questionnaire
Experimental/ Small groups of Structured
evaluative subjects observation
Comparative/ Institutions, Official statistics,

cross-cultural societies, groups documents
of societies
Ethnographic Case studies Participant
observation,
unstructured
interview,
personal
documents
References
R. Gosling (ed.) and S. Taylor with the Department of Sociology,

LSE (2011). Principles of sociology. London: University of London.

…for now
The End

Sociological Research Methods

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RERE 6022 - PEMIKIRAN SOSIAL TENTANG KAJIAN

ETNIK (SOCIAL THOUGHT IN ETHNIC STUDIES)

do not share or reproduce without the lecturer’s permission.

a process of investigating something systematically

PEMIKIRAN SOSIAL TENTANG KAJIAN ETNIK

investigating social life using sociological theories and methods

the information collected by researchers

the way you plan and organise research

the tools used to collect the data

the study of sociological research methods

do not share or reproduce without the lecturer’s permission.

PEMIKIRAN SOSIAL TENTANG KAJIAN ETNIK

Internal Validity – How

the research truly reflect

Ecological Validity – Does

the actual reality of social

do not share or reproduce without the lecturer’s permission.

PEMIKIRAN SOSIAL TENTANG KAJIAN ETNIK

• Is about trying to construct a much

• Asks why something happens

do not share or reproduce without the lecturer’s permission.

PEMIKIRAN SOSIAL TENTANG KAJIAN ETNIK

Enables relationships between

Are more likely to fulfil the key

Enables researchers to explore

do not share or reproduce without the lecturer’s permission.

Content Longitudinal and

PEMIKIRAN SOSIAL TENTANG KAJIAN ETNIK

Analysis studies evaluative

do not share or reproduce without the lecturer’s permission.

PEMIKIRAN SOSIAL TENTANG KAJIAN ETNIK

Is the most popular Interviewees are

Can obtain a lot of

do not share or reproduce without the lecturer’s permission.

PEMIKIRAN SOSIAL TENTANG KAJIAN ETNIK

More like ordinary Most commonly

More depth and More valid as

Can be unstructured, or semi-

RERE 6022 - PEMIKIRAN SOSIAL TENTANG KAJIAN

Typical Subjects Typical Methods

PEMIKIRAN SOSIAL TENTANG KAJIAN ETNIK

Survey Samples of large Structured

Comparative/ Institutions, Official statistics,

R. Gosling (ed.) and S. Taylor with the Department of Sociology,

RERE 6022 - PEMIKIRAN SOSIAL TENTANG KAJIAN

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