Sociological Methodology Essay, Research Paper
???? In this chapter
I aim to gain a through understanding of sociological methods and???????? to look at various methods and their
merits and problems, i.e. quantitative etc. I will also attempt to show the
methods that will be used in study, and asses the reasons for? my choice. It will also be beneficial to
look at possible problems and measures to?
minimise these problemsAt a basic level research falls into two categories,
the positivist and the anti-positivist approach. However it is important to
note that sociologists generally do not use one method but combine both
approaches to obtain rounded results. And that the research must always be
reliable, valid and representative. Positivism is used by structuralists and
was used and developed by Augste Comte. Positivists carry out scientific
methods, it is otherwise known as the philosophy of science, examples of which
are; looking at statistics, or any numerical data. Also included in this type
of research are questionnaires, controlled experiments, structured interviews
etc. Positivist research can give us knowledge of something actually occurring
or existing but it cannot delve deeper and discover the reasoning behind it. The second approach to
sociological research is anti-positivism; this is where the reasoning behind
the knowledge is looked at. It is often described as the ?texture? and ?feel?
of a matter. Anti-positivists use qualitative methods of research, which
include, participant observation, unstructured interviews, direct observation,
and conversational analysis. An example of a sociologist who conducted research
in this way is Weber.Now I will look into a few
methods of research in a more detailed way, these are the methods which I am
most likely to use, either individually or a combination of both. As I have
chosen to use both positivist and anti-positivist methods, I will need to
examine a selection.Questionnaires will be very
important in my study as they will provide an insight and a feel for the general
consensus of young women as well as providing me with a set of results to work
with in numerical form. Questionnaires can either be given to people to take
away and answer or asked by me and answered n the spot. There are advantages? and disadvantages with both. If the
questionnaires are taken away, some would never be returned and I would
inevitably lose some this way. Also, people read questions differently and so,
if they read them themselves, I may receive different responses because the
question is being read in a different way. However the advantage of this is
that people are more likely to be honest when answering alone and anonymously,
especially young girls who from my hypothesis I am assuming are easily
influenced. The advantages of on the spot questionnaires are that I am
guaranteed to get answers from all those who are wiling to answer the
questions, so I will not lose any responses, however I may not get as many in
the first place because people may be intimidated by talking to me and answering
personal questions out loud. Another disadvantage with this is that I may guide
the answers with my tone of voice in the questioning. However, in the same way
I will be able to ensure that the question is read as it is intended to be
read. Also people react differently when they know they are being observed and
watched. After looking at all the advantages and disadvantages, I have decided
to send questionnaires, not stand and ask the questions, this is mainly due to
the intended nature of the questions. With both methods I think it is important
to use a mixture of closed and open ended questions. The person completing the
questionnaire will have the option, to remain anonymous and just complete the
questionnaire as well as declining the questionnaire altogether, if she decides
not to remain anonymous then she will also have the choice of agreeing to
further research, for example an in depth interview. My intended methods are
supported by P.Trowler, ?Investigating the Media?, 1991 pg 19. Courtney and Whipple,
1983 p45, Jean Baudrillard, a post modernist and Golding.Therefore interviews will be my
next method of research, from those girls who decide that they would like to be
involved in further research, I will look at their answers and to further my research
interview a selection. The interviews will give me a very in depth method of
research, it will bring me more information than the questionnaire because it
will be more personal, the interview will be semi-structured=-. I think it is
more effective to have a structured interview because it is more focused and it
very much depends on the personality of the interviewee as to if questions need
to be continually asked or if the conversation flows naturally. This is why I
think it is safer to have a structured interview, and a set list of questions.
Although I do appreciate that with this method I can only draw from the
interview the answers from the questions I have asked, very little extra
information is likely to emerge. I will tape the interview, with the
interviewees permission because it can be very disjointing to ask someone to
repeat their answer and this may result in a different answer. This method of
research is time consuming but, I think this is justified because I am only
selecting a few, maybe only four people to interview on an individual basis and
with careful time management I don?t see this as an issue. In order to draw out
the most important information from these interviews, I will present them as
case studies.Observation , direct or participant
is will not be of a great deal of use in my study, so it is not a method of
research that I am planning to use. This is because I am looking at attitudes
and values as opposed to behaviour and norms. It is important to me what people
think not so much on how they act.Each method involves a sample, a
sample is by definition. ?A method for collecting information and drawing
inferences about a larger population or universe, from the analysis of only
part thereof, the sample.? Oxford Dictionary of Sociology pg 576. So basically
a proportion of the population is selected to represent the rest the whole of
the population. For my study it is important to select a sample with a range of
backgrounds, although of similar age and the same sex. This would enable me to
find out the factors that effect young girls and if they differ between
backgrounds. There are eight different types of sampling, these are;Random: where everyone has
the same chance of being selected, therefore it is representative. His method
of sampling would not be suitable for me because I have selected an age
criteria of 16-18 years old. Systematic: where names
are selected at regular intervals on a list, this gives a greater selection of
age and background. His method of sampling would not be suitable for me because
I have selected an age criteria of 16-18 years old, unless the list was
specific to that criteria in the first place. Stratified Random Sample: Important
variables are found, e.g. in my research age and sex would be two important
variables, the sampling group is then allocated to the important variables.
This would be a very suitable method of sampling for my study beaus of the
importance of the variables. Quota Sample: This
identifies samples with particular characteristics e.g. age and gender, this
would also be a good method of sampling for my research as it would enable me
to work with a set criteria list right from the start. Cluster or Multistage
sampling: These are drawn from selections of the target group, samples from
an already drawn sample, these are often unrepresentative. This could be
useful, for extensive research, if interesting results are found I could go
back and look further into the case. Snowballing: a relative
sample is built upon using personal contacts. Convenience or Opportunity
Sampling: This method enables the sociologist to select anyone who will
answer the question, making the sample unrepresentative and biased. Non-Representative: This
method may be useful for disproving a hypothesis, and is the final sector of
the sampling process.I will produce a questionnaire as
my base, this will produce numerical data for me to analyse and a base where I
can look further into individual cases. These methods of research, enable the
research to continue, from a group, to individual case studies, to observation,
of a case study, to an in depth analysis of an individual. This is what I want,
for my study to remain open ended an subject to further analysis. I will select
the sample using stratified random sampling and from this sample I will select
50 girls at regular intervals systematically from the school registers. This
way my sample will be representative. I am aware of the limitations involved in
distributing my questionnaire, such as, not being able to distribute it to
people outside my immediate community, i.e. people outside, those who I know
and the school community. This way I think is the most ethical and effective in
receiving a fair amount of returns. In this chapter I have managed to
discus the advantages of methods of research and so have decided which methods
are suitable for my study. I will now collect my primary research using these
methods of study and discuss the results and conclusions.Context Gemma Sanders ?The media are massively present in our lives and it is this
that gives them their cultural effect, they feed into our world views and our
culture, and help to shape them? page 396, Media Imagery and Representations,
Chapter Two, New Directions. So the media is constantly feeding us images which
have the power to produce social effects in young women, this is true,
irrespective of whether they are negative or positive images or messages.
However my hypotheses states that I these effects are negative in society.Emile Durkheim used the term ?representation? to include;
?drawings, symbols, written and spoken?. Basically our conceptions of images is
what causes that symbol and that word to become a representation. Durkheim
believed that ?essentially social life is made up of representations and they
constrain our thoughts and behaviour. (Durkheim 1952, page 40). He believed
that the representations that exist come from the media and see the media as
being one of the most influential sources.I would tend not to use the study of Durkheim in this
instance relating to my hypothesis because he thought that these
representations were seen by everyone in the same way. Although in my study am
suggesting that there are huge effects I also believe that other factors are
involved such as background etc, as I believe that this can determine the way
images are represented. If this were true then there would be many more cases
of negative effects in young women than there are. I believe that the negative
social effects come not from the integration that Durkheim believes exists,
where everyone reads the images the same. I believe that the negative social
effects come from the social conflict that these representations can provide.
For example the stereotype ?pg 3? of the Sun newspaper is regarded as harmless
fun, which may in the majority of cases be true but that one image has many
different perceptions from a variety of different people.Stereotypes are representations which are often false or
misleading. Stereotypes exist within ideologies. Stereotypes are used by the
media and the media is plays a lagre part in creating an ideology within our
society. In our society people desire to follow this ideology and look to the
media for guidelines. However when issuing reason and blame for the negative
social effects caused by these ideologies an important question must be asked,
does society make ideologies or do ideologies make society? As in Marxism,
society controls the individual.In this section of my project, I will discuss to what extent
do these media images have an effect and I will incorporate some sociologists
work about this. I will look at Feminist arguments, as well as a presentation
of other secondary data.When attempting to find research studies into this area, I
found that a lot were out of date, perhaps because with the developments in
technology, i.e. television and the internet the media has only recently had
such a widespread effect and such power.A very influential part of the media is advertising as it is
solely designed to influence us, and has the capability to shape our attitudes
and behaviour. In 1985 £4441 million was spent on advertising so the messages
portrayed in these advertisements are obviously very important to the
advertiser. It is more about selling a way of life in which this product
becomes a necessity than simply getting people to buy the product. Already it
is possible to see that advertising can change the way of life for people and
as stated in? my hypothesis this could
be negative.The research of Courtney and Whipple, 1983 p45, supports my
hypothesis they concluded after looking at images in the media and their
societal effect that, ? when limited and demeaning stereotypes are as
persuasive as those involved in advertising?s portrayal of the sexes, it
becomes important to question whether those stereotypes might result in
negative and undesirable social consequences?.Feminist strands generally believe that the media is partly
responsible for creating images, stereotypes and expectations for women. In
London in 1969, feminists were beginning to take note of the ?anti-woman or
women-as-object? advertisements that surrounded them. Shelia Rowbotham, ?The
Past is Before Us?, 1989 p248 stated that, ?All around us in adverts, the
cinema, and television were images of a distorted man made femininity.? This
quote supports my hypothesis because it recognises that these images are not
real and that women have a very hard time trying to live up to them.Not only are the images hard to live upto but they ave also
been accused of trivialising women, ignoring real issues that women face and
placing them literally on face value. Therefore it made it very hard for an
intelligent woman to gain her rightful place in society unless she resembled
portrayed images. ?Women in Mass Communication, p281, complained about the
trivial portrayal of women?s issues and the oppressive place women held in
advertisements, they noted; ??unflattering portrayals and the trivialisation of
feminists? political interests.? This is most certainly a negative social
effect as it is contributing to the position of women in society. ? The three strands of feminism have slightly varying views on
the media and its representation of women. Liberal feminists that the
socialisation is the main cause for misrepresentation of women in society. The
believe that we are presented with sex roles which have become embedded in our
culture. So the media?s representation of women simply reflects these already
embedded images and messages. Liberal feminists do not believe that the media
plays no part but that it is not wholly responsible however it should present a
more balanced and accurate picture of women. Radical feminists also believe that the images are already
apparent in society through patriarchy. They believe that men use the media to
manipulate women. They believe that issues which that effects women are left
out of the media or become trivialised, similar to the liberal feminists
response. Socialist feminists blame the economic structure of
capitalism for the medias portrayal of women. They argue that women are
expected to give their labour cheaply and serve as the reserve army of workers.
The power of the companies which own women?s magazines is concentrated in male
hands. The function of women?s magazines is presented as being pastoral, giving
them solutions to their problems and promoting a code on how to be a woman,
ensuring that the woman will try to fulfil these codes. Body image is just
another one of these codes and is?
detrimental in he self esteem of women. Aside from this is the
expectation that a woman should be able to cope with a full time job and be the
main career for children. Hence all this has a massive effect on society, women
of course make up 50% of the population and whilst women are going around
trying to live up to these images and messages, society as a whole suffers
because confidence levels are on a downward spiral and women spend their whole
lives trying to be ?this?, ?that? and ?the other?.The pluralist model is a very interesting model to look at