Research Methodology in Sociology

Let’s take a look at some key primary research methods used in sociology: 

• Social Surveys: This is the most commonly used research technique in sociology. It involves the use of a structured questionnaire that is designed to gather information from a large number of people from a certain population. 

• Experiments: Experiments involve studying the cause-and-effect relationship between variables in a controlled environment. A hypothesis is created based on limited evidence and once the experiment is carried out, its outcome allows for the rejection or verification of the hypothesis. 

There are two key types of experiments; labaratory and field experiments. Laboratory experiments take place in a controlled environment whereas field experiements take place in real-life settings which are uncontrolled environments. 

• Interviews: In this method of data collection, information is gathered by asking respondents questions orally through the phone or even face-to-face. 

There are three main types of interviews; structured, unstructured, and semi-structured interviews. Structured interviews follow a script that is read out by an interviewer; it comprises pre-set, standardised, and generally closed questions. Unstructured interviews follow a more conversational structure; researchers ask open-ended questions that produce comprehensive qualitative data. Semi-structured interviews have a certain amount of open-ended questions that are asked to all respondents. These questions are then followed by a certain amount of differentiated questions based on the respondent’s answer to the intial questions. Semi-structured interviews, therefore, have characteristics of structured and unstructured interviews. 

• Observation: Participant observation involves researchers joining their subjects in their natural environment to observe how they behave in real social settings. Participant observations can either be covert or overt. When it is overt, respondents are aware that they are a part of a sociological research project. When it is covert, or undercover, respondents believe that the researcher is ‘one of them’ and are likely unaware that they are a part of a research study.