2.1 Types of Data, Methods and Research Design

2026 Syllabus Objectives

1. Examine the different research methods and types of data used in sociological research, exploring the strengths and limitations of these. Look at the process of designing research, and at key ideas for assessing the value of different research methods. Examine questions such as whether sociology can and should be based on the natural sciences.

2. Understand the differences between primary and secondary sources of data and between quantitative and qualitative data.

3. Evaluate the strengths and limitations of different secondary sources of data, including official statistics, personal documents, digital content and media sources.

4. Evaluate the strengths and limitations of different quantitative research methods, including questionnaires, structured interviews, experiments and content analysis.

5. Evaluate the strengths and limitations of different qualitative research methods, including overt and covert participant and non-participant observation, unstructured interviews, semi-structured interviews and group interviews.

6. Understand stages of research design, including deciding on research strategy, formulating research questions and hypotheses, sampling frames, sampling techniques, pilot studies, operationalisation, conducting research and interpreting results.