You are here: Home » Social Sciences » When is It Best to Use Different Research Methods?

When is It Best to Use Different Research Methods?

Some social issues will need differing types of research methods to be understood.

This is particularly the case in relation to the gaining of personal perspectives on social, economic, and political issues besides reactions to major events. The obtaining of personal opinions could in the right circumstances be very useful in the answering of social research questions, especially if the questions asked are well though out and allow all the information or opinion gained to be relevant and comparable to other responses within each research project. Obtaining personal perspectives is an essential part of conducting social research; for without such perspectives it would harder to understand or evaluate how various social issues could affect their societies and how social researchers would be able analyse those societies. Qualitative research methods have the benefit of allowing social researchers to understand personal positions within any specific social issue or problem. Providing enough care is taken to design research projects the potential limitations of qualitative research methods such as bias and too narrow a perspective upon social issues can be averted or kept to a minimum.

 

 

 

Bibliography

 

Abercrombie N, Hill S & Turner B S (2000) Penguin Dictionary of Sociology 4th edition, Penguin, London Gilbert N, (2003) Researching Social Life, 2nd edition, Sage Publications, London Jones, R A (1996) Research Methods in the Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2nd edition, Sinaur Associates Inc, Sunderland, Massachusetts Marshall P, (1997) Research Methods, How to Books, Plymouth Miller R L and Brewer J D (2003) The A-Z of Social Research – A Dictionary of Key Social Science Research Concepts, Sage Publications, London Woodward J, (2003) Social Sciences, the big issues, Routledge, London

 

1
Liked it
User Comments
  1. poliwonk

    On June 22, 2011 at 11:15 am


    Good Info

Post Comment
Powered by Powered by Triond