Choice of research method. here are various types of research methods available, such as questionnaires, participant observation, longitudinal studies and interviews.

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Choice of research method

By definition, sociology refers to the systematic study of human behavior and society. It is a popular debate in sociological research concerning the idea that the choice of research is mainly influenced by the theoretical perspective of the sociologist. However, it has been suggested that there are other factors that might as well influence the sociologist’s choice of research method, those being the choice of the research topic and the practical and ethical considerations. There are various types of research methods available, such as questionnaires, participant observation, longitudinal studies and interviews.

First of all, a sociologist’s theoretical perspective plays an important role in influencing his choice of research method, those being the structural and interpretive perspective. Structuralist such as functionalist and Marxist see structure of society that affects the way human behave. They believe in positivism view concerning the idea that sociologist should confine themselves to study social facts which can be objectively observed and measured. And that sociologist should not be concerned with the internal meanings, motives, feelings and emotions of individuals as they exists only in the person’s consciousness and cannot be measured objectively. As such, structuralist sees quantitative research method as being the most appropriate way of research. Through quantitative method, by using statistical data and being able to manipulate variables, the causal and correlation relationship between external social forces and human consciousness as well as laws of human behavior can be revealed. For example, in Emile Durkheim’s study of suicide, Durkheim found suicide rate rises during economic booms or slumps as they brought the uncertainty of anomie which led Durkheim to conclude that the act of suicide is the result of human’s reaction towards external stimuli.

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Moreover, structuralist prefers quantitative research method such as questionnaires as it is able to utilize larger samples, so generalizations are more justified. Statistical data produced from questionnaires ease the replication of research and checking of results, as well as provides a much more reliable and objective data, as compared to qualitative method. Hence, a sociologist who favors structural approach tends to prefer quantitative research methods such as questionnaires and experiments in studying the social world.

On the other hand, interpretivists such as symbolic interactionists see social action can only be understood by interpreting the meanings and motives it is based ...

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