Notes: Techniques of Data Collection- 1 | Sociology Mains Optional for UPSC 2024 PDF Download

 Page 1


 
 
3. Research Methods and 
Analysis 
b. Techniques of data collection. 
Part-1 
  
Page 2


 
 
3. Research Methods and 
Analysis 
b. Techniques of data collection. 
Part-1 
  
 
 
PRIMARY SOURCES 
 
HOW TO CHOSE A PRIMARY RESEARCH METHOD 
- Source of funding may specify types of methods (many funding bodies prefer quantitative 
method) 
- Theoretical and practical consideration of topic (ex-class behaviour requires qualitative data 
while voting pattern requires quantitative techniques) 
- Primary resources should have reliability and validity 
- Govt policies can demand certain type of research methods and data 
- Practicalities: Availability of data, possibility of interviewing the subjects (like murderers, 
gangsters etc) 
- Ethical Concerns: Informed consent, confidentiality, to avoid harm and to do good  
 
CASE STUDIES: 
- Makes no claims to be representative; makes detailed examination of single example 
therefore lacks external validity 
- Howard  Becker: aim of case study is to arrive at comprehensive understanding of group 
under study 
- Tim May: case studies emphasize contextual nature of social life 
- It helps to generate new hypothesis or falsify a general theory about social life. Ex K Gough 
study about Nayars which established that family is not always based on marital bonds 
- Various types of case studies  1) critical: to test a hypothesis or see reactions of an event 
(religion cults reaction when world didn’t come to end in 2012) 2) Extreme or unique case: 
Margaret Mead studied tribals in Pacific and found atypical gender relations 3) Revelatory 
case: gaining access to new aspect previously inaccessible ex: black uneducated gansgters   
4) longitudinal case: to study case at two or more point ( to see effects of social change)    
5)Representative or Exemplifying case 
 
Drawbacks: no generalizations can be made (uniqueness);  
Bryman suggested no of case studies on same type of phenomenon to generalize. 
Karl Popper – Unique case studies help in falsification of universal theories. 
Thomas Kuhn – Case Studies help in furthering the Paradigm of the methodologies. 
 
LIFE HISTORIES 
- Specific type of case study which concerns individual life. Alan Bryman calls it as biographical 
method 
- Uses extended, unstructured interviews or personal documents ex study of polish peasant 
- It can be used as sensitising and motivational tool; provides rich detail cutting through dense 
jargon of theoretical sociology 
- Ken Plummer calls it ‘analytical induction’ as life histories provide starting point of studies or 
to falsify old ones 
- Feminist have used this method to highlight exploitation ex Maria Mies found that 
discussion of domestic violence has helped other women to come out 
- Critical researchers have used this technique to raise awareness of people own exploitation 
- Trend of studying various life histories simultaneously.  
 
PILOT STUDIES: 
It is a small scale preliminary study done before the main research 
Page 3


 
 
3. Research Methods and 
Analysis 
b. Techniques of data collection. 
Part-1 
  
 
 
PRIMARY SOURCES 
 
HOW TO CHOSE A PRIMARY RESEARCH METHOD 
- Source of funding may specify types of methods (many funding bodies prefer quantitative 
method) 
- Theoretical and practical consideration of topic (ex-class behaviour requires qualitative data 
while voting pattern requires quantitative techniques) 
- Primary resources should have reliability and validity 
- Govt policies can demand certain type of research methods and data 
- Practicalities: Availability of data, possibility of interviewing the subjects (like murderers, 
gangsters etc) 
- Ethical Concerns: Informed consent, confidentiality, to avoid harm and to do good  
 
CASE STUDIES: 
- Makes no claims to be representative; makes detailed examination of single example 
therefore lacks external validity 
- Howard  Becker: aim of case study is to arrive at comprehensive understanding of group 
under study 
- Tim May: case studies emphasize contextual nature of social life 
- It helps to generate new hypothesis or falsify a general theory about social life. Ex K Gough 
study about Nayars which established that family is not always based on marital bonds 
- Various types of case studies  1) critical: to test a hypothesis or see reactions of an event 
(religion cults reaction when world didn’t come to end in 2012) 2) Extreme or unique case: 
Margaret Mead studied tribals in Pacific and found atypical gender relations 3) Revelatory 
case: gaining access to new aspect previously inaccessible ex: black uneducated gansgters   
4) longitudinal case: to study case at two or more point ( to see effects of social change)    
5)Representative or Exemplifying case 
 
Drawbacks: no generalizations can be made (uniqueness);  
Bryman suggested no of case studies on same type of phenomenon to generalize. 
Karl Popper – Unique case studies help in falsification of universal theories. 
Thomas Kuhn – Case Studies help in furthering the Paradigm of the methodologies. 
 
LIFE HISTORIES 
- Specific type of case study which concerns individual life. Alan Bryman calls it as biographical 
method 
- Uses extended, unstructured interviews or personal documents ex study of polish peasant 
- It can be used as sensitising and motivational tool; provides rich detail cutting through dense 
jargon of theoretical sociology 
- Ken Plummer calls it ‘analytical induction’ as life histories provide starting point of studies or 
to falsify old ones 
- Feminist have used this method to highlight exploitation ex Maria Mies found that 
discussion of domestic violence has helped other women to come out 
- Critical researchers have used this technique to raise awareness of people own exploitation 
- Trend of studying various life histories simultaneously.  
 
PILOT STUDIES: 
It is a small scale preliminary study done before the main research 
 
 
- Checks feasibility of study, suggests improvement in design of research and save 
time/money in conducting a flawed and inadequately designed research 
- It helps improve response rate ex Hannah Gavron found it necessary to establish a rapport 
with respondents 
- May help in developing research skills 
 
SOCIAL SURVEY: 
- Collecting standardized data about large no of people. Aldridge and Levine: ‘collection of 
same information about all cases in sample’ 
- Usually by questionnaire 
- Three types 1) Factual:  for descriptive information ex: census    2) Attitude survey: to 
discover opinion or subjective states of individuals      3)Explainatory: to test or form theories 
or hypothesis 
- Researchers generalize from social survey