Doing Sociology Research Methods

The question of a scientific method is especially important in sociology because sociology studies a world that people already know from everyday experience. So the sociologist cannot be distinguished simply by having different subject matter. What makes sociology a social science is the way knowledge is collected: by using careful, systematic methods. Method is also important because sociology studies lived experience and must understand both the outsider’s and the insider’s point of view. That is why the question of method becomes central in sociology.

Objectivity is more complicated in the social sciences because the researcher is studying a world that he or she is also part of. In sociology, this creates several problems:

- Bias: sociologists have personal likes, dislikes, values and prejudices.
- Their own social background may affect what they see and how they interpret it.
- In social life there are often many versions of truth, because different people see the same situation differently.
- Sociology is also multi-paradigmatic, so there are competing and incompatible schools of thought within the discipline itself.

Because of these reasons, the old idea of a completely neutral and disinterested social science is much harder to achieve in sociology than in the natural sciences.

Sociologists try to deal with objectivity by making it a continuous process rather than assuming it is already achieved. They do this in several ways:

- by self-examination of their own ideas and feelings about the topic;
- by taking an outsider’s perspective on their own work and trying to see it through the eyes of others;
- by careful documentation of all procedures and sources so that others can retrace the research steps;
- by clearly stating their own social background wherever it may be a possible source of bias, so readers can take that into account.

These practices help reduce bias and improve the reliability of sociological research.

Reflexivity means the researcher’s ability to observe and analyse oneself. In sociology, it is important because the sociologist is also part of society and can be influenced by personal values, experiences and prejudices. Reflexivity helps the researcher to:

- examine one’s own assumptions and biases;
- adopt the point of view of others;
- make the research more careful and self-critical.

It is important because it helps sociologists move closer to objectivity and produce more trustworthy knowledge.

During participant observation, ethnographers and sociologists do several things:

- live among the people being studied for a long period, often many months or even about a year;
- learn the local language;
- participate in everyday life and try to become an insider;
- observe festivals, rituals, family life, modes of earning, child rearing and other community practices;
- ask many questions about things taken for granted by the community;
- build a census and sometimes a map of the settlement;
- construct a genealogy or family tree;
- depend on informants or principal informants for key information;
- keep detailed field notes and often a daily diary.

These activities help them understand the whole way of life of the community.