Methods and Techniques of Social research: NBSE Class 11

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Get summaries, questions, answers, solutions, notes, extras, PDF and guide of chapter 6, Methods and Techniques of Social research: NBSE Class 11 Sociology textbook, which is part of the syllabus for students studying under the Nagaland Board. These solutions, however, should only be treated as references and can be modified/changed. 

Summary

Social research is like searching for knowledge. It’s a careful and planned way to find information about a specific topic. Think of it as a journey to discover new things, moving from what we know to what we don’t know. Our natural curiosity makes us wonder about things we don’t understand. This curiosity drives us to learn more, and the method we use to gain this knowledge is called research. Social research aims to find new facts, check if old facts are still true, and understand how different things are connected.

When researchers collect information, called data, they can get it in two main ways. Primary data is new information collected for the first time, perhaps through experiments or surveys. Secondary data is information that someone else already collected.

One way to collect primary data is through observation, which means watching people or events. Scientific observation isn’t just casual looking; it’s planned carefully to be accurate. An advantage is that it shows what is happening right now without relying on people’s memory or willingness to talk. However, it can be costly and sometimes unexpected things can interfere.

There are two types of observation. Participant observation is when the researcher joins the group they are studying to experience things like the group members do. This helps get deep insights and observe natural behavior, even secret ones. But it can be hard to gain trust, avoid influencing the group, and stay neutral. Non-participant observation is when the researcher watches from the outside without joining in. This helps the researcher remain objective, but they might not fully understand the group’s behavior.

Another data collection method is the interview, where a researcher asks questions and gets spoken answers. Personal interviews happen face-to-face, allowing for detailed information and flexibility. Telephone interviews are done over the phone, which is faster but gives less time for thought and only works if people have phones.

A schedule is a list of questions, similar to a questionnaire. But with a schedule, a trained helper called an enumerator asks the questions and records the answers. This method is useful for large studies like a population census, ensuring even people who cannot read can participate, though it is expensive.

A questionnaire is also a list of questions, but it’s usually sent to people, often by mail, for them to fill out themselves. Questionnaires are like the center of a survey operation because they are key to gathering the needed information. They should have clear, simple questions. It’s good to do a small practice run, called a pilot study, to test the questions first. Questionnaires are low-cost and allow people time to think, but not everyone returns them, and they only work for people who can read and write. Schedules are filled out by helpers, while questionnaires are filled out by the respondents themselves.

Textbook solutions

Very Short Answer Type Questions

1. What is social research? (’12)

Answer: P. V. Young defines social research as “the systematic method of discovering new facts and verifying old facts, their sequences, interrelationships, causal explanations, and the natural laws which govern them”.

2. Define social research.

Answer: Social research may be defined as a scientific undertaking, which by means of logical and systematized techniques aims to discover new facts or verify and test old facts, and analyse their sequences, interrelationships, and causal explanations which are derived within an appropriate theoretical frame of reference. P. V. Young also defines social research as “the systematic method of discovering new facts and verifying old facts, their sequences, interrelationships, causal explanations, and the natural laws which govern them”.

3. State any two basic aims of social research. (’10)

Answer: Two basic aims of social research are:

• Discover new facts or verify and test old facts.
• Analyse their sequences, interrelationships, and causal explanations which are derived within an appropriate theoretical frame of reference.

4. What are primary data?

Answer: The primary data are those, which are collected afresh and for the first time, and thus happen to be original in character.

5. What are secondary data? (’12)

Answer: The secondary data are those which have already been collected by someone else and have already been passed through the statistical process.

6. What is observation technique?

Answer: Observation is one of the principal techniques of data collection, commonly used especially in studies relating to behavioural sciences. Observation becomes a scientific tool and method of data collection for the researcher when it is systematically planned and is subjected to checks and controls on validity and reliability. In general, observation is a systematic, direct, definite, and deliberate examination of the spontaneous occurrences at the time of their occurrence.

7. What is participant observation? (’13)

Answer: If the observer observes by making himself more or less a member of the group he is observing so that he can experience what the members of the group experience, the observation is called participant observation.

8. What in non-participant observation?

Answer: When the observer observes as a detached emissary without any attempt on his part to experience through participation what others feel, the observation of this type is often termed as non-participant observation.

9. What is telephone interview?

Answer: The telephone interview method of collecting information consists in contacting respondent on telephone itself.

10. What are the two types of interview method?

Answer: The two types of interview method mentioned are (a) personal interview and (b) telephone interview.

11. What is a schedule?

Answer: Schedule is a proforma containing a set of questions.

12. Which method is used to conduct population census all over the world?

Answer: Population census all over the world is conducted through the schedule method.

13. Mention one merit and demerit of schedule techniques.

Answer: One merit of the schedule method is that it is very useful in extensive enquiries and can lead to fairly reliable results. One demerit is that it is very expensive.

14. What is a questionnaire?

Answer: A questionnaire is a method of data collection which consists of a number of questions printed or typed in a definite order on a form or set of forms.

15. Which technique is considered as the heart of survey operation?

Answer: The questionnaire technique is considered as the heart of a survey operation.

16. What is a ‘pilot survey’?

Answer: A ‘pilot study’ or survey is conducted for testing the questionnaire before using the questionnaire method. It is in-fact the rehearsal of the main survey.

Short Answer Type Questions

1. List out the aims of social research. (13)

Answer: Social research may be defined as a scientific undertaking, which by means of logical and systematized techniques aims to:

• Discover new facts or verify and test old facts.
• Analyse their sequences, interrelationships, and causal explanations which are derived within an appropriate theoretical frame of reference.
• Develop new scientific tools, concepts and theories, which will facilitate reliable and valid study of human behaviour.

2. Distinguish between primary data and secondary data.

Answer: The primary data are those, which are collected afresh and for the first time, and thus happen to be original in character. The secondary data, on the other hand are those which have already been collected by someone else and have already been passed through the statistical process. The methods of collecting primary and secondary data differ since primary data are to be originally collected, while in case of secondary data, the work of data collection is merely that of compilation.

3. Mention three challenges a participant observer has to face.

Answer: Participant observation brings on the sociologist heavy obligations, which are its challenges. Three challenges are:

• The identities of the informants must be protected.
• Systematic notes must be kept each day and memory must be maintained afresh.
• The observer must be careful not to influence the behaviour that he or she is observing.

4. Mention any two merits and demerits of participant observation.

Answer: Two merits of participant observation are:

• Since the observer is not a stranger but a known person, it is possible to observe the natural behaviour of the group.
• This type facilitates gathering quantitatively more and qualitatively better information about the people or events.

Two demerits (disadvantages) of participant observation are:

• The observing researcher has no control over what happens and may have difficulty in putting the observations into systematic form in order to draw conclusions.
• The number of subjects or people the researcher can observe is small.

5. What is participant observation? Write two merits of participant observation. (’10)

Answer: If the observer observes by making himself more or less a member of the group he is observing so that he can experience what the members of the group experience, the observation is called participant observation.
Two merits of participant observation are:

• Since the observer is not a stranger but a known person, it is possible to observe the natural behaviour of the group.
• This type facilitates gathering quantitatively more and qualitatively better information about the people or events.

6. What is meant by non-participation observation? Give two merits and demerits each of non-participation observation. (’14)

Answer: When the observer observes as a detached emissary without any attempt on his part to experience through participation what others feel, the observation of this type is often termed as non-participant observation.

Two merits of non-participant observation are:

• This type contributes to a higher degree of objectivity on the part of the observer. There is no need for him to become emotionally involved in the event.
• Since the observer observes the events with an ‘open mind’ he is able to collect more information.

Two demerits of non-participant observation are:

• Observation in this category is mostly limited to formal occasions and organizations. It fails to provide information regarding many aspects of our social life.
• Since the observer is an outsider he may fail to understand the behaviour of the observed in its entirety. The observer may not get insights into different aspects of behaviour.

7. Differentiate between personal interview and telephone interview.

Answer: The personal interview method requires a person known as the interviewer asking questions generally in a face-to-face contact to the other person or persons, allowing for more in-depth information, flexibility in questioning, adaptation of language, and collection of supplementary information, but it is expensive and time-consuming, especially for large samples. The telephone interview method involves contacting respondents on the telephone; it is faster, allows for easy call-backs, has a higher response rate, and requires no field staff, but it gives respondents little time for considered answers, is restricted to those with telephones, and is unsuitable for intensive surveys.

8. What are personal interviews? State two merits of a personal interview technique of data collection. (’12)

Answer: Personal interview method requires a person known as the interviewer asking questions generally in a face-to-face contact to the other person or persons. This sort of interview may be in the form of direct personal investigation or it may be indirect oral investigation.
Two merits of the personal interview technique are:

a. More information in greater depth can be obtained.
b. Greater flexibility to restructure questions.

9. Distinguish between schedule and questionnaire.

Answer: The important points of difference between questionnaire and schedule are:

• Questionnaire is generally sent through mail to informants to be answered as specified in a covering letter, but otherwise without further assistance from the sender. The schedule is generally filled out by the research worker or the enumerator, who can interpret questions when necessary.
• Questionnaire method is relatively cheap and economical, and no field staff is required. Schedule method is relatively more expensive where money has to be spent appointing enumerators and training.
• Non-response is usually high in questionnaire which results in bias. The response rate in schedule is high but there remains the danger of interviewer bias and cheating.
• In case of questionnaire, it is not always clear as to who replies, but in case of schedule the identity of respondent is known.
• Questionnaire method can be used only when the respondents are literate and cooperative, but in case of schedules the information can be gathered even when the respondents happen to be illiterate.
• Wider and more representative distribution of sample is possible under the questionnaire method, but in respect of schedules there usually remains the difficulty in sending enumerators over a relatively wider area.

10. Give any four points of difference between questionnaire and schedule. (’10,’13)

Answer: Four points of difference between questionnaire and schedule are:

• Questionnaire is generally sent through mail to informants without further assistance from the sender, whereas the schedule is generally filled out by the research worker or enumerator who can interpret questions.
• Questionnaire method is relatively cheap and economical, while the Schedule method is relatively more expensive due to appointing and training enumerators.
• Non-response is usually high in questionnaires, whereas the response rate in schedules is high, though interviewer bias can be a danger.
• Questionnaire method requires respondents to be literate and cooperative, while schedules can be used even if respondents are illiterate.

11. Mention two merits and demerits each of questionnaire method. (’14)

Answer: Two merits of the questionnaire method are:

• There is a low cost even when the study universe is large and is widely spread geographically.
• It is free from the bias of the interviewer; answers are in respondent’s own words.

Two demerits of the questionnaire method are:

• Low rate of return of the duly filled-in questionnaire; bias due to non-response.
• It can be used only when respondents are educated and cooperating.

Essay Type Questions

1. What is observation method? Give three advantages of observation method. (’14)

Answer: Observation is one of the principal techniques of data collection. It is the most commonly used method especially in studies relating to behavioural sciences. Observation becomes a scientific tool and method of data collection for the researcher when it is systematically planned and is subjected to checks and controls on validity and reliability. In general, we can say that observation is a systematic, direct, definite, and deliberate examination of the spontaneous occurrences at the time of their occurrence.

Three advantages of the observation method are:

• The main advantage of this method is that subjective bias is eliminated.
• Secondly, the information obtained under this method relates to what is currently happening; it is not complicated by either the past behaviour or future intentions or attitudes.
• Thirdly, this method is independent of respondents’ willingness to respond and as such is relatively less demanding of active cooperation on the part of respondents as happens to be the case in the interview or the questionnaire method.

2. Examine the merits and limitations of the observation method in collecting primary data.

Answer: The observation method has advantages as well as limitations in collecting primary data.

Advantages:

• The main advantage of this method is that subjective bias is eliminated.
• Secondly, the information obtained under this method relates to what is currently happening; it is not complicated by either the past behaviour or future intentions or attitudes.
• Thirdly, this method is independent of respondents’ willingness to respond and as such is relatively less demanding of active cooperation on the part of respondents as happens to be the case in the interview or the questionnaire method.

Limitations:

• Firstly, it is an expensive method.
• Secondly, the information provided by this method is very limited.
• Thirdly, sometimes unforeseen factors may interfere in the observation task. At times, the fact that some people are rarely accessible to direct observation creates obstacle for this method to collect data effectively.

3. What is participant observation? List out any five merits of participant observation.

Answer: If the observer observes by making himself more or less a member of the group he is observing so that he can experience what the members of the group experience, the observation is called participant observation. Participant observation may vary from complete membership in the group to a part-time membership in the group.
Five merits of participant observation are:

• Since the observer is not a stranger but a known person, it is possible to observe the natural behaviour of the group.
• This type facilitates gathering quantitatively more and qualitatively better information about the people or events.
• It is also possible to get better insights into the inner dynamics of the phenomena since the observer happens to be an insider.
• Even the so-called secret behaviour (relating to sex, crime, business tactics, etc) can be observed through this method.
• The dependability of the data collected through this method is believed to be greater because it is gathered first-hand.

4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of non-participant observation?

Answer: When the observer observes as a detached emissary without any attempt on his part to experience through participation what others feel, the observation of this type is often termed as non-participant observation.
Some of the merits (advantages) of non-participant observation are:

• This type contributes to a higher degree of objectivity on the part of the observer. There is no need for him to become emotionally involved in the event.
• Since the observer observes the events with an ‘open mind’ he is able to collect more information.
• The people who are being observed can also be freer with the observer for he is an outsider.
  Non-participant observation has the following demerits (disadvantages):
• Observation in this category is mostly limited to formal occasions and organizations. It fails to provide information regarding many aspects of our social life.
• Since the observer is an outsider he may fail to understand the behaviour of the observed in its entirety. The observer may not get insights into different aspects of behaviour.

5. Discuss interview as a technique of data collection.

Answer: The interview method of collecting data involves presentation of oral-verbal stimuli and reply in terms of oral-verbal responses. This method can be used through: (a) personal interview and (b) telephone interview.

Personal interview method requires a person known as the interviewer asking questions generally in a face-to-face contact to the other person or persons. This sort of interview may be in the form of direct personal investigation or it may be indirect oral investigation. This method is particularly suitable for intensive investigation. Merits include obtaining more information in greater depth, greater flexibility, adapting language to the interviewee, and collecting supplementary information. Demerits include being expensive, especially for large samples, and being time-consuming.

Telephone interview method consists in contacting respondent on telephone itself. It plays important part in industrial surveys, particularly in developed regions. Merits include being faster than other methods, easy recall and call-backs, higher response rate, and no field staff required. Demerits include little time for considered answers, restriction to respondents with telephone facilities, and unsuitability for intensive surveys.

6. Discuss questionnaire as a technique of data collection highlighting its merits and demerits.

Answer: A questionnaire is a method of data collection which consists of a number of questions printed or typed in a definite order on a form or set of forms. In this method, a questionnaire is sent (usually by post) to the persons concerned with a request to answer the questions and return the questionnaire. The respondents have to answer the questions on their own. This method is extensively employed by private individuals, research workers, private and public organizations, governments, and various economic and business surveys.

The main merits of the questionnaire method are:

• There is a low cost even when the study universe is large and is widely spread geographically.
• It is free from the bias of the interviewer; answers are in respondent’s own words.
• Respondents have adequate time to give well thought out answers.
• Respondents, who are not easily approachable, can also be reached conveniently.
• Large samples can be made use of and thus results can be made more dependable and reliable.
  The main demerits of this system are:
• Low rate of return of the duly filled-in questionnaire; bias due to non-response.
• It can be used only when respondents are educated and cooperating.
• The control over the questionnaire may be lost once it is sent.
• There is inbuilt inflexibility because of the difficulty of amending the approach once questionnaires have been dispatched.
• This method is likely to be the slowest of all.

7. Explain the difference between collection of data through questionnaires and schedules.

Answer: Both questionnaire and schedule are popularly used methods of collecting data in research surveys. From the technical point of view there is difference between the two. The important points of difference are:

• Questionnaire is generally sent through mail to informants to be answered as specified in a covering letter, but otherwise without further assistance from the sender. The schedule is generally filled out by the research worker or the enumerator, who can interpret questions when necessary.
• Questionnaire method is relatively cheap and economical, and no field staff is required. Schedule method is relatively more expensive where money has to be spent appointing enumerators and training.
• Non-response is usually high in questionnaire which results in bias. The response rate in schedule is high but there remains the danger of interviewer bias and cheating.
• In case of questionnaire, it is not always clear as to who replies, but in case of schedule the identity of respondent is known.
• Questionnaire method can be used only when the respondents are literate and cooperative, but in case of schedules the information can be gathered even when the respondents happen to be illiterate.
• Wider and more representative distribution of sample is possible under the questionnaire method, but in respect of schedules there usually remains the difficulty in sending enumerators over a relatively wider area.

Problem Solving

For your assignment you have to interview some elders about their views on present day youth. Prepare a list of at least ten questions that you would like to ask them.

Answer: Here is a list of ten questions to ask elders about their views on present-day youth for the assignment:

• When you think about young people today, what are the main characteristics or behaviours that stand out to you?
• How do you perceive the values and priorities of today’s youth compared to when you were young?
• What do you believe are the greatest opportunities available to young people now?
• In your view, what are the most significant challenges or pressures that young people face today?
• How has the use of technology, like smartphones and the internet, influenced the lives and development of youth, in your opinion?
• Do you feel there is a difference in the level of respect shown by young people today towards elders or authority figures compared to previous generations?
• What aspects of today’s youth do you find admirable or positive?
• Are there any trends or behaviours among young people today that concern you? If so, what are they?
• What advice, based on your life experience, would you offer to young people navigating the complexities of the modern world?
• What are your hopes for the future contributions and roles of today’s young generation in society?

Think and Answer

There is an accident and many people come to see what has happened. Are these people participant observers or non-participant observers? Explain your answer.

Answer: The people who come to see what has happened at an accident are non-participant observers.

Explanation: Non-participant observation occurs when the observer watches events or behaviours as a detached outsider, without becoming involved or participating in the activity being observed. In the scenario of an accident, the onlookers are merely watching the event unfold. They are not part of the accident itself, nor are they typically involved in the immediate response (unless they step in to help, at which point their role might change). They observe without experiencing the event from the perspective of those directly involved. Their role is that of a detached emissary gathering information visually, fitting the description of non-participant observation. They do not attempt to experience through participation what others (those involved in the accident or the emergency responders) feel or are doing as part of the event.