persons, villages, households, etc.) from which a sample is drawn. Probability : The likelihood or odds of an event occuring (in the statistical sense). Questionnaire : A written list of questions to be asked in a survey or interview. Randomisation : Ensuring that an event (such as the selection of a particular item in the sample) depends purely on chance and nothing else.
Reflexivity : The researcher’s ability to observe and analyse oneself. Sample : A subset or selection (usually small) drawn from and representing a larger population. Sampling Error : The unavoidable margin of error in the results of a survey because it is based on information from only a small sample rather than the entire population. Stratification : According to the the statistical sense, the subdivision of a population into distinct groups based on relevant criteria such as gender, location, religion, age etc.
E XERCISES . Why is the question of a scientific method particularly important in sociology? . What are some of the reasons for ‘objectivity’ being more complicated in social sciences, particularly disciplines like sociology?
. How do sociologists try to deal with these difficulties and strive for objectivity? . What is meant by ‘reflexivity’ and why is it important in sociology?
. What are some of the things that ethnographers and sociologists do during participant observation? . What are the strengths and weaknesses of participant observation as a method?
. What are the basic elements of the survey method? What is chief advantage of this method? .
Describe some of the criteria involved in selecting a representative sample. . State some of the weaknesses of the survey method. .
Describe main features of the interview as a research method. R EADINGS B AUMAN , Z YGMUNT . . Thinking Sociologically .
Basil Blackwell, Oxford University Press, New Delhi. B ECKER , H OWARD S. . Sociological Work : Method and Substance.
The Penguin Press, Allen Lane. B ETEILLE , A NDRE and M ADAN , T.N. ed. .
Encounter and experience : Personal Accounts of Fieldwork. Vikas Publishing House, Delhi. B URGESS , R