Topic: Surveys

Order Description
You should complete a report on ONE of the topics below. The purpose of the report is to summarise and critically review particular research methods within social science. It should provide a discussion of the possible benefits and limitations of influential methods in researching and understanding issues. The report should be written for an academic audience and should include references and a bibliography.

1. 1) Qualitative Interviewing
2. 2) Surveys

Your report should include sections which cover the following:

Background and Context – why are these methods of importance to social scientists? How has discussion of them developed over time?

Key Approaches – you should summarise some of the most important ways in which the methods can be used. What different types of approach can be taken to using these kinds of methods?

Strengths and limitations – you should include discussion of the arguable advantages and limitations of the methods identified in the section above. Your discussion should make use of academic literature from the reading list (or elsewhere). The strengths and limitations you identify may be theoretical and/or practical in character.

Applied example – you should provide at least one illustration of where of this kind of method has been applied in practice. You should then reflect upon how effective the method is in helping understand the topic being researched.

Conclusion – The conclusion should reflect upon on how useful and effective or not you believe the methods discussed are for social science research.
Try to use academic sources
Try to use recent documents