Social Research Methods

1. Social Research Methods Documents 1

2. Classic works • Classic works in sociology based on documents (e.g. Marx, Weber, Durkheim) 2

3. References • Prior, Lindsay. 2003. Using Documents in Social Research. London: Sage Publications Ltd. • Rapley, Tim. 2008. Doing Conversation, Discourse and Document Analysis. Los Angeles ; London: SAGE Publications. • Scott, John C. 1990. A Matter of Record: Documentary Sources in Social Research. Cambridge: Polity Press. • Mcculloch, Gary. 2004. Documentary Research: In Education, History and the Social Sciences. New edition. London: Routledge. • Hodson, Randy Dale (Ed.) (1999) Analyzing Documentary Accounts, London: Sage Publications Ltd.

4. Proximate and Mediate access to data • SCOTT distinguishes: • Proximate • Research has direct access to data provider, can influence process of data collection or data generation. • Mediate • no direct access, relies on data providers having left “traces” for other reasons. Researcher cannot influence data collection process • Cf. obtrusive vs. unobtrusive measures

5. Material vs. Texts • Scott also distinguishes • Material traces (e.g. archaeology) vs. texts left. • Latter is main focus of documentary research • (But N.B. film and video)

6. Manuscripts Letters and diaries Autobiographies Acts of Parliament Government reports and Inquiries Hansard Public records Newspapers, magazines (N.B. now on CD-ROM) Pamphlets Web pages Online discussion groups Accounts (financial) Minutes, memos Returns Surveys/censuses Adverts Handbills Invoices Photographs ?Maps, paintings, films, architecture Examples of documentary sources

7. Classification of documents (following Scott) • Access • Closed • Restricted • Open-archival • Open-published • Authorship • Personal • Official-private (e.g. hospitals, schools, business) • Official-State (e.g. government, inter-governmental)

8. Four Research issues Key point: • documents are socially produced.

9. 1. Authenticity • Who is the ‘true’ author? • Is it a forgery? • e.g. 6 Haydn piano sonatas authenticated by H C Robbins-Langdon but found this year to be forgeries • e.g. the Vinland Map (discovered as forgery in 1974) • e.g. Carlos Casteneda - Amerindian magician. Clever compilation from known ethnographies • Satires • False attribution • Particularly an issue on the Internet

10. 2. Credibility • Sincerity, accuracy. • Material interests of Author -> their motives • E.g. interests, bribery, sympathies, eye witness or secondary. • Atkinson and Coffey - Documentary Realities • An ontological status, the ‘official view’

11. 3. Representativeness • Survival and Availability (selective deposit) • Not everything recorded – history from the victor’s perspective, only what people at the time consider important. • Not all docs survive, – weeding, accident, secrecy, scattered.

12. 4. Meaning • Problem of literal meaning e.g. what is a ‘whitster’ • (= either textile bleacher or metal finisher) • Genre of document (conventions governing different document types) • Stylisation (e.g. use of allegory, allusion & irony) • Point of view & Conditions of production (= Hermeneutic circle)

13. Recent focus • Semiotics - Internal meanings of document: • Barthes • Meaning lies in system of rules which structure text. • Find these rules and decode hidden meanings of text. • Multiple meanings • Scott follows Giddens, suggests meaning arises from 2 contexts • Intended context • Received context. • Thus interpretation of document’s internal meaning depends on: • Intention and reception.

14. Analysis of documents • Quantitative • Content Analysis • Count terms, phrases, length of texts etc. • Qualitative • Grounded theory • Qualitative Content Analysis • Hermeneutic/interpretative

15. Diaries - References • Alaszewski, Andrew M. 2006. Using Diaries for Social Research. London: Sage Publications Ltd. • Louise Corti (1993) Using diaries in social research. Social Research Update 2. University of Surrey. [http://sru.soc.surrey.ac.uk/SRU2.html]

16. Diaries • Personal diaries vs. self-completion diaries (structured or free text) • Advantages • Good for recall of events or easily forgotten experiences (the mundane) • Can deal with sensitive data • Supplement interviews on day-to-day basis (diary - interview - diary method)

17. Typical suitable subject matter • How people spend time (e.g. Multinational Time Budget Use Project) • Consumer expenditure (e.g. Family Expenditure Survey -> RPI weightings) • Transport (e.g. National Travel Survey) • + social networks, health, illness, diet, nutrition, family therapy, crime, alcohol and drug use, accidents.

18. Diary Design • A4 booklet 5-20 pages - most respondents do not carry diary around with them • Inside cover instructions - "to complete soon after event" (Pilot these) • Model of correctly completed diary • 1 page for 1 time period (24 hrs/day/week) - clear layout • Checklists of items • or Guidance on what events need recording • Add set of questions asking: • Was time period typical? • Comments • Explanation of any peculiarities • Long diary - start short then wean to long • Reminders to enter data (bleepers, family, sms)

19. Data Quality Incomplete recording, inadequate recall • Diary keeping period • Not too short to miss significant events • Not too long to burden respondents • 7 - 14 days typical • Ensure seasonal variations covered • Reporting errors • 1st day shows more reporting • visits to preserve diary keeping habits • Literacy • Participation • Face to face recruitment best • Personal collection to sort out problems