What is the Relationship between Educational Level and Voting Behaviour - Case Study Example

what is the relationship between educational level and voting behaviour? by The of the The of the School (University) The City and State where it is located The Date What is the relationship between educational level and voting behaviour? Introduction If one takes a close look at the human civilization, one will be able to see that it possesses a considerable number of features that are regarded as characteristic ones. While some might put emphasis on our peculiar ability to generate verbal interaction, it is necessary to point out that there is one aspect that is essential to the mankind which is self awareness and the increased interested towards our nature. Indeed, from the dawn of the society people gather different information which later shaped such an important part of social life as science. However, it must be noted that there are several approaches that research that are employed by science: qualitative and quantitative. This paper will critically evaluate the use of qualitative methodologies within the social sciences. In order to do so the paper will explore the strengths of qualitative methods of research; then move to different limitations that they have; analyze different aspects of such methods as case study and interview; examine the significance of secondary data in qualitative methodologies and engage a real research which employed a qualitative method in order to obtain a particular information. All this will allow the researcher to evaluate the use of this methodology in social sciences. Advantages of qualitative methodology Observation in natural setting One of the biggest merits that are often recalled when it comes to evaluating qualitative methodology is the ability of a researcher to observe the natural setting and see the participants or the phenomena as they are (Creswell, 2003, p. 185). This is particularly important since it removes the unnecessary lens through which other researcher could take a look on the situation. There is no doubt that by approaching the natural setting, the researcher greatly contributes to the validity of the information that is being gathered and enhances the overall quality of the research. Another important point that should be noted with regard of the use of the natural setting in qualitative methodology is that the researcher does one’s best to become an integral part of it. Therefore, one is not alienated and this has a positive effect on the setting in general. For example, one might explore a particular phenomenon with the help of reports and video footage, but they will never substitute the first hand experience of a phenomenon. If a researcher is able to gain that kind of experience, then the information that will be collected is likely to be taken from the very setting and, therefore, is highly valued. Qualitative methodology deals with the essence of a phenomena It would not be a mistake to suggest that quantitative and qualitative methodologies reflect two completely different approaches to the exploration of the nature of things. Thus, the former often answers the question How much? while the latter answers the question Why? (Giddens, 1977, p. 33). In spite of the fact that answers to both questions are essential in social sciences, it is rather obvious that the second one provides a more in-depth analysis of the situation. In other words, it is able to directly explore the hidden nature of the phenomenon, while quantitative is primarily concentrated on superficial dimension. What is more important is that there are many instances in social sciences when various concepts that are crucial and are able to give shed light on the important matters simply can not be measured. In these circumstances qualitative methodology is the only logical option that a researcher is left with since the quantitative approach would not be able to provide one with the necessary depth of analysis. While social sciences may be equally interested in finding out the statistics of the phenomena as well as its driving factors, the former information is more descriptive and does not move the science in question forward, unlike the latter. Limitations of qualitative methodology Excessive dependence on personal interpretation If one carefully analyses the qualitative methods, one will be able to note that they often rely on the interpretation that is carried out by the researcher. In spite of the fact that it may be rather useful in certain situations, there is no doubt that interpretations are always subjects to personal biases (Bryman, 1988, p. 156). As one can clearly see, if the researcher is not able to stay objective about the matter that contradict with his or her original assumptions or is heavily influenced by predetermined suppositions, then the quality of the data diminishes greatly. Furthermore, one should also acknowledge the fact that the outlook of many of the researchers is not as wide as it should be. In other words, in the course of interpretation, one might operate with the limited knowledge that one has, not being able to see the broad picture behind the things. As a result, the use of interpretation simply narrows down the analysis and provides the research with a limited view on the phenomenon. The answers might not be genuine It is quite understandable that the qualitative methodologies rely in the interaction of people and the latter as a rule might be influenced by various social conventions. This means that some respondents might give answers that are expected of them (Couper, Traugott & Lamias, 2001, p. 236). For example, a person might conceal the fact of deviant behavior simply in the ground that it is considered to be deviant by the rest of the population. In spite of the fact that this may appear to be a big deal at first, this process casts a shadow on the validity of the results that are obtained with the help of qualitative methodology. This means that the findings may not be fully trusted as they may be shaped by the answers of the participants that were deliberated chosen to fit the conventional paradigm that is widely accepted in the society. While some might argue that quantitative methodologies are vulnerable to this kind of limitations as well, one should note that people may feel more under pressure to give the “right” answers when they interact with another person rather than when they answer a set of written questions privately. So, it is true that the nature of responses is a significant issue in both approaches, but the qualitative methodology is more affected by it. The selectivity of the data Finally, one of the greatest limitations that can be observed in the approach in question is the selectivity of the evidence that is taken into account. Indeed, the researchers may be willing to engage only the information that proves their hypothesis, avoiding the use of data that contradicts with it (Foddy, 1993, p. 16). As a result, the important outliers that exist might be ignored for the same of fine logic and proof of the original position. For example, a researcher might “accidently” choose people who he or she thinks would prove the original thesis, avoiding those that may not fit the predetermined ideas. In addition to that, the selectivity of the data might appear in the fact that the researcher will choose the participants that one is comfortable working with. As it has been stated earlier, qualitative methodologies often rely on the interaction of the people; so, the human factor is extremely important in this case. However, it might shape the desire of the research to interact with the people who do not belong to different groups. Thus, a white researcher is more inclined to interview white participants rather than black ones. Case study as one of the exemplary methods in qualitative approach There are numerous methods that are engaged in qualitative methodology; however, one of the oldest and the most popular ones is, obviously, a case study (Jackson, 2003, p. 83). The latter provides a researcher with an actual state of affairs that happed. One of the biggest advantages of it is that the data that is provided with it is valid and reflects the reality perfectly. Case studies has always been considered to be a way to see how people behaved in a particular situation and work out tendencies that would be true for all such situations. In spite of the fact that this method often presents a considerable amount of numerical data, it better fits the qualitative paradigm as it is ultimately concerned with the factors that caused a particular state of affairs and the driving forced behind the actions of the people. Another important point that should be mentioned with regard to the use of case studies in social sciences is that this method is often used to predict the behavior of people in the future under similar conditions. Interview as a characteristic method to structure interaction with the researcher It has been noted several times in the previous paragraphs that qualitative methodology often tries to explore the hidden nature of the phenomenon. With this in mind, one might suggest that the best way to understand the behavior of the people is to ask them to explain it, i.e. try to see the world through their eyes (Tonkiss, 2004, p. 234). This means that in the course of the interview, a researcher tries to adopt the position of the respondent to experience the factors that shapes one’s behavior in a particular way. What is more important is that interview should be regarded as a great way to build rapport between the researcher and the interviewee. Indeed, when a person answers a set of question in a quantitative research, one can hardly get a sense of interaction with a different person. The research is about analyzing an array of information, but it does not engage the peculiarities of one’s nature. Nevertheless, in the course of an interview, the research and the participant are able to know each other better and this rapport contributes to the quality of the information that they exchange. Quite often, in the end of the interview the connection between the two is so strong that the latter shares an important piece of information that one had no intentions to in the beginning. The significance of secondary data in qualitative methodology It is quite understandable that the use of primary data is often encouraged; however, both methodologies often employ secondary data in their investigation. Thus, the significance of it should also be explored. First of all, one can hardly underestimate the importance of proper documentation of the research (Dale, Arber & Procter, 1988, p. 136). Indeed, everyone who conducts a study should understand that the requirements for documentation are extremely significant as they allow one to structure the research in the proper manner so that it can be properly accepted in the academic world. In addition to that, secondary data is important since it can be re-used by the researchers in the future. Indeed, many contemporary scholars might employ the information which was collected by their counterparts in the previous times in order to show the succession of the scientific investigation. This means that a good researcher who operates within the qualitative methodology should be able to make a good use of secondary data. An example of a research based on qualitative methodology One would make no mistake that it would be extremely important to find an example of a research that relies on the methodology in question and examine the way it employs it. The study that will be used is titled Being a pretty good citizen: An analysis and monetary valuation of formal and informal voluntary work by gender and educational attainment and was conducted by Muriel Egerton and Killian Mullan. Thus, on the stage of sampling, the researcher sent out invitations to the people, but only around two thirds of the latter agreed to participate in the survey and be interviewed. In the interviewed were carried out for an hour to hear the perspective of the participant in the issue in question. Another point that should be taken into account in that the research was focused on a rather abstract question, namely the perception of differenced between paid and unpaid work among the people. As one can easily see, the research was designed to answer the question Why did people develop a certain attitude towards paid and unpaid work?; therefore, qualitative methodology was the only possible way to answer it. That is why the researchers employed it in their study. Conclusion Having examined all the points which were brought up in the paragraphs above, one is able to come to the following conclusion: qualitative methodology possesses an undeniable significant for social sciences because of various reasons. To begin with, it is able to provide a valuable insight into the nature of the phenomenon and shed light on the important aspects of it rather than focusing on the superficial understanding of it. Furthermore, many of the issues that are being explored by the social sciences can hardly be measured; that is why qualitative methodology is the only suitable way to explore them. In addition to that, with the help of the methods in question, the research is able to enter that natural setting and observe the participant as they are. Of course, there are some limitations to it, for example, the possibility of biased and limited interpretation of the events, lack of genuine answers from the respondents and selectivity of the sample. One should also note that case study and interview are two one of the most characteristic methods that are used in this approach. Finally, the researcher should not hesitate to use secondary data since it may greatly contribute to the quality of the study. References Bryman, A. (1988). Quantity and quality in social research. London: Unwin Hyman. Couper, M., Traugott, M., & Lamias, M. (2001). Web Survey Design and Administration. Public Opinion Quarterly, 65, 230-253. Creswell, J. (2003). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Dale, A., Arber, S., & Procter, M. (1988). Doing secondary analysis. London: Allen & Unwin. Egerton, M., & Mullan, K. (2008). Being a pretty good citizen: An analysis and monetary valuation of formal and informal voluntary work by gender and educational attainment. The British Journal of Sociology Br J Sociology, 59(1), 145-164. Foddy, W. (1993). Constructing questions for interviews and questionnaires: Theory and practice in social research. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Giddens, A. (1977). Studies in social and political theory. London: Hutchinson. Jackson, S. (2003). Research methods and statistics: A critical thinking approach. Wadsworth: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Tonkiss, F. (2004). History of social statistics and the social survey. In C. Seale (Ed.), Researching Society and Culture. 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