SOC6 · Questionnaires 1 / Questionnaires 2 / Interviews 1 / Interviews 2 Sociological research methods mind map
Use your browser’s Print command for A4 landscape, or choose A3 in its paper settings. The SVG remains sharp when enlarged. A text version follows the map.
Read the mind map as text
Questionnaires 1
Closed questions: Standard categories aid comparison but can constrain meaning
Open questions: Respondents can express meanings with less standardisation
Question wording and order: Leading, double-barrelled and vague questions weaken validity
Response and disclosure: Non-response and socially desirable answers can distort results
Questionnaires 2
Attitude surveys: Responses measure reported views rather than necessarily actual behaviour
Interviews 1
Structured interviews: Fixed questions support comparability but limit exploration
Unstructured interviews: Flexible dialogue can explore meanings in depth
Semi-structured interviews: Common topics and follow-up questions balance breadth and depth
Interviewer effects: Identity and power relationships can influence what is said
Interviews 2
Focus groups: Interaction reveals shared and contested meanings but affects disclosure
Connections
Questionnaires 1 → Questionnaires 2: Question design and response behaviour interact in the validity of survey findings.
Interviews 1 → Interviews 2: Flexible interviews reveal meanings while power and group dynamics affect disclosure.
