Uploaded byClaire Tupling
Positivist & Interpretivist approaches
The document discusses various philosophies of social research, focusing on positivist and interpretivist approaches. It explores concepts of ontology and epistemology, addressing the nature of social reality and the methods used to understand it. Key features of both approaches are examined, with examples from prominent sociologists highlighting differences in methodology, such as quantitative versus qualitative research.
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Positivist & Interpretivist approaches
- 1. Philosophies of Social Research Positivist& Interpretivist Approaches & Methodologies
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- 3. Ontology Is reality objective? External& independent of individuals? Is reality subjective? Constructed by individuals
- 4. Ontology What is SocialReality?
- 5. Epistemology How do weknow what we know? What is knowledge? How do we gain it? How do we communicate it?
- 6. Comparing Epistemologies Knowledge is subjective Meaning hasaction Relies on interpretation Social world different to natural world Knowledge is objective Hard data Can be measured Natural and social world are the same
- 7. Epistemology How we knowwhat we know
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- 9. Key Features Scientific Objective Robust Involvesidentifying causes Tests hypotheses Uses the methods of the natural sciences
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- 12. Key Features Social Action(can be anything, even inaction) has meaning The researcher’s job is to interpret social action Verstehen
- 13. Max Weber Known tohis parents as Karl Emile Maximilian Weber
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- 15. Positivist - Scientific Externalreality - need to collect ‘facts’ Methods of natural sciences Use of statistics (quantitative) Experiments, surveys
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- 17. Suicide Establish suicide asa social fact Suicide rate not explained by individual acts Rates remained (relatively) stable Social causes
- 18. Interpretivist - Social Scientific Subjective,constructed reality Relative truths Need to explore, explain and understand reality Qualitative
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- 20. Interpretivists & Social Construction JackDouglas: Need to interpret meanings given to the action of suicide Notes, diaries, interviews Cultural context Maxwell Atkinson: Problem of statistics Coroner and clues
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- 23. Survey Collection of data Measureof a social phenomenon Description of group/ population Testing theories
- 24. Ethnography Description of people andtheir cultures Detailed accounts of everyday life Understanding of how people see their world
- 25. Phenomenology Understanding of thehuman experience Subjective meanings Attitudes and beliefs
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