2. INFLUENCES ON THE CHOICE OF
RESEARCH METHOD…THEORY
positivism
interpretivism
3. IN SHORT….
Positivism – believes that society can be
studies using similar techniques to the
natural sciences
Interpretivism – people have personal
beliefs, values and interpret the world in
different ways. They so not simply respond
to forces outside them
These two sets of sociologists have
different ideas about society which
influences the type of data they are
interested in collecting.
5. POSITIVISM AND RESEARCH
METHODS
Society is studied in the same way as the natural world
In the natural world there are causes for events, it is the same in
the social world
Social facts – are the institutions which shape society cause us be
behave in a certain way or limit our behaviour through social
control
These include things like socialization, the education system, the
family, the mass media, the legal system and the work place
These social facts can be studied like objects in the natural world.
6. METHODS USED
Positivists use quantitative methods
They want to be able to check for reliability, find reasons for
events and make generalizations
They do not study feelings, emotions and motives of people as
they believe they can not be quantified.
Positivists tend to be macro theorist such as functionalists and
Marxists
8. IDEAS AND METHODS
They believe that behaviour is influenced by the meanings that
people give to social situations
Use research methods to help them to find out how people
understand the world around them
This process is called VERSTEHEN – understanding human
behaviour by putting yourself in the position of the people you are
studying
Instead of collecting statistical data, they want to get involved with
their subject
They will use qualitative methods to gain a detailed in depth
knowledge of the situation they are studying
9. COMPARING THE TWO….
macro micro
Society constrains our individuals and groups create
behaviour society
Structural approaches Interpretivism approaches
Positivist approaches Qualitative methods
Quantaitive methods Experience rich data
Statistical data Small scale
Large scale Unstructured questionnaires
Structured questionnaires Unstructured interviews
Structures interviews
Participant observation
Non-participant observation
10. IN SHORT…..
Stay separate Get involved
Objective Subjective
observe participate