approaches to research

Question 1

what are the 2 main approaches to research?

Answer 1

positivists - scientific approach collecting quantitative

interpretivists - prefer qualitative data

however, realist suggests there’s strength and weakness of both above.

Question 2

elaborate positivism ?

Answer 2

thinks that sociological research should be like research into natural sciences (e.g chemistry + bio) they see the world as made up things that can be tested and measured. Things measure qualitatively.

Question 3

methods used positivists?

Answer 3

• lab experiments
• surveys
• questionnaires
• structured interviews
• official statistics

Question 4

Durkheim and positivism?

Answer 4

• developed positivists approach in his famous study of suicide
• showed how scientific approach could be applied to the study of social behaviour

Question 4

elaborate interpretivism?

Answer 4

sees the world as socially constructed, there’s no facts, knowledge is based on what people think. Peoples behaviour is too complicated for this and you need to understand their point of view.

Question 5

methods used by interpretivists ?

Answer 5

• unstructured interviews
• participant observation
• case studies
• personal documents

Question 6

elaborate realism - triangulation?

Answer 6

refers to the use of multiple or mixed methods to cross check and verify the reliability of a particular research tool.