choice of method and research process: positivism vs interpretivism

Question 1

what do positivist argue about reality?

Answer 1

that there is a measurable objective social reality that exists like the physical world

Question 2

what do positivist see our behaviour as the result of?

Answer 2

social forces shaping what we do

Question 3

what is the aim for research for positivists?

Answer 3

to discover the underlying causes of our behaviour

Question 4

what types of methods of research do positivists use?

Answer 4

standardised methods e.g questionnaires, structured interviews, structured observation and official statstics

Question 5

what does standards methods allow positivist collect?

Answer 5

reliable and representative data

Question 6

what can positivist use the data to identify?

Answer 6

general patterns and trends in behaviour - produce causes and effect explanations

Question 7

what do interpretivists claim abt social reality?

Answer 7

there is no objective social reality

Question 8

what do interpretivists argue there is?

Answer 8

subjective meaning that social actors give to events

Question 9

what is the aim for interpretivits researchers?

Answer 9

to uncover actors meanings or wordview

Question 10

what kind of research methods do interpretivists use?

Answer 10

open ended that produce valid, qualitative data

Question 11

examples of research methods interpretivits use

Answer 11

unstructured interviews, participant observation and personal documents