interpretivism and positivism

Question 1

What are the opinions of interpretivists?

Answer 1

• prefer qualitative data
• seek to understand society
• reject the view that sociology is a science
• we construct reality through the meanings
  we create in our interactions with others
• our actions aren’t a product of external
  forces
• prefer unstructured interviews, participant
  observation, official documents

Question 2

What are the opinions of positivists?

Answer 2

• prefer quantitative data
• seek to discover patterns of social
  behaviour
• see sociology as a science
• assumes that society has an objective
  factual reality
• prefer questionnaires/structured interview

Question 3

What critical perspectives favour positivists?

Answer 3

functionalists and marxists - see society on a large scale (macro level)

Question 4

What critical perspectives favour interpretivists?

Answer 4

interactionists - micro level view of society by focusing on small scale, face to face interactions