Lecture week 1: Intro Qualitative Methods

Question 1

Paradigms

Answer 1

Positivism
interpretivism
pragmatism
critical realism

Question 2

How to overcome human biases?

Answer 2

1. Prior knowledge= biased history of assumption
   To overcome human biases: is to question own assumptions + of those around you
   = which is the philosophical foundation of research (questions)
2. biased search for information:
   To overcome bias: is to look for information outside your filter bubble
   = research design and data collection
3. biased interpretation of information
   to overcome: look for alternative explanations + info that disproves your previously held beliefs.
   = research design + data analysis.

Question 3

Quote William Bruce Cameron (count)

Answer 3

Not everything that can be counted coutns, and not everything that counts can be counted.

Question 4

What are the different research paradigms?

Answer 4

• positivism
• interpretivism
• pragmatism
• critical realism

Question 5

Philosophical foundations social research

Answer 5

Ontology: what is there to know about
Epistemology: what can we (hope to) know about it?
Methodology: How can we aquire that knowledge?

Question 6

Ontology

Answer 6

What is there to know about?

Question 7

Epistemology

Answer 7

What can we know about it? (hope for)

Question 8

Methodology

Answer 8

How can we acquire that knowledge?

Question 9

Ontology (whats there to know about) tries to answer one question:

Answer 9

What is the nature of social reality?

Question 10

Realistic approach (ontology)

Answer 10

• One true reality is out there
• This reality is independent of us observing
• reality is there before we put meaning to it

Question 11

Idealistic approach (ontology)

Answer 11

• Everything is mind-depended
• Everything we perceive comes from/ through our mind
• Every understanding/ meaning we give to our perception is equal valid
• Reality = social constructed + mind depended

Question 12

Epistemology (what can we know) answers the question:

Answer 12

What can be known about the social world?

Question 13

Objectivism (epistemology)

Answer 13

the meaning of something is in the object, so observable

Question 14

Subjectivism (epistemology)

Answer 14

the meaning an object has lays in the mind.
Object= socially constructed.

Question 15

Positivism (paradigm)

Answer 15

Natural + social science are:
* Broadly analogous
Idea= we can identify universal + invariant laws of human behaviour.
Aim= to identify causal relationships.
Researcher= objective + value-free
research method: generate hypothesis+ test them –> deductive.

Question 16

Interpretivism (paradigm)

Answer 16

The social (unlike natural world)=
* socially constructed
Idea= we can identify discourses to establish the interpretations they attach to social phenomena
Aim= understanding social phenomena
Researcher: cannot be neutral, observations are always value mediated (double hermeneutic)

Question 17

physical commodity versus social construct

Answer 17

Physical commodity= something real, we can measure/ physical hold
Social construct= the meaning we ‘‘put on it’’

Question 18

Critical realism (paradigm)

Answer 18

Reality exists outside of our observational reach
Idea= we can uncover underlying structures that constrain agency.
Aim= emancipatory, social change
Researcher: should be self-reflective + seek social change.

Research method= Theories are filtered of reality + should be constantly re-evaluated
(process of retroduction)

Question 19

Pragmatism (paradigm)

Answer 19

Metaphysical debates are irrelevant.
idea= interpretations are true if they have practical utility
aim= to understand the research problem
Researcher: should be cautious and self-conscious about what they do
method: we should use all necessary approaches to understand a research problem.

Question 20

A good research question:

Answer 20

• is informed by and connected to existing research (cumulative effort)
• Focuses on research topic (feasibility)
• is open-minded + non-leading (unbiased)
• is open-ended + allows several potential answers

Question 21

Qualitative research questions focus on:

Answer 21

1. Peoples perceptions, experiences, beliefs, motivations.
2. they aim to uncover how contextual conditions matter for political behaviour.
3. they are often concerned with understanding complex political processes ( y-centered)

Question 22

inductive reasoning

Answer 22

from observation to hypotheses.
* bottom-upp approach to knowledge
* A+ B=C
A= case/object you observed in the world
B= patterns/info you gathered on objects
C= generalization

pia is human + pia is mortal= all humans are mortal

Question 23

deductive reasoning

Answer 23

Top-down approach to knowledge:
from hypotheses to observations. (scientific method)
* A+ B=C
A=the rule/ theory from which you derived hypotheses
B=case/object you are interested in
C= inference/ application of rule to your case

all humans are mortal+ pia is human= pia is human

Question 24

abductive reasoning

Answer 24

= DETECTIVE aproach to knowledge:
- - puzzle out or sense-making process
- researcher is simultaneously puzzling over empirical materials and theoretical literature.

• A+ B=C
  A= case/object you observed in the world
  B= suprising pattern/ info which falls out of theory
  C= new (plausible) hypothesis about how A en B relate.

Dave was at the market + Pia was murdered at the market= Dave is the kil

Question 25

Retroductive reasoning

Answer 25

(retro fitted) inference to the best explanation.
* A+ B=C
A= case/object you observed in the world
B= suprising pattern/ info which falls out of theory
C= the causal mechanisms/ conditions that led to the pattern observed.

Pia is mortal+ pia is dead= which processes/structures le to Pias death?

Question 26

deduction and induction are what kind of approaches?

Answer 26

theory-driven

Question 27

Abduction and retroduction are what kind of approaches?

Answer 27

innovative tools
Abduction helps us inquire after cases and phenomena that fall outside our initiial theoretical frames (extreme case) and develop new theories

retroduction provides new ideas and insights into the conditions fundamental to a phenomena which may lead to re-conceptualizations.