Methods of research (Week 12) Interpretivist approach

Question 1

Is sociology a science?

Interpretivist view

Answer 1

• Alternative (opposite) to positivism
• People like Weber say sociology should study society from the perspective of other people to understand how and why things happen.
• Weber’s perspective of **Verstehen **requires subjective understanding, from people’s opinions.
• Interpretivists argue sociology cannnot ever be a science becasue science is objective and doesn’t allow opinion to influence research.

Question 2

Interpretivists - Context

Answer 2

• Think scientific methodolgy is invalid because it removes the context or interferes in some way with the subject matter.
• Context is important when we are trying to understand/interpret a situation.
• Interpretivists use qualitative research techniques.

Question 3

Natural science vs sociology

Answer 3

**Interpretivists : there is fundamental difference between the natural sciences & that of sociology;
**
Natural sciences: study objects, substances, matter, which has no consciousness. Its behaviour is an automatic response to external stimulus; the object/matter doesn’t choose how to act (It will react in the same way every time).

Sociology: studies people, who do have consciousness & choice. People make sense of their world by attaching meanings to it therefore we all react differently to different situations.**

Question 4

Interpretivists - validity

Answer 4

• Reliabilty is less important than validity
• Qualitative methods are likely to produce valid data.
• Sociologists should be open about their values so people can evaluate how far the values have influenced the research.

Question 5

‘Two Sociologies’

Answer 5

• (Halfpenny,1984) argued that there are ‘two sociologies’.
• First is based on scientific methodology using hard quantitative data and concerned with discovering causal relationships. > Positivist view.
• Second is based on interpretivist methodology using soft qualitative data and concerned with understanding the meanings which make up social reality.

Question 6

Key concept

Value freedom

Answer 6

‘The ability to make an impartial and balanced assessment of the research’. The idea that ‘facts’ should not be influenced by the researcher’s own beliefs is a central aspect of ‘science’.

Question 7

Key concept

Value-laden research

Answer 7

The personal value of the researcher is imposed on the research even if people disagree with it.

Question 8

Webers values in the research process

Answer 8

• Choosing which topic to research.
• Getting funding
• Choosing a research method
• Operationalising key concepts
• Interpreting findings
• Selecting which findings to include in report
• Recording responses
• etc

Question 9

Weber examples of values within the research process

Answer 9

Values that guide choice of topic: We can only select areas of study in-terms of their value relevance to us.
Choice of method: Influenced by theoretical values e.g. positivist, intepretivists etc.
Data collection: Sociologist must be objective as possible when collecting facts e.g. the structuring of questions, the assumption that the respondent ‘understands’ the researcher’s questions and that the researcher ‘understands’ the respondent‘s answers.
Publication: Involves value judgements; ethical questions of the consequences of publication on wider society e.g. social policy.

Question 10

Value freedom & Commitment

Gouldner

Answer 10

• Gouldner argues that it is impossible to be free from various forms of value judgement.
• Those who claim to be value free are non-academics. They ‘dodge the real moral issues’ that their research raises.
• Gouldner suggests that the principle of value freedom has dehumanised sociologists .
• He claims that sociologists have betrayed themselves and Sociology not caring about the ways in which their research is used.

Question 11

Committed Sociologist

Answer 11

• The task for the sociologist is to choose sides; to decide which interests should sociological knowledge serve.
  Becker argues that sociology should side with the disadvantaged, identifying with the powerless, using methods to understand their behaviour.
• Gouldner adopts a Marxist approach, arguing that its not enough just to describe the powerless – The sociologist should be committed to ending their oppression.