Positivist vs Interpretive Qualitative research Flashcards
What is the difference between a positivist and an interpretivist approach to a study on “social capital” among university students by counting “winks”?
- A positivist approach would assume that social trust is an objective reality measurable by counting “winks.”
- An interpretivist approach would argue that “winks” have different meanings depending on the context, requiring immersion in the context to understand their significance.
What are the three research cultures discussed in the source?
- Quantitative-Positivist
- Qualitative-Positivist
- Qualitative-Interpretative
What is the difference between “methodology” and “method”?
- Methodology refers to assumptions about reality (ontology) and how we can understand it (epistemology), shaping the goals of inquiry.
- Methods are the tools used to gather and analyse information.
How do positivist and interpretivist methodologies differ in their understanding of ontology?
- Positivist: The social world consists of entities with a real existence independent of how people think of them.
- Interpretivist: The social world does not contain “real” entities independent of the subject; there are only culturally mediated social facts.
How do positivist and interpretivist methodologies differ in their understanding of epistemology?
- Positivist: Researchers can directly and neutrally observe the social world.
- Interpretivist: Social research is always perspectival and intertwined with the pursuit of moral and material goods.
What are the aims of inquiry for positivist and interpretivist methodologies?
- Positivist: To formulate propositions about social entities, particularly regularities within and between them, and accurately measure these regularities.
- Interpretivist: To understand how shared meanings and their relation to power inform or structure the social world, as well as how we study it.
What is the difference between experience-near (EN) and experience-distant (ED) concepts?
- EN concepts are those that people use naturally and effortlessly to define their experiences and would readily understand when used by others.
- ED concepts are those employed by specialists to advance scientific, philosophical, or practical aims.
How do positivist and interpretivist research approaches use concepts differently?
- Positivist: Reconstructs EN concepts into precise ED terminology to describe social phenomena “as they actually exist.”
- Interpretivist: Elucidates EN concepts to understand power relations and socially constructed realities. ED concepts are developed to bridge the researcher’s and the studied subjects’ worldviews.
What are the problems with “reconstructing” (universally applicable) concepts in positivist research?
- One-sidedness: Ignores the experience-near understanding of concepts, potentially overlooking meaningful behaviours and questions.
- Universalism: Assumes universality of concepts situated in a particular place and time, overlooking meaningful variations.
- Objectivism: Presents concepts as value-free and analytical, ignoring embedded political relations and normative commitments.
What are the two arguments presented in Wedeen’s study on Yemeni qāt chews?
- Argument 1: The minimalistic definition of democracy as “contested elections” is problematic as it overlooks important democratic practices in authoritarian circumstances, leading to a limited understanding of democratic participation and subjects.
- Argument 2: Habermas’s theory that societal conditions for liberal democracy (like 18th-century European cafes and salons) are specific to Western Europe’s socio-economic transformations is challenged by the existence of similar practices (Yemeni qāt chews) in a rural society amidst civil war.
What is an example of a “blind spot” in political science research mentioned in the source?
Back: The assumption that youth are politically apathetic based on low voter turnout, overlooking alternative forms of political engagement like “Gay-Straight Alliance” clubs in US high schools.
