Theory and methods Flashcards
What is positivism
Positivist approaches to social research are quantitative
-Seen as scientific as they are objective
-
What is an example of a positivist study?
Durkheim’s suicide study
believes behaviour was caused by social facts
- found a number of social patterns, arguing the patterns found demonstrate that suicide is not a random individual act.
What is interpretivism
- qualitative, empathetic, humanistic
What is an example of an interpretivist study?
Douglas - focused on the meanings behind the act of suicide.
- he wanted to interpret how individuals who commit suicide define and give meaning to their act
How do positivists criticise interpretivist and how do Interpretivists criticise positivists
it’s too subjective, not authoritative.
criticise Positivist’s reliance on statistics (they are socially constructed)
What are the key features of science
-Objective
-Paradigms
-Falsification
-Cause and effect (factual)
How does Positivism support sociology as a science
a scientific approach applied to society – Durkheim’s suicide as an example.
How do Interpretivists reject sociology as a science
humans are conscious actors, they cannot be understood using detached, quantitative methods
How does Kuhn reject sociology as a science
Kuhn = Sciences are based on paradigms that cant be changed as its accepted by the majority
How do realists support sociology as a science
we can still usefully study society as an open system, rather than just focussing on individuals
- e.g. we can still make general predictions about social behaviour based on statistical trends
-Cause and effect
What does sociology as value free mean?
If social research is value free then it means that it is free of the personal biases of the researcher.
In what two ways is Sociology value free
Positivism – sociology could be value free using scientific methods which meant the researcher was as detached as possible.
Weber= if we are explicit about our own values all the way through the research process. We can collect objective data
In what two ways is Sociology not value free
Interpretivists- values creep into the quantitative research process through the social construction of statistics
e.g. we need to understand people’s values to understand how they act
Marxist and Feminist sociology isn’t value free in its choice of research topic
What is social policy?
Things the government does to steer society in some way.
What is the functionalist view of social policy
-Social policies help society run more smoothly and efficiently as it promotes equal opportunity and social cohesion
What is a Social policy that’s an example of a functionalist view
The 1988 Education Reform act
-National curriculum
What is the New right view of social policy
- Believe that the state should not interfere too much in
the private lives of the citizen. - Prefer policies that aim to restore peoples sense
of responsibility,
What is a Social policy that’s an example of A new right view
The 1988 Education Reform Act
-League tables, Ofsted
What is the Marxist view of social policy
the state represents the interests of the ruling class and
-prefer policies that promote equality of opportunity
What is a social policy that’s an example of the Marxist view
abolition of private schools.
What is the Feminist view of social policy
Its patriarchal and therefore social policies are designed to maintain this patriarchy
-prefer policies which emphasis gender equality
What is a social policy that’s an example of the Feminist view
Legalisation of contraceptive pill
Equal pay
What is the Post modernist view of social policy
support policies of diversity and choices.
What is the Late modernist view of social policy
believe that social policies need to adapt constantly to globalisation.
