Week 5

Question 1

Epistemology definition

Answer 1

The assumptions that you make about the best way of investigating the world and reality
Two main schools are positivism & social constructionism

Question 2

Theoretical Perspective

Answer 2

How you, the researcher, view the world and the assumptions that you make about the nature of the world and reality

Question 3

Methodology definition

Answer 3

The strategy, plan of action, the way that you group together your research techniques to make a coherent picture

Question 4

Methods definitions

Answer 4

What you actually do, the techniques and procedures you use to gather and analyze data related to a specific research question or hypothesis

Question 5

Positivism

Answer 5

Positivists believe that the best way to investigate the world is through objective methods, such as observations. Positivism fits within a realist ontology. Tend to have a quantitative approach

Question 6

Social Constructionism

Answer 6

Social constructionists believe that reality does not exist by itself. Instead, it is constructed and given meaning by people, Their focus is therefore on feelings, beliefs and thoughts, and how people communicate these. Social constructionism fits better with relativist ontology. Tends to have a qualitative approach

Question 7

Order of gathering information

Answer 7

Epistemology –> Theoretical Perspective –> Methodology –> Methods

Question 8

Quantitative qualities

Answer 8

Explains social life
Distant
Structured
Confirmation
Nomothetic
Objective, Simple, Single. One Truth
Hard, reliable

Question 9

Qualitative qualities

Answer 9

Understand social life
Close
Emergent
Unstructured
Ideographic
Subjective, holistic, multiple realities
Rich, deep