Produces in-depth knowledge of personal experiences, expensive, takes skill, takes more time per participant, subjective, more valid, aims to achieve verstehen
Quantitative e.g. Letters
Produces numerical data, researches prescence is likely to have less influence, involves more participants, expensive, time-consuming, more reliable, makes generalisations and is more representative
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Reliability
Repeatability
Producing the same results
Can check for errors
Generalizations can be made
Quantitative methods are more reliable
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Validity
True picture
True measurement
True description
Accurate reflection of social reality
Quantitave methods lack validity
Quantitive methods lack depth
Many interpretative sociologists say only qualitative methods are valid
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Objectivity
Extent to which researchers have ensured their own values and beliefs have not influenced the research
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