Positivism and Interpretivism

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Created by: LDOakes
Created on: 08-06-22 13:36

What do positivists believe in?

'Social facts' that can be studied objectively like the natural sciences

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What data do positivists like to use to explain social patterns and trends in society?

Quantitative

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Give 9 examples of research methods positivists might use

-Non-participant observation
-structured interviews
-content analysis
-social surveys
-official statistics
-laboratory experiments
-structured questionnaires
-the comparative method

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What do interpretivists believe in?

Seeing things from people's point of view to understand their actions. They believe people's actions are influenced by their values, beliefs, meanings and interpretations of the world around them.

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What type of data do interpretivists use to study social phenomena?

Qualitative data

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Give 5 examples of research methods an interpretivist might use

-Uncontrolled field experiments
-open-ended questionnaires
-unstructured interviews
-observation (covert, overt, participant and non participant)
-personal accounts (e.g diaries and letters)

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What data do positivists like to use to explain social patterns and trends in society?

Back

Quantitative

Card 3

Front

Give 9 examples of research methods positivists might use

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Card 4

Front

What do interpretivists believe in?

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Card 5

Front

What type of data do interpretivists use to study social phenomena?

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Positivism and Interpretivism