Skip to content

Ask an Academic

  • Home
  • Ask a Question
  • Contact Us
Crowd of people

Sociological research paradigms

September 20, 2019 by AskanAcademic.com

The positivist method is based on a natural sciences worldview which assumes that everything follows universal rules and laws. It relies on...

Question

What are the assumptions of the positivist and interpretivist methods in sociological research?

Answer

The positivist method is based on a natural sciences worldview which assumes that everything follows universal rules and laws. It relies on facts and figures, and often involves repeatable experiments and tests, in which the variables are controlled, in order to compare results and draw conclusions (Matthews and Ross, 2010). This method has the advantage of providing large amounts of data, for example in sets of measurements or census questionnaires. This is useful in sociology for gaining an overview of long term trends, or comparing one country with another. The disadvantage of this method is that it has limited explanatory value in areas like human motivation and individual choices, conflict, group behaviour, etc. where the variables cannot be controlled or even fully identified.

The interpretivist method assumes that each person sees the world differently, and constructs his or her own version of reality. It is particularly concerned with social interactions and mental processes, including ritual and symbolic elements which are observed and interpreted by the observer. This approach has the advantage of allowing a researcher to gain in-depth knowledge about individual cases, taking account of contextual factors and exploring interesting issues that arise during the research. It does not depend so much on rules, but can identify patterns and make comparisons. It can capture the richness of human experience, and provides insights into different perspectives and dynamic forces such as group behaviour. The disadvantages of the interpretivist method include the fact that it takes a large amount of time to collect and analyse the data, and it can produce contradictory or nonsensical results, because people do not always act or speak consistently and they often disagree (Denscombe, 2014). Both methods are useful in sociology, but they tend to be used for different purposes.

References

Denscombe, N. O. (2014) The Good Research Guide. Fifth edition. Buckingham: Open University Press.

Matthews, B. and Ross, L. (2010) Research Methods: A Practical Guide for the Social Sciences. Harlow: Pearson Education.

Post navigation

Previous Post:

The steps of selecting the best business idea among several business ideas

Next Post:

What are cognitive dissonance and cognitive consonance? How can marketers manage cognitive dissonance?

Search Q&As

Categories

  • Art Media and Literature (74)
  • Business and Management (256)
  • Computing and ICT (14)
  • Construction and Engineering (35)
  • Education (90)
  • Environmental Sciences (2)
  • Finance and Economics (91)
  • Health (64)
  • Languages (12)
  • Law (88)
  • Mathematics and Statistics (2)
  • Medical Sciences (19)
  • Politics and International Relations (83)
  • Research Methodology (1)
  • Science (49)
  • Social Sciences (101)

Archives

Who We Are

Askanacademic.com is owned and operated by All Answers Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. Company Registration No: 4964706. VAT Registration No: 842417633. Data Controller No: Z1821391.

Registered office:
Venture House
Cross Street
Arnold
Nottingham
NG5 7PJ

Main Navigation

  • Home
  • Ask a Question
  • Contact Us

Legals

  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy

Popular Categories

  • Business and Management
  • Law
  • Finance and Economics
  • Health
An an Academic Logo
© 2023 Ask an Academic | WordPress Theme by Superb Themes
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Reject
Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT