INTERPRETIVIST METHODOLOGY

INTERPRETIVIST METHODOLOGY

1. INTRO

   • view orig dev from work Weber - soc can't and shouldn't be science, range theoretical perspectives emphasise meaning understanding human soc interaction, designed emphasise diff between studying soc/nat worlds, subject matter fund diff - don't simply respond external forces as positivists claim, interpret & give meaning situation before responding, impossible predict human behaviour/establish C&E by obs, experiment, soc survey etc, to truly understand/explain human soc interaction necssary discover/interpret meanings given situations, achieved getting respondents speak for themselves - this understanding/empathy = verstehen, clear link interpretivist theory/methodology

2. MEANING AND METHOD

   • interpretivists argue meanings don't exist over/above individuals, soc phenomena are soc consructs have no reality outside meaning given to them by people eg death only becomes death when classified as such - definitions change place to place and time to time, can be no laws soc and no laws predicting human bheaviour as this by nature unpredictable, variable and changeable
   • interpretivists therefore more concerned understanding meaning individuals give sits, how see these and how perceptions direct social action, see need get personally involved people, deep conversation/UIs, close obs and participating their activities - diff in approach highlighted by soc of C&D and soc of suicide
   • positivists interesting using quant data uncover causes suicide, Durkheim and correlation between suicide and soc integration/moral integration, however interpretivists argue suicide stats simply soc constructs, explore how and why some death label suicide others not

3. TYPE OF DATA

   • qualitative, typ descriptive data as such harder analyse than quant data, data useful studies at individual level and help discover individual meanings, use UIs, participant obs, expressive/qual documents

4. EVALUATION OF QUALITATIVE DATA

   • STRENGTHS
     • high validity, can gain insight research not though of, doesnt impose research def of what important, allows verstehen, rich in-depth data, flexible, good gathering info sensitive subjects, rapport, allows retain nat sit
   • WEAKNESSES
     • time consuming, requires considerable skill, often smaller, unrep samples, difficult replicate, low reliabilty, considered subjective, expensive