Interpretivism.

Interpretivism.

1. INTERPRETIVISTS

   • different people in different situations understand/interpret the social world in different ways.
     • so sociologists can only describe reality from the viewpoint of those who create & define it.
   • people are different from inanimate objects (they have consciousness, ability to think, reflect & act instead of simply react)
     • people cannot be studied in the same way that objects, plants & rocks can be.
     • needs a more subtle, flexible approach where social behaviour is described in terms of meanings & interpretations people give to behaviour.
   • argue that sociology cannot predict behaviour of conscious human beings. Behavioural rules in society are determined by context (changes depending the situation people find themselves in)
     • eg : teachers tells a student to be quiet, the student's response will vary depending on whether the instruction was given in the classroom/in the street.
       • therefore how people react to the behaviour of others depends on their understanding of the social context in which that behaviour takes place.

2. METHODOLOGIES

   • Harris (2005a)
     • different between methodologies
       • POSITIVISM
         • uses terms like "cause", "law", "fact" to convey idea that human behaviour is governed by forces that individuals social actor is powerless to resist.
         • explanations of behaviours are from "without" (not interacting with the people & behaviour being studied)
         • research is "goal-based"
           • objective is to test whether a hypothesis is true/false
           • research design is rigid, strong & directs researcher through every stage of the process.
       • INTERPRETIVISM
         • explanations of behaviours are made from "within" (how people understand behaviour which they are involved in)
           • by taking advantage of human ability to empathise. (take role of the other) & experience the world in the same way that it is experienced by those who are being researched.
             • eg : to truly understand what it means to be homeless, researcher should become homeless.
               • allows vital insight into why people behave as they do.
         • focuses on collection of qualitative data.
           • information tells the researcher something about the experiences & feelings of the people being studied.
           • less reliable.
           • greater validity (reveals much more about how & why people live their lives in particular ways)
         • research is "goal-free"
           • Lindauer (2005)
             • Researcher can explore whatever they/the people they are studying is important/interesting.
           • research is emergent
             • takes shape as data collection & analysis proceed.
           • exploratory framework is flexible, weak & bends to take account of new research ideas & developments.

3. ANTIPOSITIVISM

   • different approach to research

4. Oberg (1999)

   • emergent research design built around 4 ideas.
     • Planning
       • A research issue is identified and a research question takes place.
     • Data Collection
       • - This research design is non-linear (it does not begin with a hypothesis & end with confirmation/rejection).  - Researcher is not looking for definite answers, so a research question is explored from different perspectives (those of the people being researches/of the researcher themselves)
       • Firestone (1987)
         • Reality is socially constructed through individual/collective definitions of the situation, researcher must use a research design that offers the greatest opportunities to capture this subjective sense of reality.
     • Data Analysis
       • Schultz et al (1996)
         • data analysis actually takes place throughout the research process, rather than after the data has been collected.
           • it involves a feedback loop where analysis of collected data is used to inform further data collection which in turn informs further analysis. where there is no requirement to collect data to test a hypothesis, analysis is both descriptive & seen from the viewpoint of both researcher & researched.
     • Evaluation
       • - Research is generally non judgemental. - Readers are left to draw their own conclusions. 
       • Firestone (1987)
         • main objective is to help the reader understand how people see their world & situation.
       • Schwandt (2002)
         • social research involves not so much a problem to be solved as a dilemma/mystery that requires interpretation & self understanding.