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Summary of Sociological research
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this is a summary of the various sociological research techniques
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SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH:Aims of lecture:
- Introduce to the basics of social research
- Differentiate between common sense and scientific research
- Differentiate between positivists and humanists/ interpretative and
conflict traditions of research
Basics of sociological investigation:
- Requirement 1: looking at the world using social perspective (seeing
general in particular, etc)
- Requirement 2: critical sociological questioning (evaluate more critically
what we read, see and hear)
Sociological research can be grouped into 3 groups:
1. Theoretical/ epistemological questions- what type of truth we are
seeking to find
2. Technical questions- what type of tools and methods are best for
research
3. Ethical/ policy questions- questions abut the objectives of the research
and its consequences for us and the world
Common Sense vs Scientific Evidence:
There are many types of truth:
1. Faith (belief)- people’s beliefs of god and the universe
2. Expert truth- go see physician when you are sick
3. Common sense (general agreement)- as community or collective we all
agree on something
4. Scientific evidence- bases knowledge on direct systematic observation.
Types of observation that we can easily verify.
- It is possible and probable that we all hold many types of truths at the
same time.
- Common sense does hold true sometimes, but scientific evidence
sometimes proves common sense wrong.
Epistemology and Ontology:
- Ontology: An area if philosophy that deals with the nature of what exists
, Two types:
1. Realist: those that see the world as being “out there” with pre-existing
categories waiting to be discovered
2. Nominalist: those that believe our experience “out there” occurs
through an internal lens of interpretations and subjectivity
Epistemology:
- A branch of philosophy that investigates the nature of knowledge and
truth
- Epistemological orientation determines what kind of truth you will end
up with
- Epistemology is routed in ontological assumptions: if you are aligned to a
realist or nominalist ontology, you will have a different type of truth.
- Eg: Realist- we can produce knowledge about society by making careful
observations. Nominalist- will not lead to knowledge because
interpretations and subjective views greatly influence all our
observations
Positivist vs Humanist vs Critical
- There are 3 dominant sociological orientations/ approaches:
1. Positivism: a logical system that bases knowledge on direct, systematic
observation.
2. Humanism or Interpretivism: insists that studying human world is
different from studying biological, physical and material world. Focuses
on the meanings people attach to their worlds.
- The focus is on the human and symbolic, therefore this produces a
different kind of science, called social science, it seeks to understand
meanings
- Critical approaches are more focused on outcomes and social justice
matters
- It is in direct response to positivists, critical approach rejected the
positivists claim that researchers should try be “objective”
- Critical social science necessitates that the research’s objective engages
with the struggle for equity and justice for the marginalised
Positivist vs Humanist approaches:
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