Social research strategies: quantitative research and qualitative research
The qualitative research strategy places a value on:
Using numbers, measurements and statistical techniques
Generating theories through inductive research about social meanings
Conducting research that is of a very high quality
All of the above
Generating theories through inductive research about social meanings
We expect all research to be carried out according to the highest quality standards, tested for validity and reliability and subjected to ethical considerations. Some research studies numbers of things, like their instances and frequencies of occurrence and the relationship of some things to others along these dimensions. We call these studies ‘quantitative’. ‘Qualitative’ studies, on the other hand, study the reasons people do the things they do, how they feel about that, their general likes and dislikes. The problem is that quantitative studies frequently are interested in how many people feel the same way about something and qualitative studies might want to show what percentage of respondents indicated particular feelings, for example. The real difference between them is more likely to be found in their underlying research orientations, with quantitative approaches being associated with positivism and objectivism and qualitative approaches linked to interpretivism and constructionism.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 32, 33
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 32, 33
Generating theories through inductive research about social meanings We expect all research to be carried out according to the highest quality standards, tested for validity and reliability and subjected to ethical considerations. Some research studies numbers of things, like their instances and frequencies of occurrence and the relationship of some things to others along these dimensions. We call these studies ‘quantitative’. ‘Qualitative’ studies, on the other hand, study the reasons people do the things they do, how they feel about that, their general likes and dislikes. The problem is that quantitative studies frequently are interested in how many people feel the same way about something and qualitative studies might want to show what percentage of respondents indicated particular feelings, for example. The real difference between them is more likely to be found in their underlying research orientations, with quantitative approaches being associated with positivism and objectivism and qualitative approaches linked to interpretivism and constructionism.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 32, 33
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 32, 33
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The constructionist ontological position suggests that:A. Social phenomena and their meanings are constantly being accomplished by social actors
B. Individuals are born into a world of rules and structures that they cannot change
C. Building and construction work presents an ideal opportunity to exercise the sociological imagination
D. Social facts and objects have an external reality, independently of the people who perceive them
What is the epistemological position held by a positivist?
A. There is no substitute for an in-depth, hermeneutic understanding of society
B. Scientific research should be based on value-free, empirical observations
C. Events and discourses in the social world prevent us from having direct knowledge of the natural order
D. It is important to remain optimistic about our research, even when things go wrong
Which of the following is an ontological question?
A. Should I use questionnaires or interviews in my project?
B. What can (and should) be considered acceptable forms of knowledge?
C. How long is it since I last visited the dentist?
D. Do social entities have an objective reality, external to social actors?
What does an empiricist believe?
A. We should not apply natural science methods to social science research
B. It is the sociologist’s aim to understand the meaning of social action
C. Knowledge, in the form of ‘facts’, should be gained through sensory experience
D. Research conducted within the British empire was biased and unreliable
What is a ‘grand theory’?
A. One that was proposed by one of the major theorists in the sociological tradition
B. One that is highly abstract and makes broad generalizations about the social world
C. An intermediate level explanation of observed regularities
D. A particularly satisfactory theory that makes the researcher feel happy
Which of the following is an example of value-free research?
A. Conscious partiality
B. Sympathy for the underdog
C. Unstructured interviewing
D. None of the above
An inductive theory is one that:
A. Involves testing an explicitly defined hypothesis
B. Does not allow for findings to feed back into the stock of knowledge
C. Uses quantitative methods whenever possible
D. Allows theory to emerge out of the data
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