Positivism and Interpretivism
What Positivism and Interpretivism means in Sociology A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Positivism and Interpretivism
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Reference: AQA
Positivists argue sociology is scientific, using quantitative methods to uncover objective laws, while Interpretivists argue humans possess consciousness, meaning sociology cannot be scientific and requires qualitative methods to uncover subjective meanings.
Theoretical perspectives driving the choice of quantitative or qualitative methods, with the former seeking reliability and macro-level insights and the latter uncovering deep meanings and achieving high validity at a micro-level.
Positivists favour quantitative methods for their reliability and ability to identify macro-level trends, while interpretivists prefer qualitative methods for achieving 'verstehen' and uncovering micro-level meanings.
Topics that use Positivism and Interpretivism
- Subject Content – A-level: Core themes - 4.1.3 Theory and Methods (AQA A-Level)
- Subject Content – A-level: Core themes - 4.3.2 Theory and Methods (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- Methodological Pluralism
- Primary data
- Qualitative data
- Quantitative data
- Secondary data
- Conflict theories
- Falsification and Verification
- Identity
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