Download HEALTH AND SOCIETY Lecture notes – Qualitative and quantitative

HEALTH AND SOCIETY
Lecture notes – Qualitative and quantitative research methods
“Any academic subject requires a methodology to reach its conclusions: it must have ways of
producing and analysing data so that theories can be tested, accepted or rejected. Without a
systematic way of producing knowledge, the findings of a subject can be dismissed as
guesswork, or even as common sense made to sound complicated. Methodology is concerned
with both the detailed research methods through which data are collected, and the more
general philosophies upon which the collection and analysis of data are based. (…) Most areas
of sociology are riven with controversy. Methodology is no exception to this general rule.
One of the main areas of disagreement concerns (…) whether sociology should adopt the
same methods as those employed in science. (…)
Sociology first developed in Europe in the 19th century when industrialization resulted in
massive social changes. Accompanying these social changes, during which science started to
enjoy a higher reputation than ever before. Science appeared to be capable of producing
objective knowledge that could be used to solve human problems. (…) Many early
sociologists chose to turn to science for a methodology on which to base their subject.
However not all sociologists have agreed that it is appropriate to adopt the methodology of
natural sciences. For these sociologists, studying human behaviour is fundamentally different
from studying the natural world. Unlike the subject matter of, for example chemistry, people
possess consciousness, which means that sociology requires a different type of methodology
from natural science. In the above terms it was possible to identify two broad tradition within
sociology:
1. Those who advocated the use of science and usually quantitative methods (numerical,
statistical methods).
2. Those who supported the use of more humanistic and qualitative methods.
(However, it was never the case that all sociologists fitted neatly into these categories.)“
(Haralambos, Holborn, 2004:863-864)
↓
Sociologists generally ask questions about social reality with the aim of understand its
regularities, inner rules and patterns. Both qualitative and quantitative social researchers
wants to grasp the meaning of this reality, even their approach of it is really different. Those
who have tried to adopt the methods of natural sciences followed the positivist explanation
of knowledge, on which quantitative methodology has been growing up. Those scholars who
reject the use of natural science methodology for the study of social action and phenomena
called interpretive sociologists, who stand up for the usage of qualitative methods.
a. Positivism: our knowledge about reality directly coincides with the reality. Therefore
science is capable to understand the natural and social reality with the usage of
objective research methods. The scientific study of society should be confined to
collecting information about phenomena that can be objectively observed and
classified. Positivists argued that sociologist should not be concerned with internal
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meanings, motives, feelings of individuals. Since these mental states exist only in the
person’s consciousness, they cannot be measured in any objective way. They were
confident that scientific knowledge about society could be accumulated and used to
improve human existence so that society could be run rationally.
b. Interpretive approach: “They argue that the whole basis of sociology is the
interpretation of social action. Social action can only be understood by interpreting
the meanings and motives on which it is based. Many interpretive sociologists argue
that there is little chance of discovering these meanings and motives from quantitative
data. Only from qualitative data – with its greater richness and depth - can the
sociologist hope to interpret the meanings that lie behind social action. (…) They see
the subject of natural and social sciences as fundamentally different. The natural
sciences deal with matter. Since matter has no consciousness, its behaviour can be
explained simply as reaction to external stimuli. (…) Unlike matter, people have
consciousness. They see, interpret and experience the world in terms of meanings;
they actively construct their own reality. Meanings do not have an independent
existence, a reality of their own which is somehow separate from social actors.(…)
They are constructed and reconstructed by actors in the course of social interaction.
People do not react automatically to external stimuli as positivists claim. Instead they
interpret the meaning of a stimulus before responding to it. (Haralambos, Holborn,
2004:871)
Considering the differences of the positivist and interpretive approach of social reality
quantitative and qualitative methods in social research can be characterized in the following
way:
-
Quantitative methods  produce numerical data. These methods concentrate on
measurement. The numerical differences between groups than become the facts for
sociologists to explain. For example: statistics of crime, divorce or death causes.
“Quantification often makes our observations more explicit. It also can make it easier
to aggregate, compare, and summarize data. It opens up the possibility of statistical
analysis, ranging from simple averages to complex formulas and mathematical
models.” (Babbie, 2007:24)
o Generally used research tools:
 Surveys  questionnaires
 Testing  eg. in market research
-
Qualitative methods  it is usually presented in words. These may be a description
of a group of people living in poverty, or a transcript of an interview in which people
describe and explain their attitudes and experience. Compared to quantitative data,
qualitative data are usually seen as richer, more vital, as having greater depth and as
more likely to present a true picture of a way of life, of people’s experiences, attitudes
and beliefs.
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o Generally used research tools:
 Narrative interviews
 Life history
 Focus group interviews
(See detailed comparison of the two methodologies in: Neuman: 2004 ,110-111. Available on: tartsudint.fw.hu )
Bibliography
Babbie, E.: The practice of Social Research. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2007.
Giddens, A.: Sociology. Polity Press, 2001. 636-662.
Haralambos and Holborn: Sociology - Themes and Perspectives. Collins Education, 2004.
864-873.
Neuman, W. L.: Basics of Social Research. Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Pearson
Edu. 2004. 2-4.; 110-111.
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