SOCI1513 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Anselm Strauss, Scientific Method, Grounded Theory
Document Summary
There is a reciprocal relationship between theory and practice in sociology. In practice, sociologists use an empirical approach that seeks to understand what is going on in the social world and how it happens. These practices cannot stand on their own without underlying theoretical questions that guide the research. Without theory, interesting data may be gathered without any way to explain the relationships between different observed phenomena. Sociologists go back and forth between theory and practice as advances in one require modification of the other. Practice refers to the actual observation, operation, or experiment. Practice is the observation of disparate concepts that needs explanation. A theory is a proposed explanation of the relationship between two or more concepts, or an explanation for how/why a phenomenon occurs. Sociologists often work from an already existing theory, and seek to test that theory in new situations.
