SOCI 2510 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Antipositivism, Critical Theory, Formal System
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2. 1 explain how scientific evidence often challenges common sense. 2. 3 identify the importance of gender and ethics in sociological research. 2. 4 explain why a researcher might choose each of sociology"s research methods. Interpretive sociology focuses on the meanings that people attach to behaviour. Interpretive sociology is related to the symbolic interaction approach: critical sociology corresponds to the social-conflict approach. Because researchers are not attempting to test a specific hypothesis, their research is exploratory and descriptive. Example of participant observation: whyte"s street corner society : sometimes researchers perform secondary analysis, using data collected by others. Using existing sources, especially the widely available data collected by government agencies, can save researchers time and money: existing sources are the basis of historical research. Example of using secondary analysis: labour-force participation and income of. Aboriginal men and women : researchers use both inductive and deductive logical thought.