Overview of Positivism, Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Social Science

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on epistemology, positivism, qualitative and quantitative methods, axiology, and related ideas.

Epistemology

The branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge—how we know what we know and what counts as knowledge.

Positivism

The view that social reality can be studied scientifically using observable, measurable data; aims for objective, generalizable knowledge.

Qualitative Research

An approach that seeks to understand meanings, contexts, and experiences through non-numeric data; flexible and context-rich.

Quantitative Research

An approach that emphasizes numeric data and measurement to produce objective, generalizable findings; typically structured.

Axiology

The study of values and value judgments in research, including whether research should be value-free or value-laden.

Value-free

Research conducted to minimize or eliminate researchers' personal values to preserve objectivity.

Value-laden

Research that is influenced by the researchers' values, beliefs, or social positions.

Natural Science (in this context)

A paradigm seeking universal laws through objective methods; often associated with quantitative techniques.

Liberal Arts (in this context)

A qualitative, interpretive approach that prioritizes context, meaning, and individual variation.

Case Study

An in-depth examination of a single case or a few cases to gain rich, detailed understanding rather than broad generalization.

Generalizable Knowledge

Knowledge intended to apply across many cases and settings beyond the studied sample.

Text (in qualitative research)

Language, documents, or artifacts treated as data to be interpreted for meaning.

Context

The time, place, and surrounding conditions that shape and give meaning to the text or phenomena studied.

Symbol

A socially created sign that represents or stands for something else; meanings are culturally constructed.

Sign

A thing that conveys meaning or information; in qualitative research, often analyzed as part of language and artifacts.

Theory

A coherent set of propositions explaining observed phenomena that can be applied to multiple cases.