wwweducationforumcouk General Principles There are social laws and social facts to be uncovered through the scientific research of the objective researcher Once data is shown to be reliable repeatable it becomes a social fact ID: 554349
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Slide1
Positivism Methods
www.educationforum.co.ukSlide2
General Principles
There are social laws and social facts to be uncovered through the scientific research of the objective researcher
Once data is shown to be reliable (repeatable) it becomes a social fact
Favour methods which generate quantitative data – can be measured
Key concepts – reliability, falsification, representativenessSlide3
The Main Methods preferred by Positivists
Surveys, questionnaires, structured interviews, longitudinal studies, cross sectional surveysSlide4
Surveys and Questionnaires
Incorporate standardised questions from which generalisations can be drawn – ideal for a large sample frame to maximise representativeness
Positivists prefer closed questions
TASK – Using the revision guides and packs list and learn the advantages and disadvantages of surveys and questionnairesSlide5
Longitudinal Studies
Surveys over a long time frame. E.G the 7 up survey
Good for studying changing attitudes or behaviour over time – takes a snapshot of people at several key points in their life course, Changes can be plotted described and evaluated – causes established and hypotheses built
TASK – Using the revision guides and packs list and learn the advantages and disadvantages of longitudinal surveysSlide6
Experiments
In an experiment the variables are closely controlled so the effect of independent variables can be closely studied
Very common in natural science but less common in social science with a few exceptions e.g. Bandura's
Bobo
doll experimentSlide7
Field Experiments
Used more frequently by social scientists and involve experiments in real life where the researcher seeks to manipulate a social situation to uncover the beliefs and attitudes behind behaviours. E.G Rosenthal and Jacobsen The Pygmalion Effect 1968
TASK – Using the revision guides and packs list and learn the advantages and disadvantages of experiments and field experiments in social scienceSlide8
Secondary Data
Positivists also favour the use of quantitative secondary data such as official statistics