B 203: Qualitative Research
Techniques
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Take a Look at the Following Words/Concepts
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Social Development
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Newton’s Law of Gravity
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Criminals
Political Leaders
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When some one enters into the room and slams the
door hard
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“Super Wink”
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Smile
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Now Take a look at the images
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The dominant philosophy of positivism of the late 19th
and 20th century
Main argument
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The purpose of any science is to offer causal explanations
Interpretivism emerged as reaction to this doctrine
Main argument was
Human sciences are fundamentally different in nature and
purpose from natural sciences
The Understanding/Explanation dichotomy
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Distinguishing features of Human Action
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Inherently meaningful
Human action contains certain intentional components which
indicates the kind of the action
The understanding of a particular social action requires that
the inquirer has to grasp the meaning that constitute the
action
Thus, finding out the “Meaning” of a particular “Action”
requires interpreting in a particular way of what the actors are
doing
Understanding
Empathic
Identification
Phenomenological
Sociology
Language Games
Philosophical
Hermeneutics
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Empathic Identification
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First expressed by Wilhelm Dilthey
“To understand the meaning of human action requires grasping
the subjective consciousness or intent of the actor from
inside”
Also known as “Conservative Hermeneutics”
The approach demands that it is possible for the interpreter to
break out of her/his historical circumstances in order to
reproduce the meaning or intent of the actors
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Phenomenological Sociology
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Is concerned with understanding how the world is constituted
The aim is
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To point out how we interpret ours and others action as meaningful
To, “…reconstruct the genesis of the objective meanings of action in
the…communication of individuals in social life”
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Language Games
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Human action is meaningful by virtue of the system of
‘Meanings’
Understanding refers to understanding of the system of
meaning
Common Features
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Human action is meaningful
Objectivity of knowledge
Evince an ethical commitment in the form of respect for
and fidelity to the life world
Hermeneutic Cycle
Philosophical Hermeneutics
Interpretivist
Hermeneutics (Philosophical)
Hermeneutics is an art or technique of
understanding which aims to build the
foundation of human science
Understanding is not a procedure; is not
an isolated activity rather a basic
structure of our experience of life
Inherited bias, tradition or prejudice is not Redefining tradition, Bias is regarded
regarded
Understanding is there; we have to find it
Understanding is participative,
conversational
Objective
Non-objective
Social Constructionism
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“we are all constructivist”
Mind plays the most important role in constructing the
knowledge
Human beings do find or discover knowledge; we simply
make it with the help of…
Features of Qualitative Inquiry
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Understanding what other human beings are saying or
doing
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How to define understanding?
How to frame the interpretive project?
How to envision and occupy the ethical space