Theories

• Interpretivists collect and value qualitative data
• Qualitative data - data that is not numerical and cannot be measured
• Qualitative data allows to derive (obtain) meaning and gather an in-depth understanding of how people view their social world
• Interpretivists have more interest for validity
• validity refers to the "richness" of data, it should be able to provide the researcher a deep, true understanding of their research objectives
• Interpretivists are interested in micro - scale research
• Interpretivists are interested in micro - scale research because it allows them to gain a deeper understanding of the individuals and their experiences
• Interpretivists aim to establish verstehen
• Verstehen is the ability to fully empathise with another person and understand their perspective
• Interpretivism values :

  • subjectivity
  • meanings
  • verstehen
  • rapports
  • researcher imposition
  • reflexivity
  • qualitative data
  • validity
  • micro - scale
• Researcher imposition is any way that the researcher’s individual opinions/experiences/biases affect how they interpret data or may have influenced participant’s responses
• Reflexivity is when a researcher is aware that their biases may affect the conclusions they draw, so they aim to reflect on/minimise their involvement and give the most objective perspective possible