A valid method is one that produces a true or genuine picture of what something is like. Many sociologists argue that qualitative methods are higher in validity as they provide first person accounts.
reliability
a reliable method is where if a method is repeated, similar results would occur. quantitative methods are typically higher in replicability due to the aspect of hard data such as statistics.
representativeness
representativeness refers to whether the people we study are a typical selection of the people that the research applies to.
e.g a study about the effects of divorce on children would study a sample of 100 children as it is impossible to interview all children of divorce. therefore these children must be representative of the wider population so that we can generalise our findings.
methodological perspective
sociologists choice of method is influenced by their methodological perspective.
positivists prefer quantitative data and seek to discover patterns of behaviour, they see sociology as a science.
interpretivists prefer qualitative data and seek to understand social actors meanings. they reject the view of sociology as a science.
interpretivists take a micro-level approach to society wheras positivists prefer a macro-level approach.
