Question

discuss research philosophies such as the positivist and interpretivism philosophy

Answer 1

Positivism and Interpretivism are two research philosophies that rely on different approaches to interpret social interactions between people and society and study the effects of each one on the other. The approaches that both these methodologies follow are :

• Positivism is quantitative oriented and rely on scientific methods to research and prove its findings, whereas Interpretivism is more qualtitative in its approach.
• Positivism theorists believe that society affects and shapes the individuals and human beings whereas, Interpretivists believe that individuals have their own thinking process and they do not merely follow the societal norms.
• Positivists focus on surveys, statistics and data to prove their hypothesis, whereas Interpretivists use unstructured questionnaires and participant observation.
• Positivists look for corrrelations and linkages between the various parameters. They follow the comparative methods to substantiate their claims, whereas Interpretivists try to achieve empathetic understanding from the viewpoint of the person being observed.