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Sociological Theory and Methods - Coggle Diagram
Sociological Theory and Methods
Classical Sociologists
- Disagree About
Values
in Sociology
Everyone has
values
- general beliefs about what's
important
in life, and what is
right
and
wrong
Whether or not values
can
or
should
be
separated
from research is a topic of great debate, which began with the founders of sociology
Comte
(1798-1857,
Marx
(1818-1917) thought that
sociology
should aim to discover
social facts
about how society
works
They believed that society is shaped by
big value systems
, and that all the
meanings
and
values
we attach to things are actually
determined
by these
systems
- they aren't really to do with
individuals
at all
This means that sociologists can study society
without
worrying about personal
value judgements
Weber
(1864-1920)
disagreed
, he argued that there was a crucial
difference
between the
facts
discovered by research, and the
value judgements
attached to those facts
E.g. You can prove the fact that net migration has increased, nut you can't prove the value judgement that immigration controls should be tightened
Argued that values are
needed
when
Choosing which
area
to study
Interpreting
data, but these values must be clearly stated
Choosing how to
use
the findings (ad taking
responsibility
for their use)
But believed that the
research process
itself must be kept
value-free
Value-Free
Research -
Isn't Influenced
by the
Researcher
Doesn't make
judgements
about whether the things that are researched are
good
or
bad
Doesn't let the
researcher's own ideology
get in the way
E.g. questionnaires mustn't ask questions that
lead
the respondent towards a particular answer
In order for the idea of
value freedom
to work, the researcher must
interpret
all data
objectively
Value freedom means that the
end use
of the research
shouldn't matter
Research should come up with
knowledge
, and how that knowledge is used
isn't
up to the researcher
Weber
argued that the researcher
is
responsible for this
Debate
Over Whether
Research
can be
Value Free
20th Century Positivists
- Believed their Research was
Value Neutral
for
2 reasons
Because they viewed sociology as a
scientific
discipline,
positivists
believed that it was concerned with
social facts
, not with values about those facts
Their role was to discover
truths
about society, not judge society
Were increasingly sought out by
governments
to solve
social problems
In theory, sociologists could
walk away
after handing in their research findings, this would mean that their
own
values were
unimportant
during the research, and that they
wouldn't be responsible
for how their research was used
Argue that, in general
quantitative
research methods are
more value-free
than
qualitative
methods
Qualitative methods, such as unstructured interviews, mean the researcher is
more involved
, so there's
more risk
their attitudes will
influence
the respondents
Quantitative methods, such as closed questionnaires, allow the researcher
less opportunity
to influence their respondents
They allow the researcher to
keep their distance
Sociology
Can't
be
Value Free
The decision to research in the first place is
value laden
- someone has to decide that the research is worth spending money on
Some say that research which the
state
or
businesses
want to see is most likely to get funding
It's difficult to
completely avoid bias
and interviewer effects
Researcher bias may interfere with structured questionnaires as it's still the researcher who chooses the questions respondents answer
Committed Sociologists
- Sociology
Shouldn't
be
Value Free
Some Marxist and feminist sociologists
deliberately choose research
with an
end use
that they
approve of
E.g.
Feminists
have researched how the
police
respond to sexual abuse and used it to try
change policy
Gouldner
(1975) argues value-free research is both
impossible
and
undesirable
It's
impossible
because you
can't separate
value judgements from the work
Points to reasons such as value-lade research choice and interviewer effects
It's
undesirable
because sociologists
should
use their values to guide them
morally
They
have
to take responsibility for the uses of their work in wider society
Becker
(1970) - Wants sociologists to take the side of the
underdogs
in society
Says that if research is committed, then that means
taking sides
Believes that it's a
good thing
if sociologists
take sides
with the
less powerful groups
in society, such as
criminals
and the
mentally ill
Suits
interpretivist
research methods,
Criticised
for being too focused on powerless groups
Gouldner
says that it's more important to help those who are actively trying to
fight back
against their powerlessness
Other Factors
which make
Values Important
in
Research
The way in which a research project is
funded
and the
career
of the sociologist can also
introduce values
into research
E.g. if the research is funded by a charity that helps homeless people, the research data may be
interpreted
in a way that suggests homeless people need more support from the government
Every culture in society has its
own values
and
beliefs
, and each culture thinks that its values and beliefs are
true
From a
relativist
perspective, this means that there's
no objective way
of saying what is
true
and what
isn't
This also applies to
research
- no one researcher can provide an
objective
picture of society, because their research always depends on what
they think
is true