Interpretivism

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Interpretivism

• aparke_at_lincoln.ac.uk

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The research problem

• Impact of Information Technology on gambling
  behaviour
• Under-researched phenomena (minimal knowledge of
  hypotheses or even core variables)
• Through explorative studies build a substantive
  understanding of phenomena
• Grounded Theory produced theoretical framework to
  shape investigation
• Empirical Testing of Hypotheses

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The research problem

• Observed
• Pariticipants have increased gambling
  participation since availability of online
  gambling
• Participants believed through manipulation of IT
  processes that profitable control in gambling was
  possible
• Participants stated the primary objective of
  online gambling was profit accumulation
• Significant proportion of online gamblers
  actively attempted to achieve profitable control
  via IT
• Profit accumulated was positively correlated with
  engagement in IT processes (multiple samples)

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The research problem

• Theoretical Limitations
• Dots appeared to connect (at face value at least)
• Do the participants make the same connection
  (i.e. is gambling an economically motivated
  activity)
• The theory lacked depth (using outcome to explain
  behaviour)
• Wanted to know
• How has their understanding of
• gambling changed in response to
• these changes?
• Needed an epistemology that could
• provide such knowledge

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Interpretivism

• Not a specific epistemology, rather a loose
  category
• In general, takes a position that is
  non-positivist (not necessarily anti-positivist)
• Difference in subject matter is profound
• Natural Reality versus Social Reality
• Emphasis is on Empathic Understanding rather than
  External Explanation

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Interpretivism

• The world of nature as explored by the natural
  scientist does not mean anything to the
  molecules, atoms and electrons.
• But the field of the social scientist Social
  Reality has a specific meaning and relevance
  for the beings living, acting and thinking within
  it. (Schutz, 1962)

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Interpreted Social Reality

• What is a good community to you?

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Verstehen

• Sociology Philosopher Max Weber (preceding
• modern social science)
• Antipositivist approach to social action
  (sociological positivism economic determinism
  are limited)
• Against the emphasis of impersonal external
  factors explaining action
• Verstehen systematic process of outsider
  observing a culture, attempting to relate
• Criticism Can an outsider ever understand
  another participant/culture?

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Epistemologies of Interpretivism

• Symbolic Interactionism
• Understanding social behaviour by focusing
• on practices
• Interaction with reality is MEDIATED by the
  process of
• making sense - performed through social
  interaction
• We then act on such interpretations
• Meaning is not static but changed iteratively
  through experience
• Meaning of father changes with experience, and
  this change affects action

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Epistemologies of Interpretivism

• Phenomenology
• Understanding social reality must be grounded
  in peoples experiences of that reality
• Prevailing understanding/knowledge must be
  forgotten, and the phenomena experienced anew
  (bracketing off)
• Accessing subjective experience exploration of
  personal experience to understand reality
• External logic vs Internal logic of participant
  (not group level but individual logic)

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Epistemologies of Interpretivism

• Hermeneutics
• Social reality is socially constructed and not
  routed in objective fact
• Argue that interpretation should be given more
  weight than explanation and description
• Social Reality is too complex to understand
  through observation alone
• Ricoeur (1970) 2 forms of hermeneutics
• Meaning-recollection to inform and confirm
• Hermeneutics of Suspicion looking past
  superficial layer
• Models separation between Phenomenology and
  Hermeneutics

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Epistemologies of Interpretivism Progression

• Common thread of antipathy of positivism in
  understanding social action
• Interpretivist research enables unanticipated
  findings
• Modern Interpretivist aware of limitation of
  understanding (i.e. double hermeneutic)
• Triple Hermeneutic?
• Interpret findings in relation to
• existing theoretical framework
• Knowledge is filtered

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Real differences Vs. Positivism?

• Probably more shallow than deep (choice of
  research method)
• Assumptions of Positivism (from Interpretivist
  approach) are misguided
• Use of arcane language in Interpretivism impedes
  understanding?
• Shared goal of improving knowledge of phenomena
• Becomes about strategic method selection to
  ascertain specific type of knowledge