What are Quantitative and Qualitative Research Anyway? Discussion

1
What are Quantitative and Qualitative Research
Anyway?Discussion

• Pertti Alasuutari
• University of Tampere
• Department of Sociology and Social Psychology

2
Scientistic and Humanistic Approaches

• Origins of empirical social research in the
  Enlightenment idea of rational governance aided
  by scientific research of society
• Randomized controlled trials of reforms
• The survey as a quasi-experimental design

3
Scientistic and Humanistic Approaches

• There was also a humanistic approach early on in
  sociology
• the late 19th century Methodenstreit, method
  battle in Max Webers time
• in the 1930s United States a clash between
  symbolic interactionism and positivistic
  scientism of William F. Ogburn, George Lundberg
  and Reed Bain

4
Scientistic and Humanistic Approaches

• The tension did not necessarily divide people
  into two camps
• For instance Paul Lazarsfeld, a key figure in
  American quantitative social research, was also
  interested qualitative analysis
• Robert K. Merton, another developer of survey
  methodology at Columbia University, also
  developed the focused interview
• Theorists have been liberal toward different
  methods, which they see as just producing food
  for thought for theory-building

5
From Theorists to Qualitative Researchers

• Qualitative research evolved from an increased
  interest in social theory
• Qualitative research was a product of the 1960s
  critique of positivism
• E.g. according to Payne et al. 2004, in Britain
  an increase in qualitative papers is due to a
  decline of non-empirical papers
• A study about articles published in the major
  Finnish sociology journal Sosiologia from 1964 to
  2004 (Räsänen et al. 2005) show that qualitative
  research has grown at the expense of theoretical
  articles

6
Conclusion

• The increased proportion of qualitative papers is
  an indication of social science becoming more
  empirically based
• Qualitative research carries on one aspect of
  sociological research, interpretation of evidence
• Practices described as part of qualitative
  research process are part of all social research