What do interpretivists want to understand?

the meanings people give to their actions. Meaning and motivation are the centre of the approach.

Which kind of data do interpretivists prefer?

qualitative. Words capture feelings and reasons.

What does validity mean?

the research gives a true picture of what is studied. Valid data is true to life.

What is a micro view?

a study of individuals and small groups. Micro means small scale.

Why are interpretivist studies often low in reliability?

each study depends on a unique relationship between researcher and people, so it cannot be repeated exactly. Another researcher would have different conversations and might find different things.

The interpretivist approach · Cambridge IGCSE Sociology

In plain words

A wink and a blink look the same on camera. One means something and one does not. Interpretivists say that this is the whole point of sociology: you have not understood an action until you know what it meant to the person doing it.

8 things to know

Interpretivists believe that people are different from the things scientists study, because people give meanings to what they do. To understand behaviour you must understand meanings and motivations.
They take a micro view. They study individuals and small groups, and the way people interact face to face.
They prefer qualitative data, which is data in the form of words, describing feelings, opinions and experiences. Their methods are unstructured interviews, participant observation and personal documents.
Their research is in-depth. They study a small number of people in great detail.
Subjectivity: interpretivists accept that research involves the viewpoints of the people studied, and of the researcher. They do not think complete objectivity is possible.
Validity means that the research gives a true picture of what is being studied. Interpretivists value it above everything else.
Verstehen is a German word for understanding. It means seeing the world through the eyes of the people being studied, by putting yourself in their place.
Criticism: the samples are small, so they are not representative. The research is hard to repeat, so it is less reliable. The researcher's own views may influence the findings.

Worked example

An interpretivist wants to find out why some pupils truant from school. Describe how the research would be done.

The aim is to understand the meaning of truanting for the pupils themselves.
Choose a small sample of pupils who truant, and carry out unstructured interviews, so they can talk freely in their own words.
Build trust, so that they give honest answers. This is how verstehen is achieved.
The result is detailed qualitative data that is high in validity, although it cannot be generalised to all pupils.

Tips and tricks

Link the approach to its method and its goal: interpretivist, qualitative, valid. The mirror image of the positivist set.
Validity and reliability are different things. Valid means true to life. Reliable means repeatable. Research can be one without the other.

5 questions, about 2 minutes.

It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.

The interpretivist approach: 5 questions and answers

These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.

What do interpretivists want to understand?
- the size of the population
- the meanings people give to their actions (the answer)
- the laws of a society
- the rate of social change
Meaning and motivation are the centre of the approach.
Which kind of data do interpretivists prefer?
- quantitative
- official
- statistical
- qualitative (the answer)
Words capture feelings and reasons.
What does validity mean?
- the research gives a true picture of what is studied (the answer)
- the research can be repeated exactly
- the sample is very large
- the data are in the form of numbers
Valid data is true to life.
What is a micro view?
- a study of whole societies
- a study using statistics
- a comparison of countries
- a study of individuals and small groups (the answer)
Micro means small scale.
Why are interpretivist studies often low in reliability?Stretch
- they use large samples
- they produce numbers
- each study depends on a unique relationship between researcher and people, so it cannot be repeated exactly (the answer)
- they are carried out by governments
Another researcher would have different conversations and might find different things.

5 questions

Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.

Worksheet

3 questions, 10 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.

The interpretivist approach

Cambridge IGCSE Sociology 0495 · 10 marks · papermunch.org

Name ______________________________ Date ______________

What is meant by the term "verstehen"?[2]
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Understanding behaviour by seeing the world through the eyes of the people being studied.
I got this one
Describe two features of the interpretivist approach.[4]
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Any two, each described: it takes a micro view, studying individuals and small groups; it looks for the meanings and motivations behind behaviour; it uses qualitative data collected in depth; it aims for validity.
I got this one
Explain one strength and one limitation of the interpretivist approach.[4]
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Strength: detailed, in-depth data gives a true picture of people's experiences, so validity is high. Limitation: samples are small, so the findings are not representative and cannot be generalised (or: the research is hard to repeat, so reliability is low).
I got this one

Answers: The interpretivist approach

1. Understanding behaviour by seeing the world through the eyes of the people being studied.
2. Any two, each described: it takes a micro view, studying individuals and small groups; it looks for the meanings and motivations behind behaviour; it uses qualitative data collected in depth; it aims for validity.
3. Strength: detailed, in-depth data gives a true picture of people's experiences, so validity is high. Limitation: samples are small, so the findings are not representative and cannot be generalised (or: the research is hard to repeat, so reliability is low).