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Definition of Positivism

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Research Philosophy

Definition of Positivism

Positivism is a system that utilizes data of occurrences to ostracize a priori. The term is attributed to the French Philosopher, Auguste Comte (1798-1857), who also acknowledged and systemized sociology. It originated from an intellectual uprising that learned from flaws in the Enlightenment movement that prevailed during the reign of Terror in the French Revolution of 1789. Positivism is identified as a progression from empiricism due to its association with quantitative research from experiments (Halfpenny, 2014). It reaffirms that knowledge is based on facts which are extracted from positive data gathered through experiences.

Positivism also explains that beyond the principality of points exists pure logic and mathematics. According to Ryan (2018), researchers believe that positivism is significant in evaluating facts based on accuracy. Ryan also highlights four distinct characteristics of positivism: objectivity, phenomenalism, deductivism, and inductivism. Positivism is vital in the formulation of universal laws based on the social dynamics in an abstract world. These laws can be evaluated based on the collected data. Auguste Comte utilized Newton’s gravity laws as the epitome for legitimizing positivism as a new discipline in sociology.

Definition of Interpretivism

According to O’Reilly (2009), interpretivism is the scientific study of the facets of knowledge acquisition, comprehension, and interpretation. These theories on understanding are reliant on people’s actions. It is a research process that involves interpreting various dimensions of the study and its integration into human interest. Interpretivism is based on the assumption of social construction, which limits the association of language, instruments, and consciousness. The development of interpretivism is established and reliant on the criticism of positivism. Unlike positivism, interpretivism philosophy favors qualitative analysis over quantitative analysis.

Interpretivism is dependent on idealism. This accommodates other sociological approaches such as hermeneutics and phenomenology. These approaches are rigid to the notion that the world exists independently and is objectively conscious. Interpretivism focuses on the explanation and utilizes multiple strategies to determine distinct solutions and reflections (Ryan, 2018). Most researchers use traditional data collection methods, such as interviews and observations, while conducting the interpretive approach. The variations that exist in interpretivism include symbolic interactionism, hermeneutics, and phenomenology.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Positivism

Positivism utilizes quantitative research in epistemology, which requires evidence to back up the science. According to Halfpenny (2014), the determination and comprehension of natural sciences rely on measurement that supports the evidence. In that respect, studying positivism is accompanied by the utilization of inferences in multiple cases; the dependent and independent variables are fundamental in the illustration.

Positivism is vital to researchers who want to master the elements of empirical procedures such as sampling, group discussions, and measurement. The processes indicate that analysis developed by positivist researchers is reliable and has high quality. This analysis provides an essential basis of determination which be replicated on the entire population (Pham, 2018). The findings from positivism can also be utilized to support and make scientific assumptions. Positivism provides answers to research questions. This is made practical through survey and experimental research that employs techniques such as instrumentation and statistical analysis.

The first disadvantage of positivism is that it is limited to quantitative research. This implies that it is difficult to measure social elements such as emotions, attitudes, and intentions. The second disadvantage relates to the theoretical aspect of research. Positivism is subjective as it generalizes the study findings, which exposes the science to the loss of fundamental research outcomes due to neglect (Toolman, 2012). The final disadvantage of positivism is the inconstancies that might arise from inaccurate scientific data. Respondents and participants in the research may provide random answers due to positivism’s confined nature, exposing the biased outcome’s fundamental analysis and inaccurate results.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Interpretivism

Interpretivism is established on the understanding and comprehension of social sciences. The flexibility creates a lot of room for the paradigm to accommodate interpretation based on human experience rather than the world perception. Interpretivism is advantageous as it provides a diversified spectrum into the social context. Interpretivist researchers offer multiple perspectives on people, objects, and events since they are not socially-bound (Pham, 2018). Another advantage of interpretivism is it accommodates fundamental methodologies such as the ground theory and case study. Interpretivism also enables researchers to investigate abstract phenomena. These phenomena range from feelings and values to perspectives. They can only be observed rather than measured.

One of the limitations of interpretivism is creating a gap between verification and the significance of the paradigm. The generalization of results in the process of getting to understand and acquire knowledge exacerbates the gap. Another limitation of interpretivism is the subjective nature of its ontological view. The final disadvantage of interpretivism is the failure of the system to integrate both political and social impact.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Halfpenny, P. (2014). Positivism and sociology (RLE social theory): Explaining social life. Routledge.

O’Reilly, K. (2009). Key concepts in ethnography. SAGE.

Pham, L. (2018). Social science research paradigms: Positivism and Interpretivism. Researchgate2(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.13995.54569

Ryan, G. (2018). Introduction to positivism, interpretivism and critical theory. Nurse Researcher25(4), 14-20. https://doi.org/10.7748/nr.2018.e1466

Tolman, C. W. (2012). Positivism in psychology: Historical and contemporary problems. Springer Science & Business Media.

 

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