SW 300 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Subset, Statistical Inference, Descriptive Statistics
Document Summary
The positivistic approach = the quantitative approach. The interpretive approach = the qualitative approach. The positivist way of thinking strives toward: measurability, objectivity, reducing uncertainty, duplication, the use of standardized procedures. Knowledge gained through the positivistic approach is based on objective measurements of the real world: not someone"s opinion, beliefs, hunches, intuitions, or past experiences. Entities that cannot be measured or seen are not amenable to a positivistic-oriented research study, as they rely on tradition and authority. The variables that are being observed and/or measured must not be affected in any way by the person doing the observing or measuring: however, things change when they are being observed. Complete objectivity is rarely possible in social work research. As more people agree on what they have observed, the less likely it becomes that the observation was distorted by bias, and the more likely it is that the agreement reached is.
