Interpretivism and sociological methods | AQA A-Level Sociology

For Specification 7192

AQA A-Level Sociology | Free Revision Notes

Estimated study time: 35 minutes

exam questions by topic 👇

Interpretivism forms part of AQA's compulsory Theory and Methods content and must be understood in relation to positivism and sociological methods. The specification requires students to examine this relationship alongside quantitative and qualitative research, research design and wider theoretical considerations affecting sociological investigation.  This Interpretivism and sociological methods A-Level Sociology revision page establishes those specification-supported relationships and builds directly on positivism and social facts [Positivism and social facts].

Learning Objectives 🎯

By the end of this revision page, you should be able to:

• Explain that interpretivism forms part of AQA's required debate about sociological methods.

• Explain the relationship between interpretivism, positivism and sociological methods at the level supported by the specification.

• Identify the areas of sociological research that need to be considered when examining interpretivism.

• Examine how theoretical considerations can influence methodological choices.

• Compare the place of positivism and interpretivism within AQA Theory and Methods.

• Analyse connections between interpretivism and the wider relationship between sociological theory and methods.

These objectives correspond to Lesson 11 of the Research Methods sequence in the supplied AQA A-Level Sociology plan.

Revision Notes 📚

Interpretivism and sociological methods A-Level Sociology revision: what does AQA require?

Within A-Level Theory and Methods, AQA requires students to examine:

• quantitative and qualitative methods of research

• research design

• questionnaires

• interviews

• participant and non-participant observation

• experiments

• documents

• official statistics

• primary and secondary data

• quantitative and qualitative data

• the relationship between positivism, interpretivism and sociological methods

• the nature of social facts

• theoretical, practical and ethical considerations influencing research

• the nature of science and the extent to which Sociology can be regarded as scientific

• the relationship between theory and methods

• debates about subjectivity, objectivity and value freedom.

Interpretivism therefore belongs within a wider methodological debate about how sociologists investigate society.

Interpretivism within AQA Theory and Methods

AQA explicitly requires students to examine:

the relationship between positivism, interpretivism and sociological methods.

This wording is important.

Interpretivism should not simply be remembered as a disconnected theoretical term. Students ultimately need to understand its relationship with sociological research methods.

The specification therefore establishes three connected elements:

positivism ↔ interpretivism ↔ sociological methods

This builds directly on positivism and social facts [Positivism and social facts].

Interpretivism and sociological methods

What can be established securely is that AQA requires students to examine a relationship between interpretivism and sociological methods.

The methods and sources explicitly included elsewhere in the same Research Methods content are:

• questionnaires [Questionnaires]

• interviews [Interviews]

• participant and non-participant observation [Participant and non-participant observation]

• experiments

• documents

• official statistics.

Students therefore ultimately need to understand how interpretivism relates to methodological choices.

Interpretivism and quantitative and qualitative research

Earlier in the course, AQA requires students to understand quantitative and qualitative methods of research and distinguish quantitative from qualitative data.

These topics are therefore part of the same methodological framework as positivism and interpretivism.

Your earlier quantitative and qualitative research [Quantitative and qualitative research] revision establishes that quantitative data are numerical, while qualitative data are non-numerical and may contain detailed accounts or meanings.

Interpretivism and research design

Interpretivism also connects to research design [Research design].

AQA requires research design alongside:

• research methods

• types of data

• theoretical considerations

• practical considerations

• ethical considerations.

Most importantly, the specification says that theoretical considerations can influence:

• choice of topic

• choice of method or methods

• conduct of research.

This establishes the following general relationship:

theoretical considerations → methodological choices → research design

Interpretivism forms part of that wider theoretical context.

A sociologist's theoretical approach may therefore be relevant when considering how research is designed, although the precise methodological implications of interpretivism are not explained in the supplied material.

Theoretical considerations and interpretivism

AQA requires a separate lesson on the broader influence of theory within research, represented in the supplied plan by theoretical considerations in sociological research [Theoretical considerations in sociological research].

At this stage, the important principle is that methods are not necessarily selected independently of sociological theory.

A sociologist's research involves decisions about:

1. what to investigate

2. what evidence is needed

3. what method or methods to use

4. how research should be conducted.

Theoretical considerations may influence each of these decisions.

Interpretivism should therefore eventually be understood as part of this relationship between sociological theory and methodological decision-making.

What kinds of research are associated with interpretivist approaches?

This is one of the stated learning objectives in the supplied lesson plan.

Comparing positivism and interpretivism

AQA's wording makes comparison particularly important because it requires both approaches to be examined in relationship with sociological methods.

From the supplied material, the following comparison can safely be made:

Specification issue	Positivism	Interpretivism
Required by AQA?	Yes	Yes
Relationship with sociological methods required?	Yes	Yes
Detailed definition supplied by specification?	No	No
Methodological assumptions explained by specification?	No	No
Particular methods explicitly assigned to approach?	No	No
Connection to wider theory-method debate?	Yes	Yes
Needs comparison with the other approach?	Yes	Yes

This is a comparison of their place within the specification, not of their substantive theoretical principles.

A full comparison of the two approaches cannot be produced accurately from the supplied files alone.

Positivism, interpretivism and social facts

The AQA specification places these areas together:

• relationship between positivism, interpretivism and sociological methods

• nature of social facts.

You should therefore recognise a broader methodological connection between them.

However, as explained in positivism and social facts [Positivism and social facts], the specification does not define social facts or explain how positivists and interpretivists differ in their treatment of them.

A detailed theoretical comparison would therefore require additional approved material.

Interpretivism and individual research methods

You have already studied several methods within the Research Methods sequence.

Interviews

AQA identifies interviews as a required source of sociological data.

However, the supplied specification does not state that interviews are automatically interpretivist.

Participant and non-participant observation

Both forms of observation are required.

Again, the specification does not explicitly label either form as interpretivist.

Questionnaires

Questionnaires are also included, but the specification does not state that they must belong to one particular theoretical perspective.

📌 Key lesson: AQA requires you to understand the relationship between theoretical perspectives and methods, not simply memorise unsupported labels attached to methods.

Interpretivism and primary and secondary data

AQA also requires students to distinguish primary and secondary data.

This classification concerns the source of evidence relative to the sociologist's investigation.

It should therefore not be confused with theoretical approaches.

For example:

• primary/secondary = where evidence comes from

• quantitative/qualitative = what form it takes

• interpretivism/positivism = theoretical approaches whose relationship with methods must be studied.

Your primary and secondary data [Primary and secondary data] revision helps keep these classifications separate.

Interpretivism and the relationship between theory and methods

Later in Theory and Methods, AQA specifically requires students to examine:

the relationship between theory and methods.

Interpretivism is therefore important preparation for the relationship between theory and methods [The relationship between theory and methods].

The structure of the specification establishes that:

• sociologists have different theoretical approaches

• sociologists use different research methods

• theoretical considerations can influence research choices

• the relationship between theory and methods itself is testable.

The detailed mechanisms linking interpretivism to particular methods are not explained in the source.

Interpretivism and Sociology as science

Another later specification requirement is:

the nature of science and the extent to which Sociology can be regarded as scientific.

This creates a future connection with Sociology and science [Sociology and science].

Interpretivism, subjectivity and objectivity

AQA also requires students to examine debates about:

• subjectivity

• objectivity

• value freedom.

These are connected areas within the wider Theory and Methods section, but the specification does not explicitly state how interpretivism relates to them.

A detailed connection should therefore not be invented in this lesson.

You will meet the concepts explicitly in subjectivity and objectivity [Subjectivity and objectivity].

What can currently be established securely?

Based on the supplied specification, students can safely revise the following:

Point	Specification-supported understanding
Interpretivism	A required approach within AQA Theory and Methods
Positivism	Must be studied alongside interpretivism
Sociological methods	Their relationship with both approaches must be examined
Quantitative and qualitative methods	Required within the same Research Methods content
Research design	Required and connected to methodological choices
Theoretical considerations	Can influence topic, method and conduct of research
Social facts	Their nature is required content
Sociology and science	A later required methodological debate
Theory and methods	Their relationship is explicitly required
Subjectivity and objectivity	A later required debate
Value freedom	Also required within Theory and Methods

What cannot be supplied accurately from these files is the detailed sociological explanation linking interpretivism to particular methods or forms of evidence.

Applying interpretivism to a research scenario

Imagine a sociologist is deciding how to investigate an aspect of contemporary UK society.

AQA's specification allows you to establish that the researcher might need to consider:

• different research methods

• quantitative and qualitative approaches

• primary and secondary evidence

• research design

• theoretical considerations

• practical considerations

• ethical considerations.

Interpretivism could form part of the theoretical considerations influencing the methodological choice.

A fully developed explanation of exactly why an interpretivist would choose one method rather than another, however, requires substantive interpretivist theory that is not supplied.

How to compare positivism and interpretivism in an examination

Once the substantive theory has been studied from an approved source, a comparison would need to move beyond simply defining each approach.

A useful examination structure would be:

1. identify the theoretical issue being compared

2. explain the positivist position

3. explain the interpretivist position

4. connect each approach to sociological methods

5. explain the methodological consequences of the difference

6. compare rather than describing the approaches separately

7. reach a reasoned judgement where evaluation is required.

The supplied source supports the need for these comparisons but not the substantive content required to fill each step.

⚠️ Exam warning: Writing two disconnected mini-essays, one labelled "positivism" and one labelled "interpretivism", is not the same as explaining their relationship.

Interpretivism and the assessment objectives

AQA assesses:

• AO1: knowledge and understanding of sociological theories, concepts, evidence and research methods

• AO2: application of sociological theories, concepts, evidence and research methods

• AO3: analysis and evaluation in order to present arguments, make judgements and draw conclusions.

Ultimately, this topic therefore requires students to do more than identify the word interpretivism.

Students must eventually be capable of:

• explaining interpretivist ideas

• applying them to methodological choices

• comparing them with positivism

• analysing their implications for research

• evaluating methodological approaches.

Key Words 🔑

Key word	Student-friendly definition	How it may be used in an exam
Interpretivism	A sociological approach AQA requires students to examine in relation to positivism and sociological methods.	Used when explaining theoretical influences on sociological research.
Positivism	A sociological approach studied alongside interpretivism and sociological methods.	Compare with interpretivism when discussing methodology.
Sociological methods	Approaches used by sociologists when conducting research.	Explain their relationship with interpretivism and positivism.
Research design	The planning of how sociological research will be conducted.	Analyse how theoretical considerations form part of research decisions.
Theoretical considerations	Theoretical factors influencing the topic, methods and conduct of research.	Explain why theory can affect methodological choices.
Quantitative data	Numerical sociological data.	Distinguish a form of evidence from a theoretical approach.
Qualitative data	Non-numerical sociological data.	Distinguish forms of evidence from theories about sociological research.
Primary data	Data collected first-hand for a sociological investigation.	Classify the source of evidence independently of theoretical approach.
Secondary data	Existing evidence used within sociological research.	Distinguish the source of data from methodological theory.
Social facts	A concept whose nature AQA requires students to examine within Theory and Methods.	Used within the wider methodological debate involving positivism and interpretivism.

Common Mistakes ⚠️

Mistake: Treating interpretivism as a research method

Why this is incorrect: AQA lists interpretivism separately from individual methods such as questionnaires, interviews and observations.

How to improve: Recognise interpretivism as part of the theoretical debate surrounding sociological methods.

Mistake: Assuming qualitative data and interpretivism mean the same thing

Why this is incorrect: Qualitative refers to a form of data, while interpretivism is identified separately as a sociological approach.

How to improve: Keep the concepts separate unless you can explain their relationship using approved substantive material.

Mistake: Automatically labelling interviews as interpretivist

Why this is incorrect: The supplied specification does not state that all interviews belong exclusively to interpretivist research.

How to improve: Explain why a theoretical approach might influence the choice of a particular interview design rather than simply attaching a label.

Mistake: Automatically labelling participant observation as interpretivist

Why this is incorrect: AQA requires both participant and non-participant observation, but the specification does not explicitly classify either as belonging to interpretivism.

How to improve: Focus on the relationship between methodological choices and theoretical considerations.

Mistake: Describing positivism and interpretivism separately without comparing them

Why this is incorrect: The wording of the specification emphasises their relationship with sociological methods.

How to improve: Use direct comparison:

Whereas one approach..., the other...

Then explain why the difference matters methodologically, once supported substantive content is available.

Mistake: Confusing theoretical, practical and ethical considerations

Why this is incorrect: AQA identifies all three as separate influences on research.

How to improve: Interpretivism belongs to the theoretical side of methodological debate. Keep practical and ethical questions separate when analysing a research design.

Mistake: Inventing interpretivist assumptions from the name

Why this is incorrect: The specification identifies the concept but does not define its theoretical assumptions.

How to improve: Use an approved substantive Sociology source before learning detailed claims about interpretivist methodology.

Exam-Style Questions ✍️

Because the supplied specification identifies interpretivism but does not define its assumptions or particular methodological preferences, detailed substantive questions cannot be answered fully from the supplied source alone.

Question 1

Identify the two approaches that AQA requires students to examine in relation to sociological methods. (2 marks)

Question 2

Identify two broad forms of research method that AQA requires students to examine. (2 marks)

Question 3

Explain why interpretivism should not be described as an individual research method. (4 marks)

Question 4

Explain two ways in which interpretivism connects to other areas of AQA Theory and Methods. (4 marks)

Question 5

A sociologist is deciding whether to use interviews, observation or another method to investigate an aspect of contemporary UK society.

Explain why theoretical considerations may influence this methodological choice. (4 marks)

Question 6

Explain why quantitative/qualitative and positivist/interpretivist should not be treated as identical distinctions. (4 marks)

Question 7

Explain the relationship between interpretivism and sociological methods. (6 marks)

Question 8

Compare positivist and interpretivist approaches to sociological research. (10 marks)

Answers and mark scheme

Question 1: Approaches (2 marks)

Award one mark for each:

• positivism

• interpretivism.

Question 2: Forms of research method (2 marks)

Award one mark for each:

• quantitative

• qualitative.

Question 3: Interpretivism and research methods (4 marks)

Credit answers recognising that:

• interpretivism is identified as a sociological approach

• AQA separately lists particular methods and sources such as interviews and observation

• the specification requires students to examine the relationship between interpretivism and methods

• interpretivism should therefore not simply be treated as another individual research method.

Example answer:

Interpretivism is not itself listed as a method such as an interview or observation. Instead, AQA requires students to examine the relationship between interpretivism and sociological methods. It therefore forms part of the theoretical approach to methodology rather than being a single research technique.

Question 4: Connections within Theory and Methods (4 marks)

Award up to two marks for each developed connection.

Supported connections include:

• positivism

• sociological methods

• quantitative and qualitative research

• research design

• theoretical considerations

• social facts

• Sociology and science

• relationship between theory and methods

• subjectivity and objectivity

• value freedom.

Example answer:

Interpretivism connects directly with positivism because AQA requires the two approaches to be studied in relation to sociological methods. It also connects with the theory-and-methods debate because theoretical considerations can influence the choice and conduct of research.

Question 5: Theoretical considerations and method choice (4 marks)

Credit answers explaining that:

• AQA requires theoretical considerations to be examined

• they may influence choice of method

• interpretivism and positivism are specifically connected to sociological methods

• theoretical approaches therefore form part of wider research-design decisions.

Example answer:

Theoretical considerations may influence which research method the sociologist regards as appropriate. AQA specifically requires students to examine interpretivism and positivism in relation to sociological methods, showing that theoretical ideas can be relevant when methods such as interviews or observation are selected.

Question 6: Two different distinctions (4 marks)

Credit answers explaining that:

• quantitative and qualitative describe different forms or approaches to research and data

• positivism and interpretivism are sociological approaches involved in methodological debate

• AQA lists the two distinctions separately

• they should therefore not simply be treated as interchangeable labels.

Example answer:

Quantitative and qualitative concern forms of sociological research and data, whereas positivism and interpretivism are theoretical approaches whose relationship with methods must be examined. The specification treats them as related but separate areas, so one distinction should not simply be substituted for the other.

Question 7: Interpretivism and sociological methods (6 marks)

A full answer requires substantive knowledge of:

• interpretivist assumptions

• interpretivist methodological priorities

• methods associated with these priorities

• explanations of why those methods may be selected.

Question 8: Positivism and interpretivism (10 marks)

A complete comparison would require:

• an accurate definition of positivism

• an accurate definition of interpretivism

• differences in their methodological assumptions

• their relationships with particular research methods

• comparison of the forms of sociological evidence associated with each

• implications for research design

• strengths and limitations of each approach

• a reasoned comparative judgement.