Sociology 10 marker
2 ways values might enter sociological research
One way values can enter sociological study is through the subjectivity of the
researcher. This is when they base a decision on their own personal bias.
Sociologists are concerned with their own values and ideas since they are a
part of the society they are examining. According to Weber, sociology is not
value-free since sociologists will use their own values to select a research
topic and the concepts they believe to be important. He suggested that
sociologists misinterpret the data because they apply their values to the
research findings. Based on their beliefs and ideas, researchers may give the
same data different interpretations. A researcher who favours traditional family
structures, for instance, would see data on changing family structures as
evidence of a decline in moral standards, but a researcher who favours
diversity might see the same data as proof of the diversity of different family
forms.
Another way values enter sociological research is that researchers are value-
laden, which means they are burdened by their values and are unable to
escape them. Those who fund research, for example, typically have an
agenda and reflect their beliefs onto the findings. According to Gouldner,
value-free sociology is a fallacy since all sociologists have domain
assumptions in which their own values or those of their paymasters would
eventually be reflected in their study. While choosing a subject to examine, the
researcher selects an area of interest that may be linked to their own
experiences or that they regard as significant, and so applies their values.
For example, a researcher who values equality might choose to study the
impact of social policies on reducing inequalities. On the other hand, a
2 ways values might enter sociological research
One way values can enter sociological study is through the subjectivity of the
researcher. This is when they base a decision on their own personal bias.
Sociologists are concerned with their own values and ideas since they are a
part of the society they are examining. According to Weber, sociology is not
value-free since sociologists will use their own values to select a research
topic and the concepts they believe to be important. He suggested that
sociologists misinterpret the data because they apply their values to the
research findings. Based on their beliefs and ideas, researchers may give the
same data different interpretations. A researcher who favours traditional family
structures, for instance, would see data on changing family structures as
evidence of a decline in moral standards, but a researcher who favours
diversity might see the same data as proof of the diversity of different family
forms.
Another way values enter sociological research is that researchers are value-
laden, which means they are burdened by their values and are unable to
escape them. Those who fund research, for example, typically have an
agenda and reflect their beliefs onto the findings. According to Gouldner,
value-free sociology is a fallacy since all sociologists have domain
assumptions in which their own values or those of their paymasters would
eventually be reflected in their study. While choosing a subject to examine, the
researcher selects an area of interest that may be linked to their own
experiences or that they regard as significant, and so applies their values.
For example, a researcher who values equality might choose to study the
impact of social policies on reducing inequalities. On the other hand, a
