What is interpretivism? A simple explanation of the interpretivist paradigm social science research

What is interpretivism in social science research? Is there a simple explanation of this paradigm for researchers who don’t understand it? Yes, there is, and it’s in this video!

I’m Dr Elizabeth Yardley, and drawing on my 20 years’ experience of supporting social science graduate students, I’m on a mission to make paradigms accessible!

Paradigms often appear confusing and bewildering, technical and theoretical, completely impenetrable to all but the most geeky graduate students.

But this isn’t the reality! Paradigms like interpretivism are simply lenses through which to look at the social world. They all have their own different set of values and beliefs about what the social world is, how it should be studied and what researchers should focus on.

This video is part of a series in which I’m demystifying paradigms, using some relatable metaphors like high school cliques. If interpretivists were a high school clique, they would be the artsy, creative kids. I absolutely LOVE a relatable metaphor, don’t you?!

Check out the other parts below, in which I explain what paradigms are, and explore the positivist paradigm.

Part 1 – Paradigms explained    • Paradigms of research for graduate Ph...  
Part 2 – Introduction to positivism    • What is positivism in sociology? Soci...  

Chapters
0:00 - 1:52 Introduction and overview
1:53 - 3:15 Paradigms, a quick recap
3:16 - 5:04 Ontology and epistemology, what are they?
5:05 - 6:15 Interpretivism, key points
6:16 - 6:55 Interpretivist ontology
6:56 - 9:49 Interpretivist epistemology
9:50 - 12:58 Example interpretivist study - Snow and Anderson
12:59 - 14:16 Recap and conclusions

// Other helpful videos about paradigms and theory //
Ontology and Epistemology in Research – They’re not as complicated as they sound!    • Ontology and epistemology in research...  
Ontology and Epistemology – A simple explanation    • Ontology and epistemology explained, ...  
Methodology Chapter – How to structure it    • How to write a methodology section – ...  
Don’t forget THIS in your methods chapter    • PhD Research Methods Chapter - Don’t ...  

// Snow and Anderson’s Interpretivist Research //
Snow, D. A., & Anderson, L. (1987). Identity work among the homeless: The verbal construction and avowal of personal identities. American journal of sociology, 92(6), 1336-1371.
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi...

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https://www.thedegreedoctor.com/parad...

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