In scientific research, only information with value freedom can be regarded as fact, as it has not been compromised by the scientist’s own personal biases and prejudices. This can also apply to social scientists in sociological research.
Fig. 1 - In order for sociology to be regarded as a science, it needs to present objective, reliable facts.
There are three key concepts around value freedom that social scientists must be aware of.
Subjectivity in Research
Subjectivity means that an individual views a certain case from a personal point of view, through their own value-judgement.
Subjectivity in sociological research can be problematic. If data is collected and presented through the personal biases of the researcher, it is seen as an opinion, rather than a fact. In order to produce reliable, scientific research, sociologists try to eliminate subjectivity as much as possible.
Positivists believe that subjectivity has no place in sociological research, while interpretivists claim that it is impossible to achieve pure objectivity, especially when it comes to qualitative social research.
According to interpretivists, it is enough that the researcher is aware of the stages where subjectivity might come into the picture, and address their biases.
Objectivity in Research
Objectivity is the most important aspect of reliable, valid research. It means that the data was collected, observed, and recorded in a manner that was not influenced by the researcher's own personal values and beliefs.
Sociologists all strive for personal objectivity when it comes to research. However, they have different views on how to approach research objectively, and to what extent an individual can actually remove their value-judgement from professional research.
Objectivity is especially problematic in qualitative research, when the researcher is very involved in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data.
According to positivism, one can and should eliminate their own biases from research and discover social problems as an outside observer. Interpretivism argues that there are many interpretations of the world; a researcher can discover their own reality and truth, which might be different from another person's.
Value-laden Research
When research is value-laden, it represents the value-system of the researcher and makes a moral judgement on the collected data being good or bad, instead of simply presenting it objectively.
There are different views on whether a sociologist should use their research as a platform for standing for or against an idea or movement.
The positivist sociologist Max Weber argued that researchers must not use the discipline of sociology to express personal values and thoughts.
On the other hand, the interpretivist sociologist Howard Becker believed that it is impossible to be impartial. The researcher must advocate for the disadvantaged in their research.
Reliability value in research
- Sociological research should have value freedom in order to produce reliable, certain information and knowledge that is generally true.
In order to explain the emergence of certain events in the social world and to predict their consequences, we must have a generalised, reliable truth unaffected by personal opinion or belief.
In order to compare phenomena throughout time, it is also important to have value-free sociological methods and processes that can be replicated numerous times.
Different social values in research
Postmodernism in Sociological Research
Postmodernists reject the idea of absolute truth or a meta-narrative.
Truth and reality are relative to the individual or the group that we observe.
Many different truths are equally valid and worth researching.
The researcher can't and shouldn't try to be value-free; instead, they should acknowledge their biases and their personal goals for the particular research they are conducting.
Rationalism in Sociological Research
Let us look at the most important sociologist of rationalism, Karl R. Popper.
Karl R. Popper (1972)
Values in different stages of research
We will look at how values can appear in different stages of research and how this may affect sociologists' research.
Originality value in research: The choice of topic
Sociologists always strive for originality in their research. They aim to address questions that have not been addressed before and in ways that were not taken into consideration earlier. Originality has value in research, as people are more interested in new exciting topics than in already discussed, old questions. The originality of research is pretty much determined at the first stage of the research; at the choice of topic.
Let us discuss how researchers choose their research topics. What are the points of consideration at this stage?
Personal values of the researcher may influence the choice of topic, such as their interests, beliefs, or socio-cultural background.
A feminist researcher would likely choose a research topic through which they can improve or understand more about gender inequality in society.
Different academic communities and universities specialise in different subjects. They are more likely to provide academic support for a researcher who wants to conduct a study in their field of interest and expertise.
Political parties are likely to fund sociological research which supports their political ideology. Researchers often have to adopt the values of their funding agencies, regardless of their personal beliefs.
Research on unemployment in the UK specifically, rather than research on unemployment in Norway or in Africa, will attract much more attention and support from British academic and financial institutions and from the British public because it is regarded as relevant for the wider population of the country.
Values in research methodology
Sociologists must aim to keep to reliability and establish a logical argument based on evidence.
Personal ethics, time, and the preference of the financial supporters can influence the decision about research methodology.
A qualitative approach uses descriptive methods, such interviews and participant observation.
Howard Becker argued that researching the 'underdog' was easiest using qualitative research, where the researcher engaged with the subjects through participant observation. This meant the researcher obtained a sense of their reality first hand.
- A quantitative approach uses statistical methods such as surveys and laboratory experiments.
Positivists tend to use quantitative methods in their quest of producing objective scientific data.
Ethical values in research
If the researcher is from a different social, cultural, or national background, their understanding of the participants' experience can present a distorted view of reality.
If the publication of the research would mean negative consequences for the participants, the researcher might change their mind about publishing it at all, depending on their own ethics and moral judgement.
Values in analysis
Research conclusions in sociology often contain a judgement on people's behaviour. Behavioural traits usually fall into either one of two categories: 'normal', and 'unusual'. This decision already requires the researcher to use their own value-system of the world.
Postmodernists argue that no written text can be value-free. Very often, sociologists present their findings in written format (such as in books and journal articles). It is inevitable that such analyses will be value-laden.
Technological advances have made it widely possible to present research in a non-written format. Many sociologists include sound and video recordings of their experiments and interviews, presenting the sounds and behaviour of the subjects and the environment of the experiment as they 'really' happened, to eliminate researcher bias that could come through in the written description.
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