ABSTRACT
How we conceive of society cannot be separated from the question of how we should proceed in our study of it. In other words, what methodology a researcher would adopt in carrying out his research would largely be determined by the perspective or orientation that he has towards social reality. In our earlier discussion, we saw that the emphasis on the objective measurement of human social behaviour forces the positivist scholars to rely more on the quantitative methods while conducting research. While on the other hand, anti-positivist scholars who emphasise the interpretative understanding of the social behaviour rely more on qualitative methods. This chapter primarily focuses upon the quantitative and qualitative research methods in social sciences. The learner would also be introduced to some key aspects of sociological research, such as field and challenges associated with it, reflexivity and contemporary fieldwork practices, concepts and hypothesis, and techniques of data collection.
