Empiricising and Theorising ‘Disadvantaged Children.’ The Superiority of Qualitative Exploration using the Example of Social Origins

Introduction

There is currently a broad consensus in social research (including qualitative research) that people who do not grow up in privileged families cannot expect to have successful lives as they are more likely to develop behaviour and characteristics that hinder advancing. It is striking that almost all the studies currently available do not use socialisation and biography theory at all and they are based on a very narrow empirical field. This paper will present qualitative strategies to open the empirical field and thus also theoretical discourse.

Aims and Methods

This is a meta-discussion of present approaches and data. The focus of this paper is a methodological discussion of the state of research measured against the empirical and theoretical knowledge possibilities of a research field. Using the example of ‘social origin,’ the empirical and theoretical narrowness of existing research will first be demonstrated before then discussing a significant expansion of the field. In particular, the comparative analysis of the Grounded Theory and Max Weber's ideal type formation will be used. However, the basics of exploration will also need to be recalled.

Results

Explorations of biographical and socialisation theories and significantly more diverse origins than just ‘families’ (e.g. children's homes) show that (promising) action is not primarily a result of parental (non-)support and psychological (or even genetic) developments. Instead, we can speak of a biographical achievement that is also – or especially – accomplished without parents.

Conclusion

As can be seen, social research has not only neglected socialisation and biographical theory when it comes to the question of social origin. There is also a risk that theories of action will be weakened. Qualitative strategies of theorising and empiricisation are suitable to make sociological explanatory programmes more sociological.