Class notes
Notes Designing Social Research
- Course
- Institution
These are my notes from the lectures of Designing Social Research, I also added pictures for more clarity
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
maritschrooten
Content preview
Notes Designing Social ResearchLecture 1 – What is science?
Characteristics of scientific research
Science: systematic exploration, testing and validation of knowledge.
Empirical reality: empirical is real, accumulation of knowledge by going off of what we
already know: standing on shoulders of giants.
Way of working in scientific research:
1. Theory – logic explanation or prediction
2. Data collection – observation in a systematic way (methodology)
3. Data analysis – comparing what is logically expected with what is actually observed
Principle of falsification: all knowledge is uncertain; explanations are true until they are
refuted (Karl Popper).
- Finding a counterexample to test knowledge.
Spurious relationship: coincidence, false/fake relationship.
- You have to look for logical relationships.
The cycle of research
1. Problem: topic that is being studied.
2. Observation
3. Inductive research: there is little or no knowledge on the problem, observing reality
to learn and to gather facts and to learn patterns.
a. From specific observations (=empirical research) to the discovery of a pattern
among all the given events (=axiom, theory building).
4. Axioms: descriptions, statements, the accepted truth.
5. Theory: existing ideas.
6. Hypothesis: prediction of the outcome.
7. Deductive research: using existing theories on the topic to predict the outcome of
the research.
a. From a pattern that is logically expected (=hypothesis, based on theory) to
observations (=empirical research) that test whether the expected pattern
occurs.
8. Testing: testing the predictions.
Theory and variables, conceptual model
Scientific theory: an interconnected, coherent system of premises which aim to describe,
explain or predict certain phenomena.
3 elements:
- Assumptions: basic ideas about nature of mankind (e.g. rational).
- Model: variables and relations.
o Variable: the external expression of the phenomenon that you are studying
(e.g. what someone looks like).
- Hypotheses: predictions, to be tested.
,Example: public service motivation
Public service motivation: an individual’s predisposition to respond to motives grounded
primarily or uniquely in public institutions and organisations (Perry & Wise, 1990)
4 motives:
- A deep desire to make a difference.
- An ability to have an impact on public affairs.
- A sense of responsibility and integrity.
- A reliance on intrinsic rewards as opposed to salary or job security.
Assumption: people are driven by motives (nature of mankind).
Model:
- Latent variable: PSM (= sum score, scale or index).
- 4 dimensions: 4 motives (each dimension is a variable in its own).
Hypothesis: predicts under which conditions the independent variable (X) will have a
directed effect on the dependent variable (Y).
- Applied to PSM:
o People with higher PSM will work more often in the public sector.
o Extrinsic rewards (money) will be appreciated less by people with higher PSM
than people with lower PSM (because of intrinsic motivation = mechanism).
PSM: independent variable X.
Work in public sector (+) and extrinsic rewards (-): dependent variable Y.
Variables and attributes:
Dependent variable is influenced by the independent variable: X Y
Variables can be expressed:
- In numbers (quantitative), for example: age in years, or a score on a Likert scale (5
points: disagree – agree)
- Non-numerically (qualitative), for example: opinions, intangible variables that do not
add up (e.g., political parties that you voted for)
Quantitative variables have different measurement levels, which has implications for
analysis and use of statistics.
Example: use of theory and variables
Which 4 variables are taken from the theory on sushi to predict this?
- The food needs to be part of a cuisine or culture.
- The food needs to be accessible.
- The food needs to be cheap.
- The food needs to be tasty.
, Problem definition and hypothesis
Problem definition: start of every research
- Aim: to acquire more knowledge (but what kind of knowledge?: test something,
describe something, solve something)
- Question: topic of research
o Main or central question
o Subquestions
The hierarchy of knowledge aims (less important to most important):
- Exploration: what happened in this case?
- Descriptive: what characteristics does this phenomenon have?
- Explanatory: why did this happen?
- Testing: did this phenomenon occur more often since a certain date?
- Diagnosing: which factors lead to more success or failure in this situation?
- Design/prescriptive: how can this problem be solved?
- Evaluative: how should the implementation of this change be evaluated?
Counterfactual: what would have happened if?
Aim:
- Choose the highest aim possible for your topic, based on the current state of
knowledge (hence you must look into scientific literature first).
- Don’t use words like ‘research, gain insight, or investigate’ because they are too
generic. Use the aims from the table.
Mistakes often made in the main question:
- Question does not fit with the aim of the research.
- Too many questions in one.
- Imprecise formulation.
- Too generalised questions (limit to what you study).
Subquestions:
- How many? No fixed rules but dependent upon:
o The number of variables (more variables = more subquestions)
o The research aim (higher aim = more subquestions).
- Criterion of parsimonity: no more or less subquestions than needed to answer the
main question.
- Subquestions give structure to research, but subquestions do not necessarily give
structure to the report, and do not necessarily have to be answered consecutively.
- Usually, there are theoretical and empirical subquestions.
Lecture 2 – Measurement
Operationalization: what am I going to study?
- What do the variables look like in reality?
- Make theoretical variables measurable (observable in empirical reality).
- Three steps:
o Definition (given in theory)
o Choosing indicators (operationalizations) for variables: dependent,
independent, control variables (variables you include because they might play
a role, they are not the variables you are interested in)
o Determine the values of the indicators (quantitative or qualitative)
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller maritschrooten. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $4.80. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
52510 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now