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The Question of Theory: What Is It and Why Should We Care?
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•What is theory? •Why is theory so important? •Deductive And Inductive Reasoning •Theory testing: From theory to data •Sociological perspectives: Classic theoretical orientations Explanatory Research, Descriptive Research , Exploratory Research. Qualitative vs Quantitive Research

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  • September 20, 2021
  • 5
  • 2021/2022
  • Class notes
  • Tsfrir gazit
  • All classes

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13th September 2021
Fall Semester
SOSA 2007 Thinking Sociologically
Professor Tsafrir Gazit
Week two

Week 2

The Question of Theory: What Is It and Why Should We Care?

•What is theory?
•Why is theory so important?
•Deductive And Inductive Reasoning
•Theory testing: From theory to data
•Sociological perspectives: Classic theoretical orientations

A theory is an attempt to explain, to connect, to the abstract.

- Establishing a phenomena
- Establishing cause and effect ( social development and poverty)
- Concept clarification (impact of covid isolation on certain communities)
- The process of social research (how we “prove” / explain what is happening)

Scales of theories

The grand theory Tradition- Marx, Weber, Durkheim,Parsons, Wallerstein, Black

Middle Range theory- Resource mobilization, labeling, differential association, social movement

- Closer to the data
- More implications
- Easier to operationalize
- Greater chance of formal treatment
- Downside- Partial explanations compared to the grand theory

Micro level theories

- Perfect for testing
- Precise derivations from theory
- (Relatively) Easy to operationalize hypotheses
- Sophisticated formal modelling

, Building blocks of Theory

● Awareness to Specific Phenomena
● Ability to Act
● Motivation to Act

Theories are dependent on experience, values,political identity, cultural background ect.

Types of research : Pure academic research & Invited research

Types of Social research( Why, What, Who and Why )

A. Descriptive Research - Research in which social phenomena are defined and
described.E.g social media and internet usage
B. Exploratory Research - Research seeks to find out how people get along in the society
nder question, what meanings they give to their actions, and what issues concern them.
Example : How do child sex offenders perciev their actions on the internet.
C. Explanatory Research- Research that seeks to identify cause and effects of social
phenomena and to predict how one phenomenon will change or vary in response to
variation in some other phenomenon,Example : What effect does media news sources
have on punitiveness?
D. Evaluation Research - Research that describes or identifies the impact of social
policies and programs. Example: Does avatar assisted therapy improve the treatment of
substance use disorders?

Quantitative - Methods that include surveys and experiments that record variation of amounts.
Data and statistics normally numerically.

Qualitative - Methods such as a participant observation, intensive interviewing, and focus
groups that are designed to capture social life as participants experience it rather than in
categories predetermined by the researcher.

In reality it lacks the full explanation

Social research Questions

Most research project focus on questions that arose from previous research

- Some research projects are a result of observations,politics, social changes, agendas

Social research question: A question about the social world that is answered through the
collection and analysis of firsthand verifiable , empirical data

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