Summary
RSC2601 SUMMARY 2021/1
- Institution
- University Of South Africa (Unisa)
A very comprehensive old-school summary of the work covered in the Study Guide for this module. Includes a full definitions list of all relevant words & terms.
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RSC1601 2021S01 SUMMARYRSC1601
RESEARCH IN SOCIAL SCIENCES
Table of Contents
KEY ACTION WORDS .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 2
KEYS FOR THE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
ABBREVIATIONS ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
DEFINITIONS .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 3
STUDY UNIT 1 .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Strategies of Discovery .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11
STUDY UNIT 2 .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 17
The Role of Theory in Research ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 17
STUDY UNIT 3 .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22
Scientific Research ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 22
STUDY UNIT 4 .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 29
Ethics in Research .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 29
STUDY UNIT 5 .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 32
Research Design..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 32
STUDY UNIT 6 .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 37
Sampling ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 37
STUDY UNIT 7 .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 44
Data Collection ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 44
STUDY UNIT 8 .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 55
Describing & Interpreting Quantitative Data ........................................................................................................................................................................ 55
STUDY UNIT 9 .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 59
Qualitative Data Analysis and Interpretation: Steps, Practical Examples & Pointers .......................................................................................................... 59
STUDY UNIT 10 ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 62
Writing & Evaluating Research Reports ................................................................................................................................................................................ 62
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,RSC1601 2021S01 SUMMARY
KEY ACTION WORDS
ABBREVIATION MEANING
Apply demonstrate how a research principle works in practice
Compare indicate similarities and/or differences
Compile draw up a list or put together a description
Critically Examine look at the key ideas, interpret information and if relevant explain why some of these ideas may be
problematic
Consider to think about
Define precisely explain what a word or idea means
Describe identify key features and illustrate how they are related
Develop to plan, prepare and construct
Discuss examine the topic by providing a comprehensive account of the debate on it
Distinguish emphasise the differences between what is being compared
Draw Up to formulate or construct
Evaluate comment on the strengths and limitations
Explain to clarify by describing constituent features in detail, paying attention to their relationships
Identify name the appropriate features
Indicate to show, provide reasons for
Interpret make sense of
Justify give reasons for your opinion
List mention
Outline provide a brief overview of
Question reflect on
Refine develop further, make clearer or specify
Summarise briefly give an account of the main features of something
Understand to grasp or know
KEYS FOR THE SUMMARY
abc Information indicated in Learning outcomes at the beginning of each Study Unit
Italics Additional info obtained from web sources (not all in the Study Guide)
* Notes from Test Yourself sections at the end of each Study Unit
*** Notes added from Assignment Questions (current Semester)
Ass01 Information for Assignment 01 (current Semester)
Ass02 Information for Assignment 02 (current Semester)
ABBREVIATIONS
ABBREVIATION MEANING
CAQDAS Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software
ito In terms of
Eg. For example
HF High / Highest Frequency
QDA Qualitative Data Analysis
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,RSC1601 2021S01 SUMMARY
DEFINITIONS
TERM DEFINITION
Absolutism A researcher may never tell a lie.
Abstraction Abstraction involves induction of ideas or the synthesis of particular facts into one
general theory about something. It is the opposite of specification, which is the analysis or breaking-
down of a general idea or abstraction into concrete facts.
Accessible / Study Population The part of a population the researcher can reach for the research.
Acronym A word made up of the initial letters of a combination of specific other words.
Affirmative Asserting a ‘yes’ answer.
Afrocentric Emphasizing or promoting emphasis on African culture and the contributions of Africans to the
development of Western civilization.
Alterity The state of being other or different; otherness.
Ambiguity The quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness.
Amelioration The act of making something better; improvement.
Analysis Technique Analysis is the process in which certain procedures, including techniques (eg. Descriptive statistic
techniques), are used to work through the data that has been collected.
Analytical Relating to or using analysis or logical reasoning.
Androcentrism Androcentrism (Ancient Greek, ἀνήρ, "man, male") is the practice, conscious or otherwise, of
placing a masculine point of view at the centre of one's world view, culture, and history, thereby
culturally marginalizing femininity.
Anonymity The condition of being anonymous…not known by name.
Antinomianism A researcher must observe moral laws…Any view which rejects laws or legalism and argues against
moral, religious or social norms, or is at least considered to do so.
Arbitrary Being "determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle". It is also
used to refer to a choice made without any specific criterion or restraint. Arbitrary decisions are not
necessarily the same as random decisions.
Archive A safe storage for documents and reports.
Assumptions A basic premise that we believe is true.
Attrition Rate A calculation of the number of individuals or items that vacate or move out of a larger, collective
group over a specified time frame. Attrition rate is also commonly referred to as churn rate.
Atypical Not representative of a type, group, or class.
Authority The legitimate power that a person or a group of persons consensually possess and practice over
other people. In a civil state, authority is made formal by way of a judicial branch and an executive
branch of government.
Autonomous Methods The term autonomous means that a person can make his or her own decisions about what to do
and what to agree to. Researchers must respect that individuals should make their own informed
decisions about whether to participate in research.
Axial Coding Re-examining of initial categories & the links between them.
Bar Chart A graph representing the frequency distribution of categorical data.
Bias Prejudice or distortion. Inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group, especially in a way
considered to be unfair.
Biased Sample A sample that is nor representative of the selected population.
Binary Relating to, composed of or involving two things only.
Binary Opposites A binary opposition is a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning. Binary
opposition is the system of language and/or thought by which two theoretical opposites are strictly
defined and set off against one another.
Biography Used to document an individual’s life and experiences as told to a researcher or found in documents
and archival material.
Bipolar Having two opposite poles / extremes.
Case Study An up-close, in-depth, and detailed examination of a particular case or cases, within a real-world
context. Observation of a process, activity, event, programme or individual bound within a specific
time and setting.
Causality The fact that one thing leads to another – the presence, absence or change of one variable
determines the presence, absence or change of another variable.
CD-ROM Compact Disc with Read Only Memory.
Census A research study of an entire population.
Class-Interval (Frequency) The frequency of a class interval is the number of observations that occur in a particular predefined
interval. So, for example, if 20 people aged 5 to 9 appear in our study's data, the frequency for
the 5–9 interval is 20. The endpoints of a class interval are the lowest and highest values that a
variable can take
Code of Conduct Rules or laws that regulate behaviour.
Coding Tags / labels assigned to meaningful units which usually takes the form of strings of letters and/or
symbols. Coding is not synonymous to analysis, but is a crucial part thereof.
Coercion The practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats.
Cognition Knowing or mentally perceiving.
Coherent A research design that is coherent shows a unity of thought or purpose.
Cohort Research A category of Longitudinal Research in which a category of people who had the same experiences in
life over a specific period of time.
Colloquialism A word or phrase that is not formal or literary and is used in ordinary or familiar conversations …
informal writing.
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, RSC1601 2021S01 SUMMARY
TERM DEFINITION
Common Sense Good sense and sound judgement in practical matters.
Communalism The sharing of scientific knowledge with others because it belongs to everyone.
Competency The legal capacity to deal with a matter.
Complementary Methods The use of more than one method when a researcher seeks illustration, clarification, or elaboration
about research findings over a period of time.
Concept A generally accepted collection of meanings or characteristics associated with certain events,
objects, conditions, situations, and behaviours. Classifying and categorizing objects or events that
have common characteristics beyond any single observation creates concepts.
Conceptualisation Defining the terminology in a testable statement of the problem (hypothesis) so that there is no
possibility of misunderstanding what it refers to.
Consent Permission that is given.
Consistency Giving results similar in meaning / measure..
Consistent Agreeing or accordant; compatible; not self-contradictory.
Constant Comparison Method Meaning units of data with the same characteristics are fitted together under the same theme /
category and are given the same code.
Context The total situation in which an event exists or occurs.
Contradictions A combination of statements, ideas or features which are opposed to one another.
Control Group The group that does not receive treatment.
Convenience Sampling A type of non-probability sampling that involves the sample being drawn from that part of the
population that is close to hand. This type of sampling is most useful for pilot testing.
Conventions A general agreement regarding certain rules.
Cooking (Data) Occurs when a researcher retains or reports only those findings that fit his/her hypothesis or
research question(s).
Correlate An assumption between two or more variables, determined systematically. Measuring the match
between one thing and another
Correlation Coefficient Index of the extent of the linear relationship between two variables.
Correlational Research A type of non-experimental research in which the researcher measures two variables and assesses
the statistical relationship (i.e., the correlation) between them with little or no effort to control
extraneous variables.
Criterion The principle / standard according to which something is judged.
Cumulative All current knowledge of a topic can be used when studying that topic.
Cumulative Frequency The number of scores below or above a certain value.
Data Information collected
Data Saturation The term used in research to indicate that no new information is expected to be added that will
enhance or change the findings of a study. Data saturation is important to achieve in the research
process.
Deception To be false, misleading or deceiving.
Deduction Using general principles to suggest specific outcomes.
Delimiting Determining the limits or boundaries of.
Democracy A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically
through elected representatives.
Depersonalisation The persistent feeling of observing oneself from outside one’s body or having a sense that one’s
surroundings aren't real. Losing one’s sense of identity.
Descriptive Research Used to describe characteristics of a population or phenomenon being studied. It does not answer
questions about how/when/why the characteristics occurred. Rather it addresses the "what"
question.
Descriptive Statistics Mathematical techniques used to see underlying patterns of data.
Dichotomous / Dichotomy A partition of a whole into exclusive two parts. In other words, this couple of parts must be jointly
exhaustive: everything must belong to one part or the other, and mutually exclusive: nothing can
belong simultaneously to both parts. Such a partition is also frequently called a bipartition
Dichotomous Question A question that can have two possible answers. Dichotomous questions are usually used in a survey
that asks for a Yes/No, True/False, Fair/Unfair or Agree/Disagree answers.
Dichotomous Variable Nominal variables which have only two categories or levels. For example, if we were looking at
gender, we would most probably categorize somebody as either "male" or "female". This is
an example of a dichotomous variable (and also a nominal variable).
Discourse Views, debates and opinions.
Discrete Nominal Measurement A category which is distinct / separate from other categories.
Disinterestedness A necessary detachment from subjective feeling that permits an accurate appraisal of facts.
Disproportional Stratification The number of elements sampled from each stratum is not proportional to their representation in
the total population. Population elements are not given an equal chance to be included in
the sample.
Domain The problem, area, field of discipline being researched.
Eclectic Deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
Egalitarian Believing in or based on the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and
opportunities.
Element A unit from a defined population of which information is obtained.
Emancipation The fact or process aof being set free from legal, social, or political restrictions; liberation.
Enlightenment, The The European intellectual & philosophical) movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries
emphasizing reason and individualism rather than tradition. It was heavily influenced by 17th-century
philosophers such as Descartes, Locke, and Newton, and its prominent figures included Kant,
Goethe, Voltaire, Rousseau, and Adam Smith.
Epistemological Assumption
Epistemological Question A question about how we can know and explain something. The structure and nature of knowledge.
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