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Summary Resume Social Research Methods, ISBN: 9780199689453 Introduction To Research Methodology - Pre-Master 's
- Instelling
- Universiteit Van Amsterdam (UvA)
Notes from the textbook, extremely detailed
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Index xiChapter 2
Key Points
1) Social research and social research methods are embedded in wider contextual factors. They
are not practiced in a vacuum.
2) Social research practice comprises elements that are common to all or at least most forms of
social research. These include: conducting a literature review; concepts and theories; research
questions; sampling of cases; data collection; data analysis; and a writing-up of the research
finding.
3) Attention to these steps is what distinguishes academic social research from other kinds of
social research.
4) Although we can attempt to formulate general principles for conducting social research, we
have to recognize that things do not always go entirely to plan.
Notes
o What is meant by “social research”?
Social research involves academic research that draws on the social sciences for
conceptual and theoretical inspiration.
o Why do social research?
Social research may take place to fill in gaps in the literature or inconsistencies
between studies. However, it may also take place because of certain developments
in society.
o The context of social research methods
Theories: existing theories shape the research itself
Literature: to conduct research familiarity with the literature of the given topic
must be in place
Relationship between theory and research: theories may be viewed as either a
framework from which research and finally a hypothesis is generated. Or
alternatively they may be viewed as an outcome of the research process.
Hypothesis: An educated guess based on previous research or knowledge
Epistemological: a form of questioning that evaluates whether the scientific
method is truly the most apt method for a given research
Ontological: We might view the culture of an organization as a set of values and
behavioral expectations that exert a powerful influence over those who work in the
organization and into which new recruits have to be socialized. But we could also
view it as an entity that is in a constant process of reformulation and reassessment,
as members of the organization continually modify it through their practices and
through small innovations in how things are done. Considerations of this kind are
referred to as ontological ones.
Ethical Issues: vital component of modern research, always been important but
earned particular traction in recent years to the extent that given research may be
censured if certain ethical issues arise
Political Context: social research operates within a wider political context. In fact,
social research tends to be funded by governments or other organizations with a
clear political orientation or goal which tends to sway the social research
Training and personal values: the values of the researcher may also affect the
research
, The factors that affect social research and the methods utilized are numerable, so
much so that it is impossible to arrive to an exhaustive list of factors that affect
research. However, the list above grants a good view of which main factors should
be considered when relying on social research or formulating social research.
o Elements of process of social research
Literature Review: knowledge of previous literature regarding the chosen topic is
vital. It is necessary to research previous literature written by experts to determine:
1) what is already known about the topic 2) what concepts and theories have been
applied to the topic 3) what research methods have been applied to the topic 4)
what controversies about the topic and how it is studied exist 5) what clashes of
evidence (if any) exist 6) who the key contributors to research on the topic are.
Concepts and Theories: Concepts are essentially labels that we give to aspects of
the social world that seem to have common features that strike us as significant.
They are the basis of theories as all theories require at least one core concept
around which the theory itself is built.
Research Questions: An explicit statement in form of question regarding what
exactly the research focuses on. There exist different types of research questions:
Predicting an outcome
Explaining causes and consequences of a phenomenon
Evaluating a phenomenon
Describing a phenomenon
Developing good practice
Empowerment
Comparison
Sampling Cases: Sampling may involve people, objects or any other element
chosen. There exist different methods to sample: content analysis, representative
samples, survey research, and case study.
Data Collection: Key component of any research. There exist different methods to
collect data to support given views. For instance: structured interviews, participant
observation or even semi-structured interviewing.
Data Analysis: At a most basic level it can be understood as the application of
statistical techniques to the data collected. However, data analysis requires more
than simple application of statistics. In fact, raw data, for instance, needs to be
managed. This means that the researcher must ensure that there are no obvious
flaws. Moreover, transcription is vital. By transcription it is intended as a process by
which the researcher inserts the data collected into a computer software program.
Moreover, data analysis also requires thematic analysis and coding. Thematic
analysis means that the extracted data was examined before selection based on the
thematic repetition observed both between and within transcripts. Coding is a
process whereby the data are broken down into their component parts and those
parts are then given labels. The main focus of Data Analysis is to reduce the data
available to bring focus on the vital data for the research
Writing up: The final step, all components are put together to create a text that is
then shared. This will allow the research to be critiqued and disseminated.
, Chapter 3
Key Concepts
1) What is Empiricism? The term ‘empiricism’ is used in a number of different ways, but two stand
out. First, it is used to denote a general approach to the study of reality that suggests that only
knowledge gained through experience and the senses is acceptable. In other words, this
position means that ideas must be subjected to the rigors of testing before they can be
considered knowledge. The second meaning of the term is related to this and refers to a belief
that the accumulation of ‘facts’ is a legitimate goal in its own right. It is this second meaning
that is sometimes referred to as ‘naive empiricism’.
o Theory and research
What type of theory?
Most common meaning is an example of observed regularities
Three main types:
Middle Range, grounded theories that observe tangible regularities;
Grand theories which operate at a more abstract and general level
Applying theories: Hypothesis-> statement deduced from theory that
can be falsified
Deductive theory
Deductive theory represents the commonest view of the nature of the
relationship between theory and social research.
Starts with theory and then move to observation/findings
Inductive Theory
Starts through observation and then into theory
o Epistemological considerations
A natural science epistemology: positivism
Not clearly pinned down different interpretations are available
Application of methods of natural sciences for the study of social reality
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