The Practice of Social Research d.

An Introduction to Inquiry Human Inquiry and Science Paradigms, Theory, and social Research The ethics and Politics of Social Research

3 문헌정보학연구방법론 -2 Human Inquiry and Science  Research  How we find out about social reality  Looking for Reality  Inquiry is a natural human activity. seek to explain events and predict future events. seek patterns of regularities in what we observe.  We know by agreement rather than by experience. agree-on knowledge are tradition and authority. these useful sources of knowledge can, however, lead us astray.  We often observe inaccurately Whereas, researchers seek to avoid such errors by making observation a careful and deliberate activity.

4 문헌정보학연구방법론 -2 Human Inquiry and Science  We sometimes jump to general conclusions Scientists seek to avoid overgeneralization. Researchers seek to avoid illogical reasoning by being as careful Researchers deliberate in their reasoning as in their observations.  Three views of “reality” the premodern views the modern views The postmodern views –There is no “objective” reality independent of our subjective experiences. –Different philosophical views suggest a range of possibilities for scientific research.

5 문헌정보학연구방법론 -2 Human Inquiry and Science  The Foundations of Social Science  Social theory attempts to discuss and explain what is, not what should be. Theory should not be confused with philosophy or belief.  Social science looks for regularities in social life. Social scientists are interested in explaining human aggregates, not individuals.  Theories are written in the language of variables. A variable is a logical set of attributes. An attribute is a characteristic. Gender, is a variable made up of the attributes male and female. The presumed cause is the independent variable The affected variable is the dependent variable

6 문헌정보학연구방법론 -2 Human Inquiry and Science  Some Dialectics of Social Science  Idiographic explanations present specific cases fully  Nomothetic explanations present a generalized understanding of many cases.  Deductive theories reason from specific observations to general patterns. start from general statements predict specific observations.  Quantitative data vs. qualitative data Both types of data are useful for different research purposes.  Both pure and applied research valid and vital parts.

Human Inquiry and Science  The Ethics of Social Research  Ethics is a key consideration in the design of social research.  Two fundamental ethical guidelines Participation in social research should be voluntary No harm should come to research subject. 7 문헌정보학연구방법론 -2

8 Paradigms, Theory, and Social Research  Theories function in three ways in research  Helping to avoid flukes  Making sense of observed patterns  Shaping and directing research efforts  Some Social Science Paradigms  To use a variety of paradigms to organize how they understand and inquire into social life.  Macrotheory vs. Microtheory theories about large-scale features of society theories about smaller units or features of society  The positivistic paradigm we can scientifically discover the rules governing social life.

9 문헌정보학연구방법론 -2  The Social Darwinist paradigm To see a progressive evolution in social life.  The conflict paradigm To focus on the attempt of individuals and groups to dominate others and to avoid being dominated.  The symbolic interactionist paradigm To examine how shared meanings and social patterns develop in the course of social interactions.  Ethnomethodology To focus on the ways people make sense out of social life in the process of living it  The structural functionalist/social systems paradigm To seek to discover what functions the many elements of society perform for the whole system. Paradigms, Theory, and Social Research

 Feminist paradigms To highlight how previous images of social reality have often come from and reinforced the experiences of men.  Critical race theory To examine the disadvantaged position of a social group To offer a different vantage point from which to view and understand society.  Some contemporary theorists and researchers To challenge the long-standing belief in an objective reality that abides by rational rules.  They point out that it is possible to agree on an “intersubjective” reality. 10 문헌정보학연구방법론 -2

11 문헌정보학연구방법론 -2 Paradigms, Theory, and Social Research  Elements of Social Theory  The elements of social theory Observations Facts Laws –which relate to the reality being observed Concepts Variables Axioms or postulates Propositions Hypotheses – logical building blocks of the theory itself

12 문헌정보학연구방법론 -2 Paradigms, Theory, and Social Research  Two Logical Systems Revisited  Scientists proceed from theory to operationalization this image is not an accurate picture of how scientific research is actually done.  Social scientific theory and research are linked through the two logical methods Deduction –the derivation of expectations and hypotheses from theories Induction –the development of generalizations from specific observations  In practice, science is a process involving an alternation of deduction and induction.

13 문헌정보학연구방법론 -2 Paradigms, Theory, and Social Research  Deductive Theory Construction  Guillermina Jasso’s theory of distributive justice how formal reasoning can lead to a variety of theoretical expectations that can be tested by observation  Inductive Theory Construction  David Takeuchi’s study of factors influencing marijuana smoking how collecting observations can lead to generalizations and an explanatory theory  The Links between Theory and Research  In practice, there are many possible links between theory and research and many ways of going about social inquiry.

14 문헌정보학연구방법론 -2 The Ethics and Politics of Social Research  Ethical Issues in Social Research  Ethical and unethical in research ultimately a matter of what a community of people agree is right and wrong.  Participation in research should normally be voluntary This norm, however, can conflict with the scientific need for generalizability.  Research should not harm those who participate in it Wllingly and knowingly accepting the risks of harm

The Ethics and Politics of Social Research  Anonymity To refer to the situation in which even the researcher cannot identify specific information with the individuals it describes To refer to the situation in which the researcher promises to keep information about subjects private. To destroy identifying information as soon as it’s no longer needed  Deception of subjects A greater or lesser degree of Because deceiving people violates common standards of ethical behavior. Research requires a strong justification- and even then the justification may be challenged. 15 문헌정보학연구방법론 -2

16 문헌정보학연구방법론 -2 The Ethics and Politics of Social Research  Ethical obligations to the community of researchers reporting results fully and accurately disclosing errors, limitations, and other shortcomings in the research.  Professional associations To publish codes of ethics to guide researchers These codes are necessary and helpful. They do not resolve all ethical questions.

17 문헌정보학연구방법론 -2  The Politics of Social Research  Social research inevitably has a political and ideological dimension. Although science is neutral on political matters, scientists are not. Moreover, much social research inevitably involves the political beliefs of people outside the research community.  Separating politics and ideology from the conduct of research can be quite difficult. Some researchers maintain that research can and should be an instrument of social action and change. More subtly, a shared ideology can affect the way other researchers receive one’s research. The Ethics and Politics of Social Research

18 문헌정보학연구방법론 -2 The Ethics and Politics of Social Research  Even though the norms of science cannot force individual researchers to give up their personal values,  The intersubjective character of science provides a guard against scientific findings being the product of bias only.