Transcript Computational Models of Social Forms: Advancing Generative

Research Design & Research
Methods in the Social Sciences
Bloc Seminar/Winter Semester 2008-09
Room ZV 107
Tim Dertwinkel, Dipl.-Verw.Wiss.; M.P.S.
Centre for Methods and Statistics
University of Flensburg
PhD candidate
University of Essex / UK
Office: HG 531
Email: [email protected]
Agenda for today
• Welcome!
– Who I am
– Who You are
• Course logistics
– Schedule
– Requirements and grading
– Readings
• Introduction
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Course goals
The “science” in Social Science
Elements of the research process
What is research design?
What are research methods?
Why we need to be scientific: examples
Course logistics
• Schedule and Content
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Mo, 27.Oct.2008:
Mo, 12.Jan.2009:
Mo, 19.Jan.2009:
Mo, 26.Jan.2009:
Mo, 02.Feb.2009:
Analysis
Intro
Day 1:
Day 2:
Day 3:
Day 4:
Scientific Inquiry
Research Design
Research Methods
Quantitative Data
• Requirements and Grading
– 50% class participation
– 50% written homework, due 28th February 2009
• Readings
– File with copies of all readings in Munketoft 14, Room
045 (EUS Office) from next week on
• See Syllabus for more details
8-10
12-14
16-18
Room:
ZV107
Introduction: course goals
• what you will learn
– the basic assumptions and principles of the scientific method, and to
distinguish that from nonscientific methods of inquiry
– to accurately comprehend and use the language of scientific methodology
– the concepts of theory, hypothesis, dependent/independent variable,
experiment, quasi- and non-experimental designs, correlation, bias,
sample, control group, reliability, validity, bivariate and multivariate
hypothesis-testing, OLS-regression, and case studies, among others
– how to convert an informal idea or question into a testable research
proposition
– how to design a simple but sound test of a hypothesis derived from theory
– to understand the major limitations and potential weaknesses of
quantitative research designs
– to become well-informed consumers of social scientific research
paper, articles, reports and books of international standards
Introduction: The “science” in Social
Science
• General criteria for being scientific:
– 1. The goal is inference
• Making general statements
– 2. The procedures are public
• Methods are public, not private
– 3. The conclusions are uncertain
• Science is cumulative process
– 4. The content is the method
• Science uses a set of rules of inference
• We can use these to study virtually any
social phenomena. The unity of all
science consists alone in its method,
not in its content
See: King, Keohane, Verba (1994): 3-33
Introduction: elements of the
research process
…and probably of your M.A. thesis…
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research design / research strategy
research question(s) and topic
theories and hypotheses
concepts, variables and measurements
case selection
data collection / research methods
data analyses
conclusions
writing of report / paper / publication
Introduction: what is research
design?
• first step in a research process, the logical
structure and plan of research projects
• ensures that the evidence obtained enables
us to answer the initial question as clearly as
possible:
– What will be studied?
– Why will it be studied?
– How will it be studied?
Introduction: what is research
design?
Research Design: components
• Research Question
• Theory: verbal or formal
• Collection of data: qualitative or quantitative
• Use of the data: methodological approach,
qualitative (e.g. case studies) or quantitative
(e.g. statistical analysis of many cases) or
mix
Introduction: what are research
methods?
• Tactics to collect and analyze quantitative or
qualitative data through e.g.
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Field research / Participant observation
Interviews, Surveys
Content analysis
Case studies
Statistical Analysis of many cases
…many more!
• Toolbox / skills for a social scientists to answer
his/her research question
– Mastering these tools has to be learned
Introduction: why we need to be
scientific
Some „common sense“examples:
• The more people get promoted, the
higher the overall job satisfaction in
an organization
Plausible?
Right or wrong?
• Men who live in the countryside are
more satisfied with their lifes than
men living in cities
Plausible?
Right or wrong?
• If divorce laws are liberal, less
people are married in a society
Plausible?
Right or wrong?