1. Types of Social Inquiry Sociology 487 Autumn 2004 Professor Liana Sayer Jill Harrison, Graduate Teaching Assistant

2. Lecture Topics What is social science research? What is the scientific method? Why do research? What types of social science research are conducted?

3. What is Social Science Research? A method of inquiry to discover and understand patterns in our social world Measurement Interpretation Research methods are: Systematic Documented Replicable

4. Ways of knowing Experiental reality Things you know from direct experience Agreement reality Things you’ve been told Scientific reality Logical support Empirical support

5. The Scientific Method Positivist research philosophy Objective reality exists that can be observed and analyzed Post-positivist research philosophy Empirical reality exists but individual understanding of it is limited Goal is to achieve intersubjective agreement

6. Positivist Research Guidelines Test ideas against empirical reality Clarify assumptions Specify meanings of all terms Systematically plan and conduct research Seek to understand social patterns Replicate research and build social theory Document all procedures so they can be evaluated and replicated

7. Positivist Research & Values Social science research tells us what is and why – It does not tell us what should be

8. Why Conduct Research? Academic concerns Test formal theories Policy guidance or program management Are policies or programs working as planned? Personal interests

9. Types of Research Descriptive Exploratory Explanatory Evaluative

10. Summary Social science research examines logical and persistent regularities in social life Social scientists focus on explaining aggregate patterns, not individuals Social science research tells us what is for a particular society at a particular time