Social Research Theories & Methodology

Theory and methodology provide ways to study social relationships and interactions.

During the 19th century, philosophers and others advocated the scientific study of human society. It was during that time that many thinkers developed theories about society, followed later by methodologies for testing theories and developing new ones. Theory and methodology go hand in hand when studying patterns of life in human society.

History

The 19th century French philosopher Auguste Comte was an important early figure in the development of social science theories. He believed society could be studied scientifically and objectively at a time when most societal changes were explained in religious terms.

Function

Theory helps social scientists make sense of patterns observed in everyday society. It also helps keep researchers from being taken in by patterns that could just be flukes. Theory also helps shape social research and gives it direction. In this way, theory acts as a guide, pointing researchers to the most interesting issues of society, including its politics, economics and other interactions. Finally, theory helps researchers understand social phenomena in such a way that can suggest actions. For example, a theory that explains why teenagers drop out of high school can provide a basis for programs and interventions aimed at reducing dropout rates.

Types

Two types of approaches to the relationship between theory and research include the deductive and inductive methods. The deductive method argues from the general to the specific. Under a deductive methodology, a researcher begins with a hypothesis, then makes observations or collects data to test that hypothesis. Based on empirical evidence from the study, the researcher then decides whether to accept or reject the hypothesis. The deductive methodology, in short, tests theories and hypotheses. The inductive method, in contrast, goes from the specific to the general. Under this methodology, social scientists observe social phenomena, identify patterns and then analyze them to reach broad conclusions and develop new theories, based on research findings.

Features

To study social, political and economic phenomena, social scientists use a variety of research designs and methodologies. Research designs include single-group case studies and quasi-experimental designs comparing two groups of subjects. Measurement methods include observations, surveys, interviews, documents, and data from other sources, such as government agencies. To compensate for the inability to randomly assign subjects to treatment and control groups, many social researchers must conduct more in-depth statistical analysis to control for differences between groups of subjects. Research methodologies include qualitative and quantitative methods. Many quantitative studies follow a deductive approach, while many qualitative studies are more inductive.

Considerations

Because social science research occurs within society itself, rather than in the controlled laboratory settings used by the natural sciences, social research methodologies have some limitations that the natural sciences do not. The main limitation is that social researchers usually cannot perform the controlled experiments with random assignment to treatment and control groups. This is usually for ethical and other reasons. A group of social scientists could not, for example, randomly assign academically low-performing children to an experiment in which one group would receive a new instructional intervention and one group would not.

References

• Paradigms, Theory and Research

Resources

• Social Research Methods