What is Social science?

• Social sciences are defined as the study of society.
• Social science differs from natural science and humanities because it focuses on predicting and explaining human behavior.
• Natural sciences aim to predict all natural phenomena and are based on experimentally controlled conditions of material entities.
• Humanism seeks to understand "human reactions to events and the meanings humans impose on experience as a function of culture, historical era and life history”.

Trivia:

• Paul Felix Lazarsfeld made contributions towards statistical survey analysis; he is the father of research papers.
• Sociologist Norman K. Denzin is the father of qualitative research.
• In 1571 Nicolaus Copernicus formulated the Quantity Theory of Money but economists Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz popularized it, and is considered father of quantitative theory.
• Enheduanna, a priestess, is considerd the world's first author.
• Daniel Starch is considered the founder of quantitative research.

The Scientific Method

• The scientific method is a standardized set of techniques for building scientific knowledge through observation, interpretation, and generalization.
• The scientific method allows researchers to independently and impartially test preexisting theories and prior findings.
• The scientific method has the same objective with research.
• Research investigates and studies different materials and sources in the pursuit of advancing knowledge.
• A researcher tests a hypothesis by careful scrutiny and debate, ultimately either validating or disproving it.
• In social science, research is an essential tool for addressing social issues and problems.
• The scientific method involves these steps: defining the problem, reviewing the literature, forming a hypothesis, collecting/analyzing data, and drawing conclusions

Key Questions, Stages of Research Process

• Stages of the research process should be a guide in doing research
• Define the research problem by identifying variables and the study's timeframe.
• Review related literature to know what is already known and identify research gaps.
• Formulate the hypothesis by determining research problem parameters.
• Prepare the research design and consider if descriptive, exploratory, or experimental.
• Determine how the sample should be selected.
• Collect data through interviews, and identify survey participants.
• Analyze data to reveal relationships between variables.

Type Of Research Design

• A research design is the "arrangement of conditions" for data collection and analysis that combines relevance with procedural economy.
• The research design sets the direction for the whole study.
• Descriptive Research gives answers to basic questions, describes what exists.
• An example of Descriptive Research is one focused on factors that lead to domestic violence
• Historical Research verifies and synthesizes past evidence to validate or reject a hypothesis.
• An example of Historical Research is studying Martial Law in the Philippines.
• Experimental Research answers ‘What causes something to occur’, using experimental and control groups to allow for measurement of the dependent variable when the independent variable is administered to the experimental group and not the to control group.
• An example of Experimental Research is studying the effect of sleep deprivation on health and productivity.
• Exploratory Research tackles problems with little prior study, developing tentative theories for problems in preliminary stages of investigation.
• An expample of Exploratory Research is studying the effectiveness of same sex parenting vis-à-vis conventional parenting.
• Cross-sectional Research measures similarities or differences across groups.
• An example of Cross-sectional Research is studying the incidence of breast cancer across different age groups of women
• Longitudinal Research studies the same sample across time, tracking changes and identifying variables that might cause them.
• An example of Longitudinal Research is studying the effect of violent TV on children's behavior.
• Sequential Research carried out in a series over a time interval.
• In Sequential Research the researcher can accept the null hypothesis, accept an alternative hypothesis or choose a new set of samples and repeat the study again.
• An example of Sequential Research is studying the effects of diet, exercise, and medication on heart disease across different age groups.
• Case Study is applied to study a very particular research problem.
• Case Study is used whether a specific theory is applicable to real world issues.
• An example of Case Study is improving school conditions by changing public policy in South Los Angeles.
• Meta-analysis evaluates and summarizes the results of other studies.
• An example of Meta-Analysis is women's employment and the impact on fertility.

Qualitative vs Quantitative Methodologies

• Social science research uses either qualitative or quantitative methodologies.
• Qualitative research analyzes interviews and narratives and seeks to understand a phenomenon rather than predict or explain it.
• Qualitative research relies heavily on the knowledge of the researcher.
• Quantitative research analyzes quantifiable or numerical data.
• Quantitative research provides measurement of indicators like size and levels.
• A research methodology may employ a combination of both qualitative and quantitative information.
• John Creswell defines mixed methods as research approach that integrates quantitative and qualitative data in a single study.