Social Science Research Approaches PDF

Philippine Christian University Sampaloc 1, Dasmariñas City, Cavite 4114 SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL S.Y. 2024-2025...

Philippine Christian University Sampaloc 1, Dasmariñas City, Cavite 4114 SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL S.Y. 2024-2025 MODULE IN DISCIPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES (GRADE 11) Quarter 2 – Week 13 (October 28-31, 2024) LESSON 13: SOCIAL SCIENCES IN THE REAL WORLD (PART III) – THREE APPROACHES TO SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH I. OVERVIEW Aside from discipline-based approach in understanding and solving phenomena and problems of society, theoretical-based approaches is also being used as a framework for solving in a methodological, scientific manner. These research approaches can be categorized into three major types: positivist, interpretive, and critical social science. Because the assumptions of the perspectives that will be tackled are mutually exclusive, different researchers tend to emphasize one approach over the other two. However, during their careers, many researchers use two or even all three approaches, depending on the question at hand. Although they vary in some important ways, all three types of research share the basic elements of social science: their practitioners search for patterns in social life, insist on empirical evidence to support knowledge claims, demand transparency in the methods used to gather and analyze data, and consider knowledge produced by research to be provisional. II. COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES (CLO) By the end of this course, students are expected to achieve the following learning objectives: Analyze and debate the key concepts and ideas of Filipino thinkers in the Social Sciences rooted in the Filipino language/s and experiences Formulate evidence-based policy recommendations that address pressing social issues, drawing on interdisciplinary social science research and theory to support proposed solutions. III. LESSON OBJECTIVES MELCs: Analyze the practical use of Social Sciences in addressing social concerns and phenomenon At the end of this lesson, you are expected to: 1. Identify the three approaches to Social Science research; 2. Explain the focuses of the approaches to Social Science research; 1 Disclaimer: This module is adapted and modified from the source materials listed in the references list. This is an exclusive property of Philippine Christian University - Dasmariñas SHS and is provided only to enrolled students for their academic use. This module is provided for free by the school through softcopy and/or printed media. Reproduction of this module without official permission is prohibited.  3. Appreciate the importance of the three approaches to Social Science Research. IV. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS How do the approaches affect the research process that a Social Scientist is taking? What insights might the Social Science research approaches offer for the clearer understanding of the social problem that is being researched? V. TEST YOURSELF Write your analysis towards the given issue in the box below: Issue Analysis Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in school works (assignments, projects) VI. STUDY THESE TERMS 1. Critical - expressing or involving an analysis of the merits and faults of a work of literature, music, or art. 2. Interpretive - relating to or providing an interpretation. 3. Positive – consisting in or characterized by the presence or possession of features or qualities rather than their absence. 4. Social Change - the transformation of culture, behavior, social institutions, and social structure over time. 5. Social Research - the study of social principles that exist between individuals and within societies. VII. LESSON PROPER These three approaches to social science research share some common ground while at the same time allowing for multiple approaches to a single issue. 1. Positivist Social Science The most commonly used approach to sociological research is positivism – a term that dates back to Auguste Comte. Positivist social science is an approach that assumes that the social world, like the natural world, is characterized by laws that can be identified through research and used to predict and control human affairs. Researchers using the positivist approach usually look at quantitative data and use the language of variables in their analyses. Positivist social scientists strive for value-neutrality, removing any personal views from the research process. That is, positivists tend to argue that, with the exception of choosing a topic to study, science should not involve the researcher's values, beliefs, or opinions, and, ideally, social scientists should remain disinterested parties in the research they conduct. To positivist social scientists, a sociologist's job is to study the social world, not try to change it. One of many examples of positivist research is sociologist Miles Simpson's (1990) examination of the relationship between political democracy and economic inequality. Using existing data from sixty-two countries, Simpson tried to test various theories about why some countries have greater economic inequality than others. Proponents of some economic theories argue that inequality increases in the early stages of a country's economic development, peaks, and then decreases as the country becomes more 2 Disclaimer: This module is adapted and modified from the source materials listed in the references list. This is an exclusive property of Philippine Christian University - Dasmariñas SHS and is provided only to enrolled students for their academic use. This module is provided for free by the school through softcopy and/or printed media. Reproduction of this module without official permission is prohibited.  developed. These theories explain inequality by focusing on economic processes. However, other theories suggest that greater income inequality is the result of greater inequality in the political system. Simpson's examina tion of the data lends support to the latter theory. He finds that more democracy in a society is associated with less in come inequality. 2. Interpretive Social Science This social science approach does the opposite of positivist. Those using this approach suggest that the study of social life cannot be limited to features that are external to individuals, such as economic data. Instead, interpretive social science focuses on an understanding of the meaning that people ascribe to their social world. This focus on meaning makes interpretive social science fundamentally different from the natural sciences in the methods researchers use. In particular, interpretive researchers try to empathize with the people they study in order to understand the world from their perspective. The method requires close contact with the people in a study, an approach used by Max Weber, who argued for using verstehen – a German word that means "to understand” – in social research. Interpretive researchers usually use qualitative data, often social research. in the form of the words and explanations given by the people in the te studying. However, interpretive researchers are not interested simply in how individuals understand social life; they seek to uncover patterns in the ways people make meaning of their social worlds and then describe the form and content of such interpretive patterns. This work does not necessarily promote social change, but often it can promote empathy and understanding for the people being studied. Interpretive studies tend to deal directly with people's values, beliefs, and opinions because those are an integral part of the social world the researcher is studying. To adhere to the requirement of transparency, interpretive researchers often include a substantive discussion in their published research reports of their relationship with their research subjects. Interpretive researchers share the social science norm that their own personal values, feelings, and opinions should not distort their research findings. However, they also believe that their close connections with the people they are studying can enhance rather than detract from, the accuracy of a study because their rapport with their subjects means there is less chance that they will misinterpret their findings. For example, in his pioneering study of a poor urban neighborhood, sociologist William Foote Whyte (1914-2000) spent three years living in "Cornerville" (later revealed to be Boston: North End), spending much of his time with members of gang of young men he called "the Nortons." Whyte was particularly close with the gang's leader, Doc, and the two men regularly discussed the community, the corner gang, even the best way to meet people from different sectors of Cornerville society. Whyte's interpretive study, the now-classic Street Corner Society (1943/1993), is full of lengthy quotes from Doc, who served as an invaluable neighborhood guide, a sounding board for Whyte's still-developing understanding of the community, and a critical reader of the early drafts of what became Whyte's book. 3 Disclaimer: This module is adapted and modified from the source materials listed in the references list. This is an exclusive property of Philippine Christian University - Dasmariñas SHS and is provided only to enrolled students for their academic use. This module is provided for free by the school through softcopy and/or printed media. Reproduction of this module without official permission is prohibited.  3. Critical Social Science Different from the two mentioned, A research carried out explicitly to create knowledge that can be used to bring about social change. Critical researchers do not focus solely on understanding society; rather, they are interested in understanding society in order to improve it in some way. A broad range of sociologists has followed in this tradition. Some invoke a famous line from Karl Marx: "The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point, however, is to change it." Critical social science rejects the idea of value neutrality, for which the positivists strive. For the critical researcher, value neutrality is neither possible nor desirable because all science incorporates some value position. Even advocating value neutrality is itself a value-laden position. Critical researchers say the issue is not whether values will be a part of their work but rather which values will inform research. Critical social science is usually associated broadly with values that encourage freedom and social equality. As a result, this approach often addresses issues of power and inequality in society. The fact that critical researchers embrace such values, they argue, does not undermine the credibility of their research. To the contrary, critical social science researchers want to better understand and reveal the dynamics of power in society in the hope of bringing about social change. If such efforts are to be successful, they must be based on an accurate picture of how society works. Thus, although values are at the core of this approach, critical social scientists seek to understand society as it is in order to help promote society as it might be. One critical social science study involved living wage campaigns, which try to ensure that the wages paid to workers are high enough to keep them and their families out of poverty. These efforts are usually local, and local economic conditions determine the specifics of each campaign. In the early years of this movement, an activist from the Los Angeles Living Wage Coalition turned to Robert Pollin, an economist, to assess the living wage proposal being considered in that city. Pollin teamed up with Stephanie Luce (1998), a sociologist specializing in labor markets, to produce a study of the proposal. Their goal was to critically assess whether or not the proposal would help low- wage workers and not lead to job losses. As it turned out, their study concluded that the living wage ordinance would help low-wage workers and would not lead to job losses. The researchers didn't stop there, though. They presented their findings to the Los Angeles City Council and helped get the ordinance passed. The two researchers were then approached by other living wage activists from around the country. Recognizing a need, they decided to produce a book that presented their own research on the issue and also examined other existing work. VIII. SUMMARY The existing paradigms of Social Sciences, theoretical-wise, focuses on the three common approaches utilized by Social Scientists. Positivist social science, which has its roots in Auguste Comte's theories, sees social phenomena as subject to discoverable rules that resemble those of the natural sciences. Value neutrality is emphasized in this method, which focuses on studying rather than influencing society and relies on quantitative facts and variables. Comparatively speaking to positivism, interpretive social science relies less on external evidence, such as economic statistics, and more on comprehending the interpretations individuals assign to their 4 Disclaimer: This module is adapted and modified from the source materials listed in the references list. This is an exclusive property of Philippine Christian University - Dasmariñas SHS and is provided only to enrolled students for their academic use. This module is provided for free by the school through softcopy and/or printed media. Reproduction of this module without official permission is prohibited.  social environments. In order to identify patterns in respondents' views and values, this method entails intimate, compassionate involvement with them. Frequently, qualitative data is used to foster greater understanding and empathy as opposed to advocating for explicit societal change. Critical social science aims to create knowledge that facilitates social change by understanding society in order to improve it, contrary to the value-neutral stance of positivism. Emphasizing values such as freedom and social equality, critical researchers focus on power and inequality, believing that incorporating values into research enhances rather than detracts from its credibility. XI. LEARNING RESOURCES A. Books Croteau, D., & Hoynes, W. (2013). Experience Sociology. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Dela Cruz, A. et.al. (2016). The Padayon Series: Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences. Phoenix Publishing House, Inc. Quezon City, Metro Manila Jose, M. & Ong, J. (2017). Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences. Vibal Group Publishing Inc., Quezon City, Metro Manila DIWA Senior High School Series: Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences. (2017). DIWA Publishing Inc., Quezon City, Metro Manila SIGNATORIES Prepared by: Checked by: Approved by: Wella Fe C. Lacaba Saldeo B. Picache, MAEd, LPT, CSPE Maria Beatriz B. Sico, MM Renz Gerard P. Empino Subject Lead Teacher - Social Science 11 Principal Jyasmin Althea A. dela Peña, LPT Jeanimar S. Pinza, LPT Carol Angel M. Sotto Carlo V. Aquino Subject Teachers 5 Disclaimer: This module is adapted and modified from the source materials listed in the references list. This is an exclusive property of Philippine Christian University - Dasmariñas SHS and is provided only to enrolled students for their academic use. This module is provided for free by the school through softcopy and/or printed media. Reproduction of this module without official permission is prohibited.