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Research Design & Research Methods in the Social Sciences

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

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Research Design & Research Methods in the Social Sciences

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  1. 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: tim.dertwinkel@uni-flensburg.de

  2. Agenda for today • Welcome! • Who I am • Who You are • Course logistics • Schedule • Requirements and grading • Readings • Introduction • 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

  3. Course logistics • Schedule and Content • Mo, 27.Oct.2008: Intro • Mo, 12.Jan.2009: Day 1: Scientific Inquiry • Mo, 19.Jan.2009: Day 2: Research Design • Mo, 26.Jan.2009: Day 3: Research Methods • Mo, 02.Feb.2009: Day 4: Quantitative Data Analysis • 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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. Introduction: elements of the research process …and probably of your M.A. thesis… • 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

  7. 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?

  8. 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

  9. Introduction: what are research methods? • Tactics to collect and analyze quantitative or qualitative data through e.g. • 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

  10. 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 • Men who live in the countryside are more satisfied with their lifes than men living in cities • If divorce laws are liberal, less people are married in a society Plausible? Right or wrong? Plausible? Right or wrong? Plausible? Right or wrong?

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