The Social Science Inquiry MethodThe Process for Doing Social Science Research

Aims for Social Science Research

Social science research looks for patterns in human behaviour as well as connections among those behaviours

Social researchers ask two fundamental types of research questions: What is going on? (descriptive research) Why is it going on? (explanatory research)

Descriptive Research – WHAT???

Good description is fundamental to the research

Includes: Definition of terms Explanatory/expository information Background information General knowledge about a topic or

issue

Explanatory Research – WHY??? Focuses on why questions. For example:

it is one thing to describe the crime rate in a country, to examine trends over time or to compare the rates in different countries (descriptive)

It is quite a different thing to develop explanations about why the crime rate is as high as it is, why some types of crime are increasing or why the rate is higher in some countries than in others (explanatory)

Steps in the Inquiry Method

Identify the Problem

Begin with the topic or issue you want to study.

This issue may be because of a social issue that affects many people – (significance)

Form a Research Question and Hypothesis

This forms the basis for your investigation. A good research question states exactly what you want to learn and will suggest how you will conduct the research.

Developing a hypothesis – a statement

of a possible answer to the question which the researcher will attempt to prove or disprove using research.

Gather Data -

Gather the data/information to answer your question by using:

Secondary Research Journal articles, university studies, government

statistics, credible research from an organization Primary Research

surveys, questionnaires, interviews, experiments and/or observations.

It is important to distinguish between fact and opinion

Facts are supported with evidence that everyone can observe.

Opinions are based on individual observations or experiences (not credible without facts)

Analyze the Data

Organize the data so you can compare, analyze and summarize the information.

Look for relationships between the data – these relationships between evidence will help your answer your research question.

Formulate and Communicate Conclusions

Form the conclusions that state how your data answers your question or hypothesis and also how they answer the question ‘Why?’.

Sometimes your hypothesis will not be answered – WHY? Explain your results either written, orally or in a research report.

Example of the Inquiry Method ProcessDurkheim’s Suicide Study

Durkheim’s Suicide: Significance of the Study:

Durkheim wanted to look at suicide, a known occurrence in society, and do it scientifically.

He wanted to break the social causes of suicide, back them up with research, and present them to the greater world via this book.

Durkheim’s Suicide: Significance of the Study:

Durkheim's Suicide, is of great importance because it is his first serious effort to establish the application of observation and experiment in sociology that would provide a sociological explanation for suicide which was traditionally though of as psychological and individual experience.

Definition of Suicide

Durkheim proposed this definition of suicide: "the term suicide is applied to all cases of death resulting directly or indirectly from a positive or negative act of the victim himself, which he knows will produce this result" (1982, p. 110 [excerpt from Suicide]).

Durkheim used this definition to separate true suicides from accidental deaths. He then collected several European nations' suicide rate statistics, which proved to be relatively constant. Thus, a common trend towards suicide was discovered.

Durkheim’s Main Argument

Suicide is not an individual act, as was previously thought by leading scientists of his time.

Accordingly, his theory was that suicide was a social fact that was tied to social structures.

He defined suicide as a social fact because it was something that happened driven by social causes, however hidden they were.

**MAIN POINT OF DURKHEIM’S RESEARCH ON SUICIDE**

He proposed different types of suicide, based on the degrees of social integration – how a person is connected to society - too much integration vs. not enough integration

Research Question - Independent Variable(s) – Dependant Variable(s) –

Causal Relationships

Positive correlation -- an increase/decrease in one variable is matched by and increase/decrease in the other variable.

Positive Correlation

- both variables move in same direction

Causal Relationships

Negative correlation -- an increase in one variable is matched by a decrease in the other or vise versa

Negative Correlation

- variables move in opposite directions

Causal Relationships

Null hypothesis -- no relationship exists.

Spurious correlation -- correlations that are not based on causal connections.

Data Collections

In order to test his theory he studied suicide rates across time and place (throughout Europe, spanning many years).

Once he had completed his preliminary research and analyses, he came to the conclusion that, despite major differences in suicide rates between individual societies, rates within a society remained stable over time.

Countries Years Strangulation and Hanging

Drowning Fire-arms

Leaping from a High Spot

Poison Asphyxiation

France 1872 426 269 103 28 20 69France 1873 430 298 106 30 21 67France 1874 440 269 122 28 23 72France 1875 446 294 107 31 19 63Prussia 1872 610 197 102 6.9 25 3Prussia 1873 597 217 95 8.4 25 4.6Prussia 1874 610 162 126 9.1 28 6.5Prussia 1875 615 170 105 9.5 35 7.7England 1872 374 221 38 30 91 …England 1873 366 218 44 20 97 …England 1874 374 176 58 20 94 …England 1875 362 208 45 … 97 …Italy 1872 174 305 236 106 60 13.7Italy 1873 173 273 251 104 62 31.4Italy 1874 125 246 285 113 69 29Italy 1875 176 299 238 111 55 22

Distribution of the Different Kinds of Death Among 1,000 Suicides (Both Sexes Combined)

By looking at this table from page 291 of "Suicide" we can see that over the years, each type of suicide has a relatively stable rate in each place.  The numbers may vary across the places, but for each locale, there is consistency.

Durkheim then proceeded to theorize three different types of suicide that are found in all societies.

Theory Application

Attempts to answer the `why' questions in social science are theories.

2 ways – creating a new theory based on research OR testing an existing theory by examining research

Creation of a

Theory

Testing a

Theory

INDUCTIVE REASONING – Creating a New Theory

The process in which research begins withobservations and uses inductive

reasoning toderive a theory from these observations.

Thesetheories attempt to make sense of

observations.The theory is produced after observations

aremade. i.e. – Durkheim’s suicide

DEDUCTIVE REASONING – Testing an Existing Theory

A theory testing approach begins with a theory and uses specific points and themes from that theory to guide which observations to make.

This is the format you will be using for this course and your ISU

We have done this using Milgram, Zimbardo and Asch experiments

Durkheim’s Theory of Suicide

Remember the main point of his research – suicide rates will depend on how a

person is connected to society - too much integration vs. not enough integration

Egoistic Suicide

“Egoistic suicide, which results from lack of integration of the individual into society.” (Durkheim, Suicide, Page 14)

~This means that a person is not included in many things that happen in society, they feel unattached, helpless and useless.  Due to these feelings of inadequacy, the person takes his of her own life.

Altruistic Suicide

Altruistic suicide “. . . it results from the individual’s taking his own life because of higher commandments.” (Durkheim, Suicide, Page 15)

~This means that the individual feels that something larger than himself is causing him to take his own life, such as religious Martyrs or suicide bombers.

Anomic Suicide

Anomic suicide “. . . which results from lack of regulation of the individual by society.” (Durkheim, Suicide, Page 15)

~This means that the society is going through some sort of change, where the rules of the society are not as clear as they were.  The individual feels confused and does not know how to handle the major changes occurring around him/herself, and thus commits suicide.

Souce:

Suicide: A Study in Sociology by Emile Durkheim, translated by John A. Spaulding and George Simpson, and edited with an introduction by George Simpson.  Copyright 1951 by The Free Press

Does this Theory still Apply to Issues in Today’s Society?

Consider the following, and apply Durkheim’s Theory: Suicide Bombers - http://

www.ted.com/talks/sharmeen_obaid_chinoy_inside_a_school_for_suicide_bombers.html

Homeless Youth - http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2002/08/nyc-a13.html

Natural Disasters - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9449732