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Methods: Empirical Social Research > Introduction & Research Process > Flashcards

Introduction & Research Process Flashcards

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1
Q

Definition of empirical social research

A

Empirical social research includes a set of methods, techniques and instruments
for the scientifically correct conduct of studies of human behavior and other social
phenomena

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2
Q

Central components of empirical social research

A
  • Theory
  • Empiricism
  • Research method
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3
Q

Theory: definition

A

Theory is a system or network of
consistent statements to order knowledge about a fact, to explain facts and to predict them
–> The objective of science is to work out such theories, to test them and finally to improve them

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4
Q

Empiricism: definition

A

a specific form of statements to
describe reality. In contrast to theory, however, these have not yet proven themselves (sufficiently and comprehensively)

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5
Q

Empiricism: characteristic

A
  • refers to knowledge based on systematic experience
  • ranges from historical source studies to quantitative and qualitative data collection and analyses
  • theory are in a dialectical relationship
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6
Q

Deductive procedure

A

From Theory to Empiricism

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7
Q

Inductive procedure

A

From Empiricism to Theory

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8
Q

Methods: definition

A

represent systems of instructions and rules for realizing certain insights, achieving certain results or collecting information

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9
Q

Methodological approach (3 elements)

A
  • Qualitative
  • Quantitative
  • Mixed Methods
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10
Q

Objectives of empirical social research

A
  • The description and explanation of social
    life, by providing reliable, valid and well-
    documented information
  • Developing and testing theories
  • Building understanding about human behavior
  • The use of research to solve societal
    problems
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11
Q

Examples of applications of empirical social research

A
  • Business
  • Marketing
  • Politics
  • Medicine
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12
Q

The research process is not …

A

standardized

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13
Q

Steps of the research process according to Bryman

A
  1. Literature review
  2. Concept and theory
  3. Research question
  4. Sample selection
  5. Data collection
  6. Data analysis
  7. Writing and publishing
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14
Q

Literature review

A

Critical review of existing research on the phenomena and relevant theoretical ideas

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15
Q

Concept and theory

A

Ideas that advance the research process and help to interpret the results

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16
Q

Research question

A

Formulation of the goal of a research project – elaboration of the research question
including possible sub-questions and hypotheses

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17
Q

Sample selection

A

Definition of the sample

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18
Q

Data collection

A

Collecting the data (e.g., through interviews, surveys or data archives)

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19
Q

Data analysis

A

Administration, analysis and interpretation of databases

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20
Q

Writing and publishing

A

Processing of the research and its results, dissemination and potentially publication of
the research

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21
Q

Procedure of a research project – An example

A
  1. Plan project schedule and scope
  2. Formulation of the research question
  3. Awareness of ethics, privacy and confidentiality
  4. Reading and taking notes
  5. Choice of research methods
  6. Literature review
  7. Conducting research and data collection
  8. Data analysis and interpretation
  9. First draft of the thesis
  10. Review and revision
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22
Q

Definition of the research design

A

The research design outlines the plan for selecting the participants, the location of data collection and the exact data collection methods required to answer the question(s) and test the hypotheses

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23
Q

Research designs according to methodological approach

A
  • Qualitative
  • Quantitative
  • Mixed Methods
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24
Q

Qualitative Research: Goal

A

Understanding, reconstruction of situations, generating regularities

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25
Qualitative Research: What?
The collection of non-standardized data and their analysis using special, non-statistical methods
26
Qualitative Research: Why?
Used in complex contexts, when there is little prior knowledge or when deep insights into a research object are to be gained
27
Qualitative Research: Survey methods
Interview, group discussion, observation, qualitative content analysis, qualitative experiment, individual case study
28
Qualitative Research: advantages
- Generation of new knowledge - Small sample sufficient - Subjective, detailed, descriptive answers
29
Quantitative Research: Goal
Explaining relationships, forming causalities, checking regularities for validity
30
Quantitative Research: What?
Excerpts from reality are measured & quantified, i.e., translated into numerical values and statistically analyzed
31
Quantitative Research: Why?
Used when measuring the frequency of a phenomenon or its distribution, testing hypotheses or seeking broad insights
32
Quantitative Research: Survey methods
Standardized survey, standardized observation, experiments, standardized content analysis
33
Quantitative Research: Advantages
- High reliability - Fast processing of a large amount of data - Responses to interval scale level ➜ high comparability
34
Qualitative Research: Research design
Non-experimental
35
Qualitative Research: Final procedure
- Inductive (from specific to general) - Research logic is hypothesis-developing
36
Qualitative Research : Scope
Holistic
37
Qualitative Research: Knowledge Mode
Explanatory, descriptive mode of cognition
38
Qualitative Research: Content
Open research process
39
Qualitative Research: Data analysis
- Usually non-numeric and explicative - “Soft” - realistic data
40
Qualitative Research: Research process
Dynamic
41
Qualitative Research: Investigation
Case-by-case examination
42
Quantitative Research: Research design
Non-experimental, experimental
43
Quantitative Research: Final procedure
- Deductive (from general to specific) - Research logic is hypothesis-testing
44
Quantitative Research: Scope
Particular (specific parts)
45
Quantitative Research: Knowledge Mode
Comprehensible, measuring mode of knowledge
46
Quantitative Research: Content
Testing of predefined hypotheses
47
Quantitative Research: Data analysis
* Usually numeric and reductive * “Hard” - replicable data
48
Quantitative Research: Research process
Static
49
Quantitative Research: Investigation
Examination of a sample
50
The mixed-method approach: definition
combines aspects of quantitative and qualitative research to combine advantages of both approaches and to obtain a more comprehensive answer to the research question
51
The mixed-method approach: aim
to validate the results of one method by using another method and thus obtain more meaningful results
52
Example of qualitative research
Qualitative methods are usually used to generate new research questions and to open up new subject areas. They are less suitable for testing hypotheses and are therefore closely related to the inductive approach --> " What effect does unemployment have after successful training?"
53
Example of quantitative research
Quantitative methods are used when the research question relates to relationships between variables that are as concrete as possible and when generally valid statements are to be made --> "Is there a relationship between social media use and school success?"
54
Collection of primary data
What data must be collected?
55
Use of secondary data
What data is available?
56
Mixed forms of survey and observation
- Experiment - Panel
57
Primary data
- Survey - Observation
58
Secondary data
- Internal data - External data
59
Primary research: advantages
- High topicality - Good fit to the research question - Influence on data quality - Oftentimes proprietary
60
Primary research: disadvantages
- More time required - Higher costs - Larger personnel expenditure
61
Secondary research: advantages
- Fast availability - Low costs - Low personnel costs - Large samples
62
Secondary research: disadvantages
- Lack of fit to the research question - Little/no control over data collection - Missing documentation
63
Sources of secondary data
- Blogs and forums - Fan communities - Social Media - Data mining platforms - Platforms (aeaweb.org/, Eurostat) - Data competitions (kaggle.com/competitions) - Data search engine - Public data - Geo-data

Methods: Empirical Social Research (6 decks)

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