According to Neuman (1997:62), there are three different approaches to social sciences research, namely positivism, interpretive social science and critical social science. Positivist social science is an approach used in the natural sciences.
Contents
- 1 What are the approaches in social science?
- 2 What are the 7 approaches in social science?
- 3 What are the 4 approaches of research in the study of social science?
- 4 What is social science approach in research?
- 5 What are the three major approaches to social science?
- 6 What are the 3 major of social science?
- 7 What is a social science theory?
- 8 What are the two types of social group?
- 9 What is the most important discipline in social science?
- 10 What are the major types of social research?
- 11 What are the steps of social research?
- 12 What are the main features of social research?
- 13 What are the two basic methods of social science?
- 14 What is the 8 branches of social science?
- 15 What are the elements of social science research?
Approaches to the discipline include rational choice, classical political philosophy, interpretivism, structuralism, and behaviouralism, realism, pluralism, and institutionalism.
History studies the change over time, covering all branches of human society: political, social, economic, scientific, technological, medical, cultural, and so forth.
In planning studies’ designs, sociologists generally choose from four widely used methods of social investigation: survey, field research, experiment, and secondary data analysis, or use of existing sources.
Learning Objectives. The social sciences provide systematic approaches to understanding relationships that arise among individuals, organizations, or institutions.
According to Neuman (1997:62), there are three different approaches to social sciences research, namely positivism, interpretive social science and critical social science.
Social science entails the study of human behavior and society at a variety of levels. Popular social science majors include psychology, political science, and economics. A social science degree can lead to many types of jobs in business, science, and law.
According to Babbie (1989, p. 46), social science theory is ‘ a systematic explanation for the observed facts and laws that relate to a specific aspect of life’. They might develop other theories about what can be done to change this situation.
On the basis of contact among the member, social groups are divided into two types: 1) Primary and, 2) Secondary Group.
- Primary Group.
- Secondary Group.
- In-group.
- Out-group.
- Formal Group.
- Informal Group.
- Involuntary Group.
- Voluntary Group.
Education is one of the most important social sciences, exploring how people learn and develop. Social anthropology is the study of how human societies and social structures are organised and understood.
Here are some of the types of social research that are commonly used:
- Quantitative Research. Quantitative research refers to collecting and statistically analyzing numerical data.
- Qualitative research.
- Applied research.
- Pure Research.
- Descriptive Research.
- Analytical Research.
- Explanatory Research.
- Conceptual Research.
Steps Involved in the Process of Social Research: 11 Steps
- Step 1# Formulation of Research Problem:
- Step 2# Review of Related Literature:
- Step 3# Formulation of Hypotheses:
- Step 4# Working Out Research Design:
- Step 5# Defining the Universe of Study:
- Step 6# Determining Sampling Design:
Characteristics of Social Research
- Accuracy & Precision. Accuracy and precision are also the basic requirements for a research.
- Verifiability. Another characteristic of research is the researcher must verify the data.
- Evidence of Facts.
- Objectivity.
- Reliability & Validity.
- Qualification.
- Measurability.
- Recording and Reporting.
There are two broad primary categories that comprise social science research. These are the Quantitative and Qualitative Design Methods.
The major social sciences are Anthropology, Archaeology, Economics, Geography, History, Law, Linguistics, Politics, Psychology and Sociology.
Ideal research in social science can be defined by four characteristics: the goal of inference, the procedures being public, the uncertainty of conclusions and the method being the content.