scholarly journals Data-Seeking Behaviour in the Social Sciences

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Krämer ◽  
Andrea Papenmeier ◽  
Zeljko Carevic ◽  
Dagmar Kern ◽  
Brigitte Mathiak
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Publishing Research ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Work Processes ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Relevance Assessment ◽  
The Social ◽  
Fair Principles

AbstractPurpose Publishing research data for reuse has become good practice in recent years. However, not much is known on how researchers actually find said data. In this exploratory study, we observe the information-seeking behaviour of social scientists searching for research data to reveal impediments and identify opportunities for data search infrastructure.Methods We asked 12 participants to search for research data and observed them in their natural environment. The sessions were recorded. Afterwards, we conducted semi-structured interviews to get a thorough understanding of their way of searching. From the recordings, we extracted the interaction behaviour of the participants and analysed the spoken words both during the search task and the interview by creating affinity diagrams.Results We found that literature search is more closely intertwined with dataset search than previous literature suggests. Both the search itself and the relevance assessment are very complex, and many different strategies are employed, including the creatively “misuse” of existing tools, since no appropriate tools exist or are unknown to the participants.Conclusion Many of the issues we found relate directly or indirectly to the application of the FAIR principles, but some, like a greater need for dataset search literacy, go beyond that. Both infrastructure and tools offered for dataset search could be tailored more tightly to the observed work processes, particularly by offering more interconnectivity between datasets, literature, and other relevant materials.

scholarly journals Discrimination against Veiled Muslim Women in Switzerland: Insights from Field Experts

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 500
Author(s):  
Anaïd Lindemann
Keyword(s):  
Social Space ◽  
Muslim Women ◽  
Life Domains ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Important Marker

Although the hijab has recently attracted much attention from social scientists, the discrimination experienced by hijabis has been insufficiently investigated. Data are difficult to obtain, partly because surveys usually do not have items on this practice and victims are difficult to reach. However, field experts, namely active agents in governmental racism-prevention institutions and in Muslim associations, can provide rich insights into processes of discrimination. Based on an analysis of semi-structured interviews, I answer the following question: how do governmental and non-governmental experts describe discrimination against hijabis in Switzerland? The results reveal that, according to the experts interviewed, the hijab is the most important marker leading to processes of discrimination; this discrimination takes a variety of forms and affects a wide range of life domains and profiles of hijabis; such discrimination leads to a segregation of the social space of hijabis; many women are unwilling to report discrimination to governmental services for different reasons.

A personal, retrospective view of ecological validity

2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (5-6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron V Cicourel
Keyword(s):  
Academic Career ◽  
Ecological Validity ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Organizational Settings ◽  
Video Recordings ◽  
Retrospective View ◽  
The Social ◽  
Human Actors

AbstractThe notion of ecological validity has been an abiding topic either implicitly or explicitly during my entire academic career. Ecological validity focuses on how we seek to convince others of the viability and authenticity of our claims and can be understood by our use of primary and secondary data sources such as official statistics, demographic distributions, sample surveys, structured interviews, open-ended or unstructured interviews, and recorded discourse during social interaction. Ecological validity, however, can only be approximated in the social and behavioral sciences. The key issue is the extent to which data are congruent with systematic time samples of events and activities within local institutional or organizational settings. For example, direct observation of and participation in the everyday activities or practices of human actors during their daily life experiences by the use of, when possible, audio or video recordings. Systematic behavioral sampling by biological (behavioral ecological) studies of nonhuman animals (Altmann 1974; Krebs and Davies 1997) can serve as a guide for social scientists. This paper selectively discusses three previous research projects that attempted to approximate ecological validity.

scholarly journals The Death of Jill Meagher: Crime and Punishment on Social Media

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 22-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanja Milivojevic ◽  
Alyce McGovern
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Agenda Building ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Crime And Punishment ◽  
The Social ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
The Impact

In this paper we analyse the kidnapping, rape and murder of Jill Meagher as a case study to highlight a range of issues that emerge in relation to criminalisation, crime prevention and policing strategies on social media - issues that, in our opinion, require immediate and thorough theoretical engagement. An in-depth analysis of Jill Meagher’s case and its newsworthiness in terrestrial media is a challenging task that is beyond the scope of this paper; rather, the focus for this particular paper is on the process of agenda-building, particularly via social media, and the impact of the social environment and the capacity of ‘ordinary’ citizens to influence the agenda-defining process. In addition, we outline other issues that emerged in the aftermath of this case, such as the depth of the target audience on social media, the threat of a ‘trial by social media’ and the place of social media in the context of pre-crime and surveillance debates. Through the analysis of research data we establish some preliminary findings and call for more audacious and critical engagement by criminologists and social scientists in addressing the challenges posed by new technologies.

scholarly journals Cross-language information seeking behaviour English vs Arabic

2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 446-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asma Al-Wreikat ◽  
Pauline Rafferty ◽  
Allen Foster
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Think Aloud ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Think Aloud Protocols ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviour ◽  
Arabic And English ◽  
Cross Language

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the results and the methods of a study which applied grounded theory to the information-seeking behaviour of social scientists when searching Arabic and English academic databases using both languages. Design/methodology/approach – The research applied the grounded theory approach using search experiments and semi-structured interviews. Think-aloud protocol during the experiment was used to capture the data from the subjects to allow a detailed analysis for the experiment. The semi-structured interviews followed each experiment and were analysed using the Strauss and Corbin (1990) version of the grounded theory, as were the think-aloud protocols. Findings – The results of the think-aloud protocols and the semi-structured interviews suggest that the information needs of the subjects varied depending on the language used. In addition, it was discovered that social scientists followed more tactics in searching the Arabic database for the same tasks searched in English during the experiment. This allowed more search strategies and search tactics to appear in seeking information in Arabic language. The study also proposed a model to account for the cross-language information-seeking behaviour. Research limitations/implications – This study identifies and compares the information-seeking behaviour of the social scientists in Jordanian universities in searching both Arabic and English academic databases. Therefore, the findings of this study cannot be generalized to other Arab countries, unless there was similar context. Originality/value – Few studies have investigated information-seeking behaviour using academic Arabic databases and proposed information-seeking behaviour models. No studies have compared information-seeking behaviour when using Arabic and English academic databases. The value of the current study arises by being the first study to identify and compare the information-seeking behaviour of social scientists by using grounded theory and proposing a cross-language information-seeking behaviour model.

scholarly journals Interaksi Sosial antara Kelompok Masyarakat Dayak dan Kelompok Masyarakat Tionghoa di Singkawang

Koneksi ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 66
Author(s):  
Wensi Wensi ◽  
Suzy S. Azeharie
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Chinese Community ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Groups ◽  
Language Differences ◽  
The Social ◽  
Key Informant

This research entitled Social Interaction between Dayak Community Groups and Chinese Community Groups in Singkawang was conducted to determine the social interaction of Dayak community groups and Chinese community groups in Singkawang. This research uses a qualitative approach through the method of phenomenology. The study will use semi-structured interviews with one key informant and four informants. The research data obtained were sourced from interviews, observations, documentation studies and literature studies. The theory used in this research is social interaction and forms of social interaction from Soerjono Soekanto and the conditions for social interaction from J. Dwi Narwoko and Bagong Suyanto. This research conclude that social interaction between Dayak community groups and Chinese community groups has been relatively well established because of the feeling of mutual openness and respect. There are obstacles in the process of interacting such as stereotypes, ethnocentrism and language differences. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui interaksi sosial kelompok masyarakat Dayak dan kelompok masyarakat Tionghoa di Singkawang. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif melalui metode fenomenologi. Penelitian menggunakan wawancara semi terstruktur. Data penelitian yang diperoleh bersumber dari wawancara, observasi, studi dokumentasi dan studi pustaka. Teori yang digunakan dalam penelitian adalah interaksi sosial dan bentuk-bentuk interaksi sosial dari Soerjono Soekanto serta syarat-syarat terjadinya interaksi sosial dari J. Dwi Narwoko dan Bagong Suyanto. Penelitian ini menemukan bahwa interaksi sosial antara kelompok masyarakat Dayak dan kelompok masyarakat Tionghoa telah terjalin dengan relatif baik karena adanya rasa saling terbuka dan menghormati. Terdapat hambatan dalam proses berinteraksi seperti stereotipe, etnosentrisme dan perbedaan bahasa.

“We Speak the Truth!”

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-80
Author(s):  
Sari Hanafi
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Social Science ◽  
The Political ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
The Social ◽  
Academic Qualifications

This study investigates the preachers and their Friday sermons in Lebanon, raising the following questions: What are the profiles of preachers in Lebanon and their academic qualifications? What are the topics evoked in their sermons? In instances where they diagnosis and analyze the political and the social, what kind of arguments are used to persuade their audiences? What kind of contact do they have with the social sciences? It draws on forty-two semi-structured interviews with preachers and content analysis of 210 preachers’ Friday sermons, all conducted between 2012 and 2015 among Sunni and Shia mosques. Drawing from Max Weber’s typology, the analysis of Friday sermons shows that most of the preachers represent both the saint and the traditional, but rarely the scholar. While they are dealing extensively with political and social phenomena, rarely do they have knowledge of social science

Value-driven issues throughout the development of sociological theory

2020 ◽  
pp. 147-160
Author(s):  
Gulbarshyn Chepurko ◽  
Valerii Pylypenko
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social System ◽  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Social Sphere ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Different Levels

The paper examines and compares how the major sociological theories treat axiological issues. Value-driven topics are analysed in view of their relevance to society in times of crisis, when both societal life and the very structure of society undergo dramatic change. Nowadays, social scientists around the world are also witnessing such a change due to the emergence of alternative schools of sociological thought (non-classical, interpretive, postmodern, etc.) and, subsequently, the necessity to revise the paradigms that have been existed in sociology so far. Since the above-mentioned approaches are often used to address value-related issues, building a solid theoretical framework for these studies takes on considerable significance. Furthermore, the paradigm revision has been prompted by technological advances changing all areas of people’s lives, especially social interactions. The global human community, integral in nature, is being formed, and production of human values now matters more than production of things; hence the “expansion” of value-focused perspectives in contemporary sociology. The authors give special attention to collectivities which are higher-order units of the social system. These units are described as well-organised action systems where each individual performs his/her specific role. Just as the role of an individual is distinct from that of the collectivity (because the individual and the collectivity are different as units), so too a distinction is drawn between the value and the norm — because they represent different levels of social relationships. Values are the main connecting element between the society’s cultural system and the social sphere while norms, for the most part, belong to the social system. Values serve primarily to maintain the pattern according to which the society is functioning at a given time; norms are essential to social integration. Apart from being the means of regulating social processes and relationships, norms embody the “principles” that can be applied beyond a particular social system. The authors underline that it is important for Ukrainian sociology to keep abreast of the latest developments in the field of axiology and make good use of those ideas because this is a prerequisite for its successful integration into the global sociological community.

The Complex Support and Assistance to Children with Disability and their Families in the Czech Republic and the Presentation of Case Final Reports on Early Care of Client as an Example of Good Practice

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-84
Author(s):  
Zdenka Šándorová
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Practical Case ◽  
Early Care ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Children With Disability ◽  
Global Comparison ◽  
The Social

Abstract The theme of the paper is very topical in global and European context. It brings theoretical information on the concept of asocial model of early care in the Czech Republic and practical case studies and final reports related to the early care provision which demonstrate tangible activities within the system of the complex support and assistance to children with disability and their families. The author applies the theoretical-practical approach as she is of the opinion that „the practice without theory is as a blind person on the road and the theory without practice is as a cart without an axle”. The aim of the paper is to extend theoretical information on the topic in the Czech Republic by individual examples of final reports related to the provision of social prevention of the early care in the Czech Republic. The overall aim of the paper is to justify topicality and eligibility of early care in its broad reference framework, including its practical impact. The theoretical basis of the paper is elaborated with respect to the analysis and comparison of Czech and foreign literature, legislation, methodology document and other relevant written resources. The practical level is elaborated with respect to 3 cases and final reports of the provider of an early care of the social prevention. The early care in the Czech Republic represents a professional, modern and recognized system in European and global comparison and is legally anchored in the Act 108/2006 Coll. on social services. It aims on the minimization of child´s disability impact upon child´s development, especially the social inclusion of a child and a family and their capability to cope with limitating disability in natural environ, i.e. by the preservation of standard way of life. It represents a multi-dimensional model, overcoming limitation of sectoral division of the early care and facilitating complex assistance from a series of subject fields at the same time. Services for families with an endangered child in early age are the background for social, educational and pedagogical inclusion of a child and the re-socialisation and re-inclusion of a family. Early care is considered preventive, from the point of the prevention of the second disability (i.e. is effective), in the prevention of institutionalized and asylum care (i.e. is economical), in the prevention of segregation (i.e. is ethical).

On diversity in the social sciences: Why homogeneous research groups are an ethical mistake

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Nusbaum ◽  
Toby SantaMaria
Keyword(s):  
Minority Groups ◽  
Academic Science ◽  
Research Groups ◽  
Ethical Perspective ◽  
Scientific Enterprise ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Social Good ◽  
The Social ◽  
Public Responsibility ◽  
Principles Of Justice

The scientific enterprise reflects society at large, and as such it actively disadvantages minority groups. From an ethical perspective, this system is unacceptable as it actively undermines principles of justice and social good, as well as the research principles of openness and public responsibility. Further, minority social scientists lead to better overall scientific products, meaning a diverse scientific body can also be considered an instrumental good. Thus, centering minority voices in science is an ethical imperative. This paper outlines what can be done to actively center these scientists, including changing the way metrics are used to assess the performance of individual scientists and altering the reward structure within academic science to promote heterogenous research groups.

WORK-BASED LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: EXPERIENCE AND CHALLENGES OF LEARNERS, WORKPLACES AND INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Roosipõld ◽  
Krista Loogma ◽  
Mare Kurvits ◽  
Kristina Murtazin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
University Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Constructivist Learning Theory ◽  
Education Experience ◽  
Restaurant Management ◽  
The Social ◽  
The University ◽  
Social Constructivist Learning

In recent years, providing higher education in the form of work-based learning has become more important in the higher education (HE) policy and practice almost in all EU countries. Work-based learning (WBL) in HE should support the development of competences of self-guided learners and adjust the university education better to the needs of the workplace. The study is based on two pilot projects of WBL in HE in Estonia: Tourism and Restaurant Management professional HE programme and the master’s programme in Business Information Technology. The model of integrative pedagogy, based on the social-constructivist learning theory, is taken as a theoretical foundation for the study. A qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with the target groups. The data analysis used a horizontal analysis to find cross-cutting themes and identify patterns of actions and connections. It appears, that the challenge for HE is to create better cooperation among stakeholders; the challenge for workplaces is connected with better involvement of students; the challenge for students is to take more initiative and responsibility in communication with workplaces.

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