Sociodrama for Training Applied Anthropologists

1987 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 13-16
Author(s):  
David Rymph
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Graduate Training ◽  
Evaluation Research ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Health Department ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Applied Social Science ◽  
Fayette County

As a practicing anthropologist with strong ties to university-based graduate training programs, I have occasionally been invited to give guest lectures to classes in applied anthropology, evaluation research, and public administration. When asked to share my practical experience, what I have most often wanted to communicate to students are the lessons learned on the job about how administrators, program people, and researchers get on with one another. I am referring to my own struggles to learn and adapt to the social realities of how public agencies make decisions about the proper use of social science research. While lectures on behavior in complex organizations may be helpful, experience is the better teacher. Toward this end, my colleague Carol Bryant, a Ph.D. anthropologist with the Lexington-Fayette County, Kentucky Health Department, and I have developed a technique to help trainees experience the multi dimensional character of applied social science problems in human service systems. Combining role play with conflict resolution goals, sociodrama gives students and trainees the opportunity to act out aspects of real world roles and problem situations in a non-threatening and supportive atmosphere.

scholarly journals Is Banning Significance Testing the Best Way to Improve Applied Social Science Research? – Questions on

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 95-105
Author(s):  
Thees F Spreckelsen ◽  
Mariska Van Der Horst
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Significance Testing ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Applied Social Science

Significance testing is widely used in social science research. It has long been criticised on statistical grounds and problems in the research practice. This paper is an applied researchers’ response to Gorard's (2016) ‘Damaging real lives through obstinacy: re-emphasising why significance testing is wrong’ in Sociological Research Online 21(1). He participates in this debate concluding from the issues raised that the use and teaching of significance testing should cease immediately. In that, he goes beyond a mere ban of significance testing, but claims that researchers still doing this are being unethical. We argue that his attack on applied scientists is unlikely to improve social science research and we believe he does not sufficiently prove his claims. In particular we are concerned that with a narrow focus on statistical significance, Gorard misses alternative, if not more important, explanations for the often-lamented problems in social science research. Instead, we argue that it is important to take into account the full research process, not just the step of data analysis, to get a better idea of the best evidence regarding a hypothesis.

Visitor Studies in a Political World: Challenges to Evaluation Research

2002 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross J. Loomis
Keyword(s):  
Process Model ◽  
Evaluation Research ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Visitor Studies ◽  
Political Factors ◽  
Routine Work ◽  
Applied Social Science

The evaluation process model consisting of front-end, formative, and summative studies has received fairly wide acceptance among professionals in various kinds of interpretation work. Evaluation can be used throughout the development of exhibits and programs. This acceptance, however, is not as widespread as might be desirable. While some professionals in interpretive settings accept evaluation and incorporate it into routine work, others do not. Misunderstanding about the role of applied social science research is one source of resistance. Misunderstandings can focus around purposes for evaluation, the real world context of applied research, and methods of study. Other barriers include differences in decision-making philosophy, such as the value put on intuitive judgment versus use of rational data-based decisions. A number of political factors can inhibit use of evaluation, including fear of findings that are critical of interpretive work. Fortunately, there are some ways being developed for coping with resistance to evaluation.

scholarly journals Contextualizing Social Science in Nepal

1970 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Dev Raj Dahal
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Scientific Reasoning ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Linear Structure ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Contextual Knowledge ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
The One

Social science informs about the ideals and trains experts to deal with the complex social realities. It has a public purpose rooted in what we call dharma (professional and institutional responsibility) as opposed to the arrogance of reason, self-will and self-rationalization intrinsic to contemporary rational choice and modernity. Learning has a synergy - establishing connection between the world of social science theories and the drama of social life. A lack of mutual learning between Nepal's traditional faith intellectuals and modern reason-based social scientists has created a big hiatus and contradiction. The academic life of social scientists in Nepal is completely outside of spiritual, moral and ethical influence experienced by ordinary public. The spiritual blindness of modern social scientists has thus opened multiple gaps between their worldview and those of the citizens on various frontiers--theoretical knowledge and practical experience, technical understanding and composite knowledge and secularity of social science and the vitality of the Hindu-Buddhist scriptures in the popular mind, culture, behavior and practices. This has reinforced a division between the system of knowledge of social scientists and the life-world of people. The proponents of new social movements in Nepal, such as women, Dalits, Janajatis, Madhesis, youths and marginalized population are seeking a structural shift in reason-based knowledge to both reason and feeling in social science knowledge discovery. This movement can open the "captive mind" to social learning of contextual knowledge, conduct research with the citizens, provide inputs to the policy makers and reverse their linear, structure-bound, rationalist and disciplinary thinking into the one that represents what the Nepal mandala, the Nepali space, is really like and how to improve it for the better. The renewal and indigenization of qualitative social science research is important to overcome the spirited challenges posed by social forces in Nepal and contribute to the application of scientific reasoning in public policy and social change.Key Words: social movement, NepalDOI = 10.3126/dsaj.v2i0.1356Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Vol.2 pp.1-30

New Data Sources in Social Science Research: Things to Know Before Working With Reddit Data

2019 ◽  
pp. 089443931989330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley Amaya ◽  
Ruben Bach ◽  
Florian Keusch ◽  
Frauke Kreuter
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Front Page ◽  
Social Media Data ◽  
New Research ◽  
Media Data

Social media are becoming more popular as a source of data for social science researchers. These data are plentiful and offer the potential to answer new research questions at smaller geographies and for rarer subpopulations. When deciding whether to use data from social media, it is useful to learn as much as possible about the data and its source. Social media data have properties quite different from those with which many social scientists are used to working, so the assumptions often used to plan and manage a project may no longer hold. For example, social media data are so large that they may not be able to be processed on a single machine; they are in file formats with which many researchers are unfamiliar, and they require a level of data transformation and processing that has rarely been required when using more traditional data sources (e.g., survey data). Unfortunately, this type of information is often not obvious ahead of time as much of this knowledge is gained through word-of-mouth and experience. In this article, we attempt to document several challenges and opportunities encountered when working with Reddit, the self-proclaimed “front page of the Internet” and popular social media site. Specifically, we provide descriptive information about the Reddit site and its users, tips for using organic data from Reddit for social science research, some ideas for conducting a survey on Reddit, and lessons learned in merging survey responses with Reddit posts. While this article is specific to Reddit, researchers may also view it as a list of the type of information one may seek to acquire prior to conducting a project that uses any type of social media data.

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