Methodological Problems Associated with a Biologically Oriented Social Science

2019 ◽  
pp. 349-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven A. Peterson ◽  
Albert Somit
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Methodological Problems

Symposium on Scientific Explanation in Political Science: Deduction, Explanation, and Social Scientific Inquiry

1969 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1233-1246
Author(s):  
John G. Gunnell
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Philosophy Of Science ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Scientific Inquiry ◽  
Scientific Explanation ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Methodological Problems ◽  
Social Scientific ◽  
The Many

The purpose here is to explore certain aspects of the philosophy of science which have serious implications both for the practice of social and political science and for understanding that practice. The current relationship between social science and the philosophy of science (or the philosophy of the social sciences) is a curious one. Despite the emergence of a considerable body of literature in philosophy which is pertinent to the methodological problems of social science, there has been a lack of osteusive ties between the two areas. A justified concern with the independence of social scientific research has contributed to a tendency toward isolation which is unfortunate in view of the proliferation of philosophical problems which necessarily attends the rapid expansion of any empirical discipline. Although in the literature of contemporary social science there are frequent references to certain works in the philosophy of science and to philosophical issues relating to methodology, these are most often in the context of bald pronouncements and shibboleths relating to the nature of science, its goals, and the character of its reasoning. But what is most disturbing about the fact that social scientists have little direct and thorough acquaintance with the philosophy of science is not merely that there has been a failure to carefully examine the many logical and epistemological assumptions which are implicit in social scientific inquiry, since this task might normally and properly be considered to be within the province of the philospher of science.

Researching social and ethnic identity

2003 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siniša Maleševic
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Conceptual History ◽  
Methodological Problems ◽  
The Relationship

This paper focuses on the relationship between the conceptual and methodological problems in the study of social and ethnic identity. The author argues that the theoretical and conceptual deficiencies in defining and understanding the notions of “identity” and “ethnic identity” are reflected in the quality and type of research strategies used to asses empirical claims to ethnic identity. The first part of the paper critically reviews and analyses the use of the concepts “identity” and “ethnic identity” in social science and the humanities. The author focuses in particular on the conceptual history and geography of “identity” stressing its cultural and historical exclusivity. The second part of the paper assesses how these conceptual, historical and cultural problems affect methodological and research strategies in the study of ethnic identity.

scholarly journals Teoretyczne i metodologiczne trudności w badaniach nad konfliktami zbrojnymi w naukach społecznych. Przykład Kolumbii.

2018 ◽  
pp. 151-163
Author(s):  
Karolina Wereta
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Theoretical Language ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
Source Selection ◽  
Peace Processes ◽  
Methodological Problems

The article carries out a reflection on practical, theoretical and methodological problems faced by social science researchers investigating armed conflicts. Based on Colombia’s ongoing internal war, the paper will discuss the difficulties in data collection (including source selection and information extraction), data sharing and the limitations of exiting theoretical language. It will also exploit other related factors such as the fragmentation of sociological research and the growth of publications regarding the conflict, violence, and the peace processes initiating in Colombia. In the presented article, the author analysis both governmental and non-governmental reports and also outlines several key cultural and political issues affecting data collection and their further publication in Colombia.

Second-Generation Comparative Research on Genocide

2007 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 476-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Straus
Keyword(s):  
General Theory ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Comparative Research ◽  
Second Generation ◽  
Organized Violence ◽  
Genocide Studies ◽  
Methodological Problems ◽  
Violence Against Civilians ◽  
New Research ◽  
Science Disciplines

Comparative research on the determinants of genocide has surged in recent years, as reflected in the six books under review. The new research makes genocide studies more systematic and theoretical; integrates the topic into mainstream social science disciplines; points to three emerging explanatory paradigms; and yields some surprising cumulative findings. However, the works also reveal significant conceptual, empirical, and methodological problems that limit the comparative enterprise and the search for a general theory. The article argues for an alternative, disaggregated approach that situates genocide within a spectrum of organized violence against civilians and links genocide studies to studies of violence in war.

Maximum Likelihood for Social Science

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Ward ◽  
John S. Ahlquist
Keyword(s):  
Maximum Likelihood ◽  
Social Science

Theoretical and Methodological Problems of a 10-Year Follow-Up Program Evaluation Study

2002 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt A. Heller ◽  
Ralph Reimann
Keyword(s):  
Program Evaluation ◽  
Evaluation Studies ◽  
Evaluation Study ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Partial Inclusion ◽  
Methodological Problems

Summary In this paper, conceptual and methodological problems of school program evaluation are discussed. The data were collected in conjunction with a 10 year cross-sectional/longitudinal investigation with partial inclusion of control groups. The experiences and conclusions resulting from this long-term study are revealing not only from the vantage point of the scientific evaluation of new scholastic models, but are also valuable for program evaluation studies in general, particularly in the field of gifted education.

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