Unit 8: Theory…and Research…and Methods (oh my!)
Theory…and Research…and Methods (oh my!)
Our quest continues. We continue our interdependent path linking various important concepts in social scientific research methods. We’re going to start big picture again looking at inductive and deductive research. It’s a little philosophical (I’m sorry), but tends to be more accessible than, say, ontology vs. epistemology. It also helps that it lines up nicely with our discussion about quantitative and qualitative methods. From this Big Picture (including a nod to theory and its role in this whole thing) we narrow to chip off another piece of the puzzle: The variable. What is it? Where do we find it? And how does it relate to Should You Believe It?
After this unit you should be able to:
Describe the basic principles of social scientific research and the research process. (Aligns with Learning Outcome 1).
Identify and produce research questions that guide research. (Aligns with Learning Outcomes 1 & 2).
Classify, compare, explain, and provide examples of variables. (Aligns with Learning Outcomes 1 & 2).
…Unit 1…Unit 2….Unit 3…Unit 4…Unit 5…Unit 6…Unit 7…Unit 8…Unit 9…Unit 10…Unit 11…Unit 12…Unit 13…Unit 14…Unit 15…Unit 16…
VIII. Unit 8: Theory…and Research…and Methods (oh my!)
28. Logical Systems: Induction and Deduction
29. Variables; Operational and Conceptual Definitions
30. Variable oh variable! Wherefore art thou o’ variable?
31. On being skeptical [about concepts and variables]
We’re going to cover some pretty complicated concepts in this course. I recommend that you watch this video at the outset of each unit, and think about the major concepts and how they related to the content of each unit. Each unit has an entire chapter dedicated to the concepts described in this video. You will only be tested on the concepts when they are included in a chapter. Re-watching this video allows you to think about how the concepts all fit together.
- fake it unit you make it, people ↵