An Analysis of Social Research Methods: Strategies and Approaches

This essay provides an overview of social research methods, focusing on both qualitative and quantitative approaches. It begins by defining social research and its core components: strategy, design, and method. The essay then delves into the differences between qualitative and quantitative strategies, highlighting the interpretivist tradition and ethnographic tools used in qualitative research. It explains how quantitative research employs variable-centered approaches and statistical analysis. The main body discusses research strategies, including philosophical commitments and their influence on research design, and the essay concludes by summarizing the key differences between these two research methods, emphasizing their distinct focuses: meaning-centered versus variable-centered. The essay also touches on the ethical considerations of social research and the role of social researchers in society.

Introduction to Social
Research Methods

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Social research is the practical activity concentrates for addressing the research problems by way
of providing research strategy, a research design and tool of data gathering and analysis. Any
research strategy has various implication for research design and implementation of various tools
of data gathering and analysis. There are basically social research based on the three major
factors: strategy, design and method, and these are based on the quantitative and qualitative
methods. The quantitative method is based on the numerical facts and figure of the set of
observations (Zhao and Zhao, 2012). While, qualitative research method register and assess talks
and actions or review text which someone has written. This difference between quantitative and
qualitative social research renders as a drive how to identify strategy, design and tool in social
research.
MAIN BODY
This is the strategy which is used to gather of philosophical and theoretical commitments
which might affect decisions made about the research design and the choice of particular tools of
data gathering and analysis. Strategy also links mostly to the questions the research could face
and identifies the type of findings which could come across from the research (Introduction to
Social Research Methods, 2016). Under this essay report, qualitative and quantitative research
strategies are going to implement determining characteristics of social research.
Qualitative research strategies are those which able to draw the real meaning and
informed by the interpretivist tradition under the social theory. Under this theory, the description
and the explanation of the social planet is required to refer to subjective message (Taylor,
Bogdan and DeVault, 2015). Interpretivist research focus to expose the fruitful aspects of
cultural as under the case of social anthropology. Such tradition has implemented
ethnographic tools to expose the significance of other cultures, covering sub-cultures under
urban and rural areas. Ethography covers observing societies, interviewing individuals, reading
the text found under documents, and gathering this data instantly under the natural context
divided by those studied. This implementation of the natural context is must if the researcher is
to find out the social world because, this has been seen by those being studied. The main focus of
ethnographic tool is learning to see the social planet as this is observed that through those being
studied. Qualitative research mainly focus to justify social action under terms of subjective
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meanings of the actor and other actors. Ethnography is the manner acquiring those meanings of
the actor and construction situated upon their actions by themselves and other actors. This is the
manner of accessing those meanings. Hence, if we try to understand the main cause why few
young woman determine to have children , then there is a requirement to form of reference
which informs those decisions. However constructed as “an issues by policy makers” teenage
pregnancy might represent an lucrative change of lifestyle for young women as this could lead to
higher autonomy and status. An interprevist sociological identifies a fruitful account of the action
concerned (De Vaus, 2013). For quantitative social research, the social planet covers the
contingent links between highly determined concepts. This research strategies concentrates the
measuring of concepts and could be highly defined like- variable centred in contrast to meaning -
centred. Example of variables covers the annual income of a household. A sample of data
gathered for these factors will disclose to us what the midpoints are furthermore, how
complicated they are. If for conducting research by implementing random sampling data, then,
we can assess the precision of our depictions for entire general public. There might be
unforeseen connection between factors, for instance, salary may impact by the quantity of kids in
a family. There is no assurance or determinism, just characterized 'odds', which a salary level
will be related with the quantity of kids (Avineri, 2017). These possibilities are frequently
generally steady, yet may shift amongst regions and might vary after some time.
In modern data investigation, we would need to evaluate:
• The logical energy of every factor
• How much certainty we can have in the appraisals of explanatory power.
Subjective implications are a bit much for these possibilities to work viably. All things
considered, the results of smoking were experienced by the individuals who kicked the bucket of
lung malignancy regardless of whether they subjectively connected that hazard to their smoking
conduct. Up until now, we have seen that subjective and quantitative social research have
altogether different centre subjects: one is importance focused, and one is variable centred
(Rubin and Babbie, E.R., 2013). These qualifications are not fundamentally unrelated in examine
hone, be that as it may, here they are utilized to enable us to distinguish the varying points of
each of the two noteworthy research procedures. Subjective research tries to uncover subjective
implications in societies and sub-societies, while quantitative social inquire about looks to set up
unexpected connections between factors.
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Social research is an investigation which is done by the different social scientist in order
to discover the meaning of different relationships and to understand a particular phenomena
(Mertens, 2014). A set technique needs to be followed for conducting this study using qualitative
and quantitative mode. Though it is with a good purpose there might be cases when same has
some underlying motives. These are those motives which are no revealed at the time when the
research is conducted. In these cases the whole information is not provided to user as only
limited data is made available which were asked by the user. Rest the information is utilised for
fulfilling the personal objectives which are not for the benefit of the society. It becomes difficult
to observe the motive of an individual behind the research as same nature may represent an
entirely distinct motives. In one the researcher whose main objective was to maintain the self –
views did fraud to show himself financially strong so that he can motivate investors to invest in
him. This way people are miss guided and harm to them is made. Apart from this it is also seen
that the research is done showing some other reason behind it and all the data is collected putting
some wrong intention in front. This way the security is damaged and people loose trust and
hence respondents do not give their views as required.
Research strategy affect academics designs and policies of the company. Social
researchers plays a very vital role in growth and development of society. For this, they regularly
analyse certain in order to implement healthy and positive communities. Some research cannot
published due to the lack of financial support it also put a huge impact upon reputation of social
researchers. However, there are various disciplinary groups are developed by methodological
preferences. Apart from this, many sociologists are also concern in order to identify different
issues, i.e. theoretical and methodological. Therefore, it is essential for them to develop effective
concepts and ideas so as to deal will all problems and barriers of the society. They need to focus
upon developing adequate methodologies and ideas for long term period so as to decide growth
and advancement of society.
Furthermore, there are many barriers that affect day to day lifestyle of people, so that it is
must for these researchers to evaluate the impact of these challenges. In addition, British
scientists can have to select various research strategies that impact upon social decisions in the
specific social context. There are several people who gives funds and financial support to social
researchers as they can spend more and more in research activities. This will make their research
more effective and innovative findings for getting better outcomes. Although they should try to
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regulate an ideal research design. It would also be wrong to suggest that all research complied in
every way possible with the prescribed ways of conducting research.
Social research are helpful in order to analyse needs and demands of people so that
products can be offered to them accordingly which are beneficial for them in order to attain high
growth. Research are valuable factors in order to make managers know about different activities
that are executing at work plans thus effective strategies can formulated which are beneficial for
overall economy. Social research identifies and understand the culture, norms and values which
are used by people of particular groups. The communication strategies followed by them in order
to attain higher growth and enable to understand what other person wants to say the. This is
beneficial for them in order to achieve all their goals and targets in effectual and planned ways.
Research and development activities are vital for economy in order to evaluate factors that are
affecting business operations so they are not able to achieve their goals.
CONCLUSION
From the above mentioned report, it is concluded that the social research is the main
activity which is used to take place under an intellectual and social context. Most probably, the
behaviour of social research impacts by the intellectual concerns like philosophy of social
science and social theories. Under this research, the contributions of social research is elaborated
in this social world.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Zhao, X.T. and Zhao, Y., 2012. Introduction to social research methods. In Advanced Materials
Research (Vol. 393, pp. 824-827). Trans Tech Publications.
Taylor, S.J., Bogdan, R. and DeVault, M., 2015. Introduction to qualitative research methods: A
guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons.
De Vaus, D., 2013. Surveys in social research. Routledge.
Walliman, N., 2015. Social research methods: The essentials. Sage.
Avineri, N., 2017. Introduction. In Research Methods for Language Teaching (pp. 1-6).
Macmillan Education UK.
Rubin, A. and Babbie, E.R., 2013. Brooks/Cole empowerment series: Research methods for
social work. Cengage Learning.
Mertens, D.M., 2014. Research and evaluation in education and psychology: Integrating
diversity with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Sage publications.
[Online]
Introduction to Social Research Methods, 2016 [Online]. Available
through:<https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-social-research-methods-edinburghx-
socrmx>. [Accessed on 9th October, 2017].
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