Qualitative and Quantitative Research Designs Social Research Methods

Qualitative and Quantitative Research Designs Social Research Methods 2117 & 6501 Fall, 2006 October 25 -30, 2006

Overview of Research Design • Research Purposes – Exploration (探索), Description (描述), Explanation (解釋) • Units of Analysis (研究單位): possibly individuals (個人) • The Time Dimension: cross-sectional design • Design a Research Project: the research process

The Research Process • Conceptualization: think about research questions & important concepts • Choice of research method: quantitative and/or qualitative? • Operationalizaion: measurement • Population and sampling • Observations (data collection) • Data processing • Analysis and interpretation • Writing articles/reports • Application

Research Design Consider: Your interests Your abilities Available Resources

Qualitative and Quantitative Research • Different (deductive vs. inductive approaches) & Complementary • Triangulation: observe from different viewpoints & methods

Qualitative and Quantitative Orientations toward Research: Qualitative Orientations • interpretive and critical social sciences • Non-numerical data • Logic in practice: the logic of research is actually carried out ( 實務邏輯: 實際上如何 執行的邏輯) Quantitative Orientations • related to positivism • Numerical data • Reconstructed logic: the logic of how to do research is highly organized (重建邏輯: 進行研究的邏輯是高度 組織化的)

Qualitative and Quantitative Orientations toward Research: Qualitative Orientations Quantitative Orientations • Nonlinear Path • Linear Path: follow a fixed sequence of steps • Objectivity and Integrity – Avoid arbitrary personal • Objectivity and Integrity: opinion replication, – Open about personal standardized involvement methodological – Trustworthiness, have procedures checks on evidence • Preplanned Research • Emergent Research Questions: more flexible

Qualitative Design Issues • The language of cases and contexts (個案與 脈絡的語言） • Grounded theory（紮根理論): develops theory during data collection (more inductive) • The context is critical (社會行動或陳述的意義 與其出現的脈絡有關) • Bricolage: ability to deal with different materials and be pragmatic • The case and process (個案與過程): examine a wide variety of aspects of one/a few cases • Interpretation (第一、二、三級的詮釋)

Quantitative Design Issues • The language of variables and hypotheses (變項與假設的語言) • Types of variables: independent, & intervening variable (中介 變項) • Causal Theory and Hypotheses – Five characteristics of causal hypotheses ( 因果假設的特徵, p. 162) – State causal relations (p. 163) [Avoid the word of proof. ] – Testing and refining hypothesis

Ways to State Causal Relations • Religious attendance causes reduced divorce. • Religious attendance leads to reduced divorce. • Religious attendance is related to reduced divorce. • • Religious attendance influences reduced divorce. Religious attendance produces reduced divorce. Religious attendance results in reduced divorce. If people attend religious services, then the likelihood of divorce will be reduced. • The higher religious attendance, the lower the likelihood of divorce. • Religious attendance reduces the likelihood of divorce.

Quantitative Design Issues • The language of variables and hypotheses (變項與假設的語言) • Types of variables: independent, & intervening variable (中介 變項) • Causal Theory and Hypotheses – Five characteristics of causal hypotheses ( 因果假設的特徵, p. 162) – State causal relations (p. 163) [Avoid the word of proof. ] – Testing and refining hypothesis

Quantitative Design Issues • Types of hypotheses – The idea of falsification – Null hypotheses – Double-barreled hypotheses (雙載假設)

Double-Barreled Hypothesis vs. Interaction Effect (交互作用)

Potential Errors in Causal Explanations – Tautology (套套邏輯) (circular reasoning) – Teleology (目的論)

Potential Errors in Causal Explanations Ecological fallacy (mismatching units of analysis ) (生態謬誤) (區位謬誤): Drawing conclusions about individuals based solely on the observation of groups Reductionism (mismatching units of analysis) (化約論，化約主義): Explain complex phenomena in terms of a single, narrow concept(s).

Potential Errors in Causal Explanations • Spuriousness

Qualitative and Quantitative Research Different Research Styles (see examples in your textbook) Not a rigid dichotomy (不是二 分對立)