Political Science Research Methods I
Lecture 1: Introduction to QRM
‘Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted’
Qualitative research
Qualitative research= a set of interpretive, material practices that make the world visible. These practices transform
the wold. They turn the world into a series of representations.
It is about things you cant really count but they do count.
- Qualitive words
Categories:
1. Perceptions/motivation (opinions)
2. Political processes (human suffering)
3. Role of context conditions (climate change)
Hypotheses are commonly generated from analysis of the data rather dan stated at the outset
Characteristics of Qualitative Research
- Aims and objectives that are directed at providing an in-depth and interpreted understanding of the social
world of research participants by learning about the sense they make of their social and material
circumstances, their experiences, perspectives and histories.
- Use of non-standardised, adaptable methods of data generation that are sensitive to the social context of the
study and can be adapted for each participant or case to allow the exploration of emergent issues
- Data that are detailed, rich and complex
- Analysis that retain complexity and nuance and respects the uniqueness of each participant or case as well as
recurrent, cross-cutting themes
- Openness to emergent categories and theories at the analysis and interpretation stage
- Outputs that include detailed description of the phenomena being researched, grounded in the perspectives and
accounts of participants
- A reflexive approach, where the role and perspective of the researches in the research process is
acknowledged.
Cognitive biases
Biased history of assumptions by prior knowledge
- Question your own assumptions and the assumptions of those around you
- Know the philosophical foundations of research (questions)
Biased search for information
- Look for information outside your filter bubbles
- Use research design & data collection
Biased interpretation of information
- Look for alternative explanations and information that disproves your previous held beliefs
- Use research design & data collection
Be sceptical!
- Develop critical thinking skills
- Research methods are there to overcome cognitive biases
Philosophical foundations of social research
Methodology
Methodology= study of methods
- How can we acquire knowledge?
Epistemology= study of reality Epistemology
- What can we know about reality?
Ontology= study of what and how we know
Ontology
- What is out there to know about?
Ontology
What is the nature of social reality?
Realism= there is a real world independent of what we think
, Idealism= reality is mind dependent, you can only experience reality by talking/thinking about it
Epistemology
What can be known about reality and what is the basis of our knowledge?
Objectivism= Meaning is always in the object self
- You objectively study an object
Subjectivism= Meaning is society constructed
- You can only know the meaning by talking to people
Types of logic:
- Inductive logic= Building knowledge from the bottom up through observations of the world, which in turn
provide the basis for developing theories or laws
o Inductive fallacy= probality of being wrong, if your experiences are wrong
London busses are not always red
- Deductive logic= Top-down approach to knowledge. You start with a theory from which a hypothesis is
derived and applied to observations about the world. The hypothesis will then be confirmed or rejected,
thereby strengthening or weakening a theory.
- Retroductive logic= Researcher identifying the structure or mechanisms that may have produced patterns in
the data, trying different models for ‘fit’
- Abductive logic= ‘abducting’ a technical account, using the researchers’ categories, from participants’ own
accounts of everyday activities, ideas or beliefs.
Positivism and the scientific method
Positivism/empiricism= knowledge is produced through senses based on careful observation
- Inductive reasoning is used after data is collected to generalise from empirical instances to general laws
- Reality is unaffected by the research process
- Reality can be known accurately
Post-positivism/Post-empiricism/Falsification= knowledge is produced through testing propositions.
- Propositions= hypotheses about causal relationships are derived from scientific theories and then evaluated
empirically against observations
- Deductive reasoning is used to postulate possible relationships and models before data collection
- Reality is unaffected by the research process
- Reality can be known approcimately
Lecture 1: Introduction to QRM
‘Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted’
Qualitative research
Qualitative research= a set of interpretive, material practices that make the world visible. These practices transform
the wold. They turn the world into a series of representations.
It is about things you cant really count but they do count.
- Qualitive words
Categories:
1. Perceptions/motivation (opinions)
2. Political processes (human suffering)
3. Role of context conditions (climate change)
Hypotheses are commonly generated from analysis of the data rather dan stated at the outset
Characteristics of Qualitative Research
- Aims and objectives that are directed at providing an in-depth and interpreted understanding of the social
world of research participants by learning about the sense they make of their social and material
circumstances, their experiences, perspectives and histories.
- Use of non-standardised, adaptable methods of data generation that are sensitive to the social context of the
study and can be adapted for each participant or case to allow the exploration of emergent issues
- Data that are detailed, rich and complex
- Analysis that retain complexity and nuance and respects the uniqueness of each participant or case as well as
recurrent, cross-cutting themes
- Openness to emergent categories and theories at the analysis and interpretation stage
- Outputs that include detailed description of the phenomena being researched, grounded in the perspectives and
accounts of participants
- A reflexive approach, where the role and perspective of the researches in the research process is
acknowledged.
Cognitive biases
Biased history of assumptions by prior knowledge
- Question your own assumptions and the assumptions of those around you
- Know the philosophical foundations of research (questions)
Biased search for information
- Look for information outside your filter bubbles
- Use research design & data collection
Biased interpretation of information
- Look for alternative explanations and information that disproves your previous held beliefs
- Use research design & data collection
Be sceptical!
- Develop critical thinking skills
- Research methods are there to overcome cognitive biases
Philosophical foundations of social research
Methodology
Methodology= study of methods
- How can we acquire knowledge?
Epistemology= study of reality Epistemology
- What can we know about reality?
Ontology= study of what and how we know
Ontology
- What is out there to know about?
Ontology
What is the nature of social reality?
Realism= there is a real world independent of what we think
, Idealism= reality is mind dependent, you can only experience reality by talking/thinking about it
Epistemology
What can be known about reality and what is the basis of our knowledge?
Objectivism= Meaning is always in the object self
- You objectively study an object
Subjectivism= Meaning is society constructed
- You can only know the meaning by talking to people
Types of logic:
- Inductive logic= Building knowledge from the bottom up through observations of the world, which in turn
provide the basis for developing theories or laws
o Inductive fallacy= probality of being wrong, if your experiences are wrong
London busses are not always red
- Deductive logic= Top-down approach to knowledge. You start with a theory from which a hypothesis is
derived and applied to observations about the world. The hypothesis will then be confirmed or rejected,
thereby strengthening or weakening a theory.
- Retroductive logic= Researcher identifying the structure or mechanisms that may have produced patterns in
the data, trying different models for ‘fit’
- Abductive logic= ‘abducting’ a technical account, using the researchers’ categories, from participants’ own
accounts of everyday activities, ideas or beliefs.
Positivism and the scientific method
Positivism/empiricism= knowledge is produced through senses based on careful observation
- Inductive reasoning is used after data is collected to generalise from empirical instances to general laws
- Reality is unaffected by the research process
- Reality can be known accurately
Post-positivism/Post-empiricism/Falsification= knowledge is produced through testing propositions.
- Propositions= hypotheses about causal relationships are derived from scientific theories and then evaluated
empirically against observations
- Deductive reasoning is used to postulate possible relationships and models before data collection
- Reality is unaffected by the research process
- Reality can be known approcimately
