Chapter 2Paradigms, Theory, And Research

Some Social Science Paradigms Two Logical Systems Revisited Deductive Theory Construction Inductive Theory Construction The Links Between Theory and Research The Importance of Theory in the “Real World”

Three Functions of Theory

Prevents "flukes“. Make sense of observed patterns in ways that

suggest other possibilities. Shapes and directs research efforts.

Social Science Paradigms

Positivism - assumes we can scientifically discover the rules governing social life.

Conflict - focuses on attempts of a person or group to dominate and avoid being dominated.

Social Science Paradigms

Symbolic interactionism - examines development of shared meanings and social patterns in the course of social interactions.

Ethnomethodology - focuses on how people make sense of life while they are living it.

Social Science Paradigms

Structural functionalism - focuses on the functions the elements of society perform for the whole system of society.

Feminist paradigms - examines how previous images of social reality have often come from and reinforced the experiences of men.

Traditional Model of Science

Theory Operationalization Observation

Conducting a Deductive Theory

1. Specify the topic.

2. Specify the range of phenomena your theory addresses.

3. Identify and specify your major concerns and variables.

Conducting a Deductive Theory

4. Find out what is known about the relationships among the variables.

5. Reason from those propositions to the topic you are interested in.

Constructing an Inductive Theory

1. Observe aspects of social life.

2. Discover patterns that point to universal principles.

Linking Theory and Research

Deduction - deriving expectations or hypotheses from theories.

Induction - developing generalizations from specific observations.