Social Science Research Helper

Need a hand with designing your research?

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Are you finding it challenging to confidently design your social science research?

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Sort of, I'm curious...

Well, your search for getting help choosing the right research method ends here!

This tool is for you my fellow researcher, a helping hand for the discerning scholar such as yourself who will settle for nothing less than choosing a solid research method and methodology...Ok, sort of. I'm just an App. But don't judge me.

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But before we get started, this is important. Do you remember the difference between METHOD and METHODOLOGY?

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Method should describe how you gather and process your data.

Method should be a description of what you are doing to get the data, your step-by-step procedure of collecting the information and how you process it.

This should be clearly explained so that your peers can understand how you arrived at amassing the data. Peers may wish to replicate your study and validate or refute the results and significance with their own data. This is important as replication studies can reinforce the validity or lack thereof in research designs and outcomes.

Methods should practicably include everything you used (equipment/facilities), where you did it (location/time) and how (process/procedure).

For example, you might list the software, facilities, computers and equipment used to gather and process your data, describing in detail your work-flow while listing the times and locations you used certain facilities and with whom.

Carefully log everything you do towards your research. Keep a record of every search term and keyword, when and where you go (online and offline) and with whom, from your research routine.

The gold standard is that if you or someone else had to redo your research using your exact methods, they’d get the same or significantly similar types of data.

Methodology should describe why you choose to gather and process the data the way you do.

Method-ology translated directly means the study (scientific field/school of thought) of the logic (reasoning) behind your chosen methods.
Your methodology description might be supported by concepts (ideas) and theories (beliefs) of other researchers who’ve developed or popularized a unique research method approach and perspective.

It might also include your own prevailing world view and epistemology (knowledge theory) as a part rationalizing your choice of data gathering and justifying your belief that your choice of data processing is suitable to your study.

Methodologies are numerously abundant and new methodologies and their variations are being invented all the time.

Ok smarty! (optional)

That's a technical term...

So you already know;

Method should describe how you gather and process your data.

Methodology should describe why you choose to gather and process the data the way you do

What do you want to find out? (through your research)

Why people do something

What people think about something

What/How people do something

Why some people do/did what they do/did

Historically? (in the past)

Right Now? (in the present, currently)

What people think/thought about something

Historically? (in the past)

Right Now? (in the present, currently)

What or How people did/do something

Historically? (in the past)

Right Now? (in the present, currently)

Ok, You'll want to perform QUALITATIVE DATA collection. Here are some options:

Conduct a Literature Review (Search for and collect documents and media about your topic)

Meta-analysis (Search for a collate the results of related studies to generate a new resulting insight)

Systematic Review (A full comprehensive search and review of related studies from a period of time)

Ok, You'll want to perform QUALITATIVE DATA collection through survey. Here are some options:

Conduct a Questionairres (Collect answers to questions from people on your chosen topic)

Interviews (Conduct structured or semi-structured interviews either face to face or remotely)

Focus Groups (observe and question people in groups instead of one-at-at-time)

or You'll want to perform QUANTITATIVE DATA collection of NUMERICAL VALUES of features/variables of people activity. Here are some options:

Record values about people/activities (Which you find in the literature-on your chosen theme)

Observe and quantify people activities (either face to face or remotely)

Take Neurological/Bio-physical Measurements (of people performing activites)

Mixed-Methods? You might like to combine the two Data Collection Methods Quanititative & Qualitative! (optional)

Methodological worldviews (Philosophies) from which you might anchor your study approach and Methodology (optional)

Positivism: Determinism, Reductionism, Empirical Observation and Measurement, Theory Verification

Constructivism: Understanding, Multiple Participant Meanings, Theory Generation

Transformative: Political, Power and Justice Oriented, Collaborative, Change-oriented

Pragmatism: Consequences of Actions, Problem-centered, Pluralstic, Real-world Practice Oriented

John W. Creswell, JDC 2018, Research Design, Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches 5th Edition, 5th edn, Sage.

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