Discuss the Relationships Between Social Theory and Empirical Research in Relation to One Published Study (Article 1)
Discuss the relationships between social theory and empirical research in relation to one published study (ARTICLE 1)
This essay will be examining the relationship between social theory and empirical research, in doing so we will be using the article written by D’Ovidio, R., Mitman, T. Et al. (2009). To do so we must firstly explain what is meant by sociological theory.
Sociological theory is something that is tested and proven;it attempts to make sense of scientific data or empirical observations collected on human societies. Sociological theory relies on scientific method and is objective it does not presume to judge society.Theory is used for the interpretation of empirical research it is an ‘explanation of observed regularities and helps us understand‘(Alan Bryman, 2088, p6). These theories are ideas that allow knowledge of the social world. Symbolic interactionism, critical theory, functionalism, poststructuralism are examples of some sociological theories.
Empirical research involves testing and is done is such a way that it can be replicated. That means that every procedure is documented so that other researchers can duplicate the study. If other researchers wind up with the same findings, it can be pretty sure that the original study was conclusive at a high level of confidence. Good empirical research involves good sampling methods, well written documentation, and solid analysis of the results. Often, statistical methods are used to determine the degree of confidence that we have in our conclusions.
When researching we embark on empirical and collect data which we then enables us to understand or explain our findings. One must consider a general picture of social life and then research a particular aspect so that we can test the strength of the theory, this is called deduction. According to (Alan Bryman, 2008, p.9) ‘Deductive theory represents the commonest view the nature of the relationship between theory and social research’ research then
This essay will be examining the relationship between social theory and empirical research, in doing so we will be using the article written by D’Ovidio, R., Mitman, T. Et al. (2009). To do so we must firstly explain what is meant by sociological theory.
Sociological theory is something that is tested and proven;it attempts to make sense of scientific data or empirical observations collected on human societies. Sociological theory relies on scientific method and is objective it does not presume to judge society.Theory is used for the interpretation of empirical research it is an ‘explanation of observed regularities and helps us understand‘(Alan Bryman, 2088, p6). These theories are ideas that allow knowledge of the social world. Symbolic interactionism, critical theory, functionalism, poststructuralism are examples of some sociological theories.
Empirical research involves testing and is done is such a way that it can be replicated. That means that every procedure is documented so that other researchers can duplicate the study. If other researchers wind up with the same findings, it can be pretty sure that the original study was conclusive at a high level of confidence. Good empirical research involves good sampling methods, well written documentation, and solid analysis of the results. Often, statistical methods are used to determine the degree of confidence that we have in our conclusions.
When researching we embark on empirical and collect data which we then enables us to understand or explain our findings. One must consider a general picture of social life and then research a particular aspect so that we can test the strength of the theory, this is called deduction. According to (Alan Bryman, 2008, p.9) ‘Deductive theory represents the commonest view the nature of the relationship between theory and social research’ research then
Bibliography: Crow, G., Wiles, R., Heath S., & Vikki Charles ‘Research Ethics and Data Quality: The Implications of Informed Consent’, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 83–95