SOCIAL SCIENCES’ TRANSFORMATION IN LIGHT OF COVID-19

Andreas Ahrens,Jelena Zascerinska

doi:10.17770/er2021.1.6495

Abstract

Transformations in social sciences accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic remain under-explored. The aim of the article is to analyse scientific literature on social sciences’ transformation in light of COVID-19 underpinning the elaboration of implications for teaching a Research Methodology course to the higher education students. The present research work made use of theoretical and empirical methods. The exploratory study was of qualitative nature. The study carried out in April 2021 was based on the analysis of scientific publications selected from the Web of Science and google search by indicating the key words “COVID-19” and “Social sciences’ transformation”. The conclusion is drawn that social sciences’ transformation to the remote conduct is “a new normal” in the conditions of uncertainty. Virtual fieldwork is proposed to be a new qualitative method in social sciences’ research as some populations live mostly in digital environments. Another conclusion is that there is a need for a balance, when composing the empirical study’s sample, between respondents in the digitally divided populations, namely inclusions of both groups’ - digital and non-digital - respondents. Implications for teaching a Research Methodology course to the higher education students are presented. Research limitations are identified. Directions of further research are proposed.

Highlights

The global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly changed people’s lives in an unprecedented way (Ahrens & Zascerinska, 2020)
The social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the population is revealed in uncertainty in economics in regard to copying with COVID-19
The empirical study was enabled by the research question: What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social sciences’ transformation?

Summary

Introduction

The global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly changed people’s lives in an unprecedented way (Ahrens & Zascerinska, 2020). Cultural, public health, economic, political dimensions of people’s lives have been profoundly effected. The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the population (Saladino, Algeri, & Auriemma, 2020). The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching consequences beyond the spread of the disease itself and efforts to quarantine it, including political, cultural, and social implications (Chu, Alam, Larson, & Lin, 2020). The social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the population is revealed in uncertainty in economics in regard to copying with COVID-19. The pandemic COVID-19 has compelled the human society to maintain social distancing (Ahrens et al, 2021).

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion