Social Science Concepts Research Articles

Re-imagining the use of integrated assessment models from a social science perspective - lessons from the sustainable development pathways (SDP)

Abstract Socio-political factors in Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs), and their scenario narratives often lack transparency for policymakers and interdisciplinary scholars. As these tools increasingly support sustainable development goals, their assumptions and methodologies require scrutiny, particularly from social scientists. We address critiques of climate isolationism, overemphasis on technological transitions, and insufficient inter- and transdisciplinarity, advocating for robust interdisciplinary integration and clearer methodological transparency. Our recommendations stem from expert interviews and over 200 stakeholders across 30 countries from 2019 to 2024, emphasizing the need for cohesive theory and comprehensive social science engagement to refine these critical tools.
Our main case study uses a new scenario set, the Sustainable Development Pathways (SDPs), that made substantial efforts to address social sciences critiques. The SDPs consist of both narratives and IAM-quantified target-seeking scenarios that are supported by social science concepts and theories to ensure not only theoretical coherence, but also their credibility among policymakers. As such tools are increasingly used to facilitate policies and actions for sustainability transformation, questions are raised about how they can effectively represent the complexities behind the current polycrisis that is marked by the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, economic inequality and social injustice. 
The paper concludes by reflecting on the remaining challenges and open questions related to the role of exogenous sociopolitical factors, the potential for scenarios to transcend political ideologies, and the need for ongoing adaptation of SDPs to reflect the dynamic global context. It calls for continued engagement and exploration of these issues to ensure the scientific representation of sustainable and equitable futures.

KONSEP ILMU SOSIAL PROFETIK DAN RELEVANSINYA TERHADAP PENDIDIKAN AGAMA ISLAM TELAAH PEMIKIRAN KUNTOWIJOYO

Abstract: The study aims to determine how Kuntowijoyo thinks about the concept of prophetic social science and its relevance to Islamic religious education. The type of research used is Library Research, where the data sources are generated from various literature from books, articles or scientific papers written by Kuntowijoyo, and others that are related to a problem to be discussed. The results of the study indicate that prophetic social science has three main values, namely: (1) Humanization related to the formation of attitudes, morals and personality of a person in order to reduce acts of violence (2) Liberation, liberation to be able to open the horizons of thought of students (3) Transcendence, will lead to the ideals of prophetic ethics desired by Kuntowijoyo. Returning human nature to God through Islamic religious education with a monotheistic approach in order to become a stronger and more responsible person, where the three values ​​are relevant to Islamic religious education.

A conceptual typology of energy citizenship

Energy citizenship is viewed as playing an essential role in the transition towards sustainable energy systems on a national and global scale. However, as a social science concept it is rather fuzzy and insufficiently elaborated. This paper proposes a conceptual typology of energy citizenship that aims for a balance between various competing understandings, in full awareness of ontological and disciplinary differences. The identification of conceptual dimensions and categories for the typology is based on a thorough literature research in the fields of energy social sciences and political sciences, resulting in the formulation of ten ideal types. In a next step, the conceptual typology was empirically tested and substantiated by mapping 596 cases of energy citizenship across Europe. This article presents the conceptual background of the typology and describes the ten ideal-types, highlighting conceptual characteristics, and illustrating them with salient examples. The conceptual typology captures the breadth of energy citizenship, encompassing both existing and possible types. It can be used by practitioners in the design of initiatives and/or policies acknowledging the various possible contributions of energy citizenship to a more sustainable, just and democratic energy system, and in social science studies on transformative social innovations, (dis)empowerment and “knowings of governance”.

Political Correctness and Education: The case of the primary education trade unionists of Thessaloniki - Greece

In recent years in Greece, the term political correctness has increasingly appeared in the media, in social networks and in academia. As with other social science concepts, there is no consensus among those who use the term.In the first part of this paper, we explore the historical development of the concept of political correctness, the different meanings given to it by those who use it and set out in detail our own approach. In the second part we present a research, the purpose of which was to investigate the views of the members of the boards of the teachers' associations of primary education in Thessaloniki on political correctness in education.The strategy of our research was the Case Study, and the research technique was the semi-structured interview. Our research participants were thirty-five (35) male and female members of the Thessaloniki school boards.According to the results, most of the teachers who took part in our research are aware of the concept of political correctness, use politically correct language and consider that the curriculum of primary education should be improved a lot and change the way it presents the "different" social, ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic groups.

Application of Digital Literacy-Based Learning Media to Improve Students' Understanding of Concepts in Social Sciences Subjects

This research aims to increase students' understanding of concepts in Social Sciences (IPS) subjects through the application of digital literacy-based learning media in class VIII of SMP Negeri 3 Belo. The research background shows that social studies learning is still centred on teachers with students who tend to be passive, resulting in a lack of understanding of the material, especially those that require memorization. The research method used was Classroom Action Research (PTK) with research subjects of 29 students. This research involved two cycles of action with results showing a significant increase in students' conceptual understanding after implementing digital literacy-based learning media. In cycle I, action I, only 41.93% of students completed it, but this increased to 100% in cycle II, action II. The average student score also increased from 52.19 before the research to 82.52 after the research. The results of this research show that digital literacy-based learning media is effective in increasing students' conceptual understanding and can be applied not only to social studies subjects but also to other subjects at various levels of education.

Character Education in Korean Military

Purpose: This article is intended as a suggestion for the direction that the military character education system should pursue, which is suitable for changing the values of the young generation to the essential values of the military while respecting democratic values. The existing understanding and approaches to the military character education, which has been limited to solving the problems related to interpersonal relationships and military service adaptation within the group he or she belongs, must now be converted into a consistent system that meets the original purpose of military. The new military culture must respect the individuality of its members while integrating individual capabilities into the goals of the military organization. The changes of military culture should begin with changes in the aim and the methods of character education implemented in the military. Method: In that the concept of a soldier's character itself implies intersubjective universality, we would like to examine this article through Weber's ideal type (Idealtypus), which is a social scientific research methodology concepts, a standard concept established based on intrinsic values and universal standards to recognize the diverse and fluid social and cultural phenomena. Taking some into account the Weber’s assertion, the objective validity of all empirical knowledge is based solely on the fact that a given reality is in a certain sense ordered by subjective categories, this study will be conducted by a qualitative approach with literature analysis and materials review. Ideals are subjectivity, but the causality of those Ideals can be objective. Objectivity is the “intersubjective universality,” which refers to whether one's logical process can be valid or not. Objectivity can only be achieved when a value-neutral attitude is maintained, which Weber calls “value freedom (Werfreiheit).” Results: Despite the fact that the mental attitude based on an individual' value system and the externally manifested behavior are not independent of each other, there has been little interest in the relationship between the character of an individual soldier and his will to fight, to the extent that character and mental power are treated separately in military character education. In order to build a soldier's character with mental combat capabilities, the reason and purpose of the military's existence, or the functional characteristics and attributes of the military, must be reflected in military character education. The fact that, while the behavior pursued by a military organization should be purpose-rational, the desirable behavior required of individual soldiers who are members of the military organization is value-rational behavior must be taken into consideration when constructing a character education system. Conclusion: If the purpose of military character education is presented in line with the legitimate and essential values for which the military must exist, military character education will directly and indirectly contribute to improving military efficiency. For a soldier, his or her character is not simply a way of necessary for the adaptation in his or her barracks life and a kind of good interpersonal relationships in it, but also a moral competency that is demonstrated in the battle or the war he or she may carry out. As Weber defined society as a means/end rationality, military organizations also perform their unique functions and use the most efficient and rational means to achieve their specific end. Just as the means/end rationality destroys old traditions, military character education consistent with military identity can most effectively change military organizations.

Against Common Sense: On the Utopian Aspect of Concepts

AbstractBy supplementing the work of Schutz, the article critically contests the methodological requirement, widely accepted within phenomenological sociology, that social scientific constructs be consistent with the constructs of common-sense experience of social reality. First, the article proposes that insofar as our everyday ways of speaking and thinking perceive the world as consisting of static and self-consistent entities, adhering to the methodological requirement makes research vulnerable to substantialist assumptions. To be able to account for how things change and involve other entities in their make-up therefore ultimately requires going against common sense along the lines of processual-relational thinking. Second, the article suggests that adhering too strictly to the methodological requirement easily renders social scientific concepts reactive and representational, trapped within the present and the actual. Against this, the article argues for a view of concepts as active and creative, stressing their utopian aspects. Social scientific thinking that gravitates towards creation emphasises potentiality and the future instead of perpetuating the actual and the present: it engages with present practices, institutions, and structures for the benefit of the future. Instead of merely describing or representing the social world as it is, its concepts present a challenge to what is, and thereby open up new ways of thinking, acting, and being and potentially “give a new event to things”.

Isolating Others ——Origins, Mechanisms and Evolution

The behavior of isolating others is the alienation of life self-organization of exclusion mechanism. Isolation in modern society has evolved into a daily political game pattern, and isolation, more generally, is a hidden psychological activity. This deep field of social philosophy has yet to be revealed and reflected so far. At the core of isolation is personality denigration, thus indicating the deep origin of the core concept of contemporary social science, “social exclusion”. The group custom of isolating dissidents suppresses the personality and innovation of free individuals and leads to gangs and closed rigidity of the community. Reflecting on and revealing the anti-modernization nature associated with isolation, while simultaneously indicating the institutional and mechanistic construction of China's modernized harmonious society goal. The division of labor and market exchange in modern society contains ethical implications neglected by popular understandings that emphasize individual competition: the differences formed based on functional differentiation and individual liberation in modern society not only stimulate competition, but also create an inherent need for solidarity among individuals in terms of complementary dependence and mutual attraction. The contemporary society centered on information exchange promotes this direction to a universal dependence mechanism. The modern concept of free personality is not individualism but the internal mechanism of collective social cohesion and innovative life. Exclusive isolation and its closed community no longer have the basis of a modern system.

Social Darwinism Revisited: How four critics altered the meaning of a near-obsolete term, greatly increased its usage, and thereby changed social science

Many social scientists still resist Darwinian insights. A possible reason for this is a fear of being associated with Social Darwinism. This article updates a 2002 search for appearances of Social Darwinism in articles and reviews on the JSTOR database. This database has since increased substantially in size, and it now includes far more publications in languages other than English. Use of the term Social Darwinism was rare before the 1940s. Talcott Parsons used it in 1932 to criticise the analytic use of the core Darwinian concepts in social science. Subsequently, and for the first time, Herbert Spencer and Willam Graham Sumner were described as Social Darwinists. This led to a major change of meaning of the term, where it was associated more, but not entirely, with free market individualism. With this reconstructed meaning, a 1944 bestselling book by Richard Hofstadter provoked an explosion of usage of the term in postwar years. The continuing use of the term is partly ideologically motivated and has served to deter consideration of Darwinian ideas in social science.

An Indian perspective on interdisciplinary storylines and science practices in a socio-cultural context

ABSTRACT Context-based STEM learning has been proven to be useful as interdisciplinary storylines to regulate the flow and sequencing of lessons to obtain expected outcomes. This case study pilot project aims to contextualise scientific learning to local culture. Student groups sampled from two schools in distinct social backgrounds, reflected varied Indian population. Pre-service middle school science and social studies teachers conducted eight lessons as an interdisciplinary storyline with a few natural and social science concepts utilising an artefact representing the cultural history of India for seventh-graders. Data were collected through manually recording of students’ responses and products made during class activities; researchers’ observations and pre-service teachers’ feedback about finding solutions to the difficulties faced. In order to address three research questions about socio-cultural context in science-curriculum design, student adoption of 3D learning, and overcoming teachers’ challenges, a thematic analysis of data through the lens of five science practices and one crosscutting concept was performed. This study supported context-based STEM learning for the twenty-first century and strengthened cultural anchoring from an early stage implying the need for teacher professional development, curricular reform, and school infrastructure improvements to support policy implementation. Such researches may be extended to varied sociocultural contexts and discipline combinations to offer broader perspectives.

Microbial markets: socio-economic perspective in studying microbial communities.

Studying microbial communities through a socio-economic lens, this paper draws parallels with human economic transactions and microbes' race for resources. Extending the 'Market Economy' concept of social science to microbial ecosystems, the paper aims to contribute to comprehending the collaborative and competitive dynamics among microorganisms. Created by a multidisciplinary team of an economist, microbiologists, and mathematicians, the paper also highlights the risks involved in employing a socio-economic perspective to explain the complexities of natural ecosystems. Navigating through microbial markets offers insights into the implications of these interactions while emphasizing the need for cautious interpretation within the broader ecological context. We hope that this paper will be a fruitful source of inspiration for future studies on microbial communities.

Spectralities of ADHD: hauntological diagnosis amidst agency, politics and pedagogies

ABSTRACT Hauntology has become an increasingly alluring concept in social sciences to reflect upon everyday life and how subjects dwell upon scenarios pervaded not only by the potency of the actual but also the haunting of the past and the virtual. Drawing on the concept of ‘hauntology’, we inquire about recurring temporalities and spectrality themes concerning the ‘controversial’ diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Chile. Using participant observation and in-depth interviews with health practitioners, teachers, school staff, diagnosed children, and their peers from 3-year-long research, we examine how the performance of the diagnosis by clinicians at times can produce a modification of the temporality of the diagnosed children from that moment forth. Amidst tension created by educational policies, ideas of well-being, pedagogical practices, and everyday living, the diagnosis keeps repeating its agentic capacity while resisting its decay, becoming ever-present and actual. Once cast, the diagnosis acts as a repeating force that can shape every experience, cancelling the possibility for the child to become different by unfolding out of the diagnosis.

Quantifying Americanization: Coverage of American Topics in Different Wikipedias

As one of the most popular sources of information in the world, Wikipedia is edited by a large, global community of contributors. User-generated nature of this online encyclopedia ensures that the information reflects a wide range of topics. Hovewer, Wikipedia articles are created and edited independently in each language version. Therefore, some topics may be presented with varying degrees of completeness depending on their importance in a particular language community. In this paper, we quantified the concept of Americanization on a global scale through comparative analysis of the coverage of American topics in different language versions of Wikipedia. For this purpose, we analyzed over 90 million Wikidata items and 40 million Wikipedia articles in 58 languages. We discussed whether Americanization is more or less dominant in different languages, regions, and cultures. We showed that the interest in American topics is not universal. Western, developed countries are more Americanized (more interested in topics related to America) than the rest of the world. This is the first global, quantitative confirmation of issues often hypothesized, or assumed, in the literature on Americanization and related phenomena. This study shows that Wikipedia and Wikidata can allow quantification of social science concepts that previously were considered not realistically measurable. Finally, the presented research is also relevant to the discourses on the biases of Wikipedia.

OMBUDSMANANCE: A NEW CONCEPT IN SOCIAL SCIENCES ON OMBUDSMAN THEORY

The Ombudsman is a public complaints body established in Sweden in the 18th century. Its main task is to solve public and administrative problems that reach it from citizens. Today, it is applied in almost all countries of the world. In this study, it is planned to reveal the basic building blocks of the grand ombudsman theory at the methodological level. The Ombudsman is an Anglo-Saxon invention that emerged with the Enlightenment and political liberalism. It is also a postmodern auditing paradigm. In fact, ombudsman is related to many different disciplines arising from ombudsman theory. It appears as a newly produced concept in social sciences. It is of great importance for societies in the world to organize themselves within the framework of social morality and justice. According to the results of this study; today, it is accepted that the societies called Anglo-Saxon have a stronger social morality as the cradle of liberal democracy. The study aims to provide a methodological and theoretical expansion of the concept of ombudsmanance by compiling Doğan's previous articles. The method of this research is literature review.

Which History and Social Science Concepts Should Inform Health Professions Education?

Teaching and learning patient advocacy in academic health centers requires critical engagement with social, political, and cultural conceptions of racial difference. This article considers understandings of race and racism typically drawn upon in health care and suggests which historical and social science-based approaches should be used in health professions teaching and learning.

Education, relationships, and place: life choices in the narratives of university master students.

Choice is one of the most roughly defined concepts in contemporary social sciences. Previous studies have elucidated the factors that influence young people's choices in different life situations. However, it is still unclear how young people evaluate these choices and how they integrate them into their biographies. In this study, we examine the narratives of 30 first-year master's students at HSE University with regard to two categories of life choices: those that they perceive as fortunate and those that they perceive as unfortunate. Using a written online survey, the data was collected in the spring of 2022. To categorize the different decision kinds, thematic analysis was applied. Overall, we discovered that narratives about the life choices made by master students concentrated on education, relationships and place.

PBL-Based Google Sites Enhance Social Studies Understanding among PGSD Students: An Experimental Study

Understanding the concept is a competence that prospective elementary school teachers must possess. However, the understanding of the social studies concept of PGSD students is still relatively low. Therefore, an innovation is needed to solve this problem. This study aims to analyze whether the application of PBL-based Google Sites can enhance student’ understanding of social studies concepts. The research method used was Quasi-Experimental with a Non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The study subjects used two groups selected as the experimental group and the control group. Data collection techniques are used in the form of tests and observations. As for data analysis using normality test, homogeneity test and independent samples t-test. To see an increase in students' understanding of social studies concepts after conducting experiments with the N-Gain test. The results of the independent samples test showed that the use of PBL-based Google Sites was more effective than learning that did not use PBL-based Google Sites with a difference in the N-Gain calculation results of 15.29% in increasing understanding of social science concepts for PGSD students. It was concluded that the implementation of PBL-based Google Sites could improve students' understanding of social studies concepts.

Kurangnya Pemahaman Tentang Konsep Dasar Ilmu Sosial Di Jenjang Sekolah Menengah

Lack of understanding of basic social science concepts at secondary school level is a serious challenge in developing students' knowledge and skills in society, nation and state. The basic concepts of social science, which include aspects such as social processes, social interaction, and social contact, are an important foundation in Social Sciences (IPS) in schools. The interdisciplinary approach to social studies covers various points of study, such as basic concepts of sociology, history, geography, economics, anthropology and political science. However, along with the complexity of the material, there are factors that cause students' lack of understanding of basic social science concepts at the secondary school level. Causative factors include teaching methods that are less effective, such as using only discussion methods without adequate explanation of the material.

Human centricity and technology advances research in social sciences: A literature insight on artificial intelligence

Abstract Evolving technology and human-machine interaction are two major stances that question human centricity as a core dimension for the future placement of human variables and social perspectives inside intelligent systems. The present paper explores present challenges and an up to date research synthesis concerning social sciences dimensions, theories, concepts and implementation with regard to the study of human centred artificial intelligence. The main scope consists of drawing several red lines for future research and theoretical social insights on artificial intelligence at work. Following a scholarly literature insight and several reference works, the study explores major topics of interest analysed so far and proposes new directions for the evaluation of human variables and machine learning at work in an organizational setting. Results showed there is a vital need for expanding research from human centricity point of view on the present matter, where studies are still scarce and heterogenous. Moreover, concept clarification and theoretical explanations are yet to be sufficient in explaining people interactions and management of artificial intelligence at the workplace. In conclusion human empowerment at work through ethical and person oriented intelligent systems in a given organizational context can ensure a fair and efficient development of people’s skills, professional objectives or level of performance while promoting human values, ethical principles and preserving the well-being. The paper presents also several practical implications of social sciences domain on artificial intelligence exploration and a few future directions for research.

Teaching social science aspects of space: A transdisciplinary approach

Space science and engineering courses are part of the core curriculum at many universities, but increasingly, schools are beginning to offer courses on economic, policy, and other social science aspects of space activity. These courses can provide context for students; helping them to understand the environment in which programmatic and technical decisions are made. They can also act as a concrete method for understanding core social science concepts from economics, international affairs, and other fields. Interviews with individuals teaching such courses show that these courses tend to address multiple disciplinary perspectives, and in many cases, these courses take a problem-focused approach, using social science theories and methods to understand real-world challenges and identify potential solutions. Many also emphasize student engagement and participation. These characteristics align with a transdisciplinary approach to teaching, and this article examines how space courses can be situated within this context. An examination of course goals and teaching methods provides insight into the range of approaches that instructors use to organize and run these courses and how these efforts relate to theories on transdisciplinary teaching more broadly.