Social Science Knowledge Research Articles

On the Digital Age from Humanistic Psychology

Facing the digital age, mankind is facing new nodes in the social and psychological fields. The emergence of Internet addiction, depression associated with excessive use of equipment and the loss of real space conducive to increasing virtuality, coupled with the depletion of natural resources, have warned about health and lifestyle in society. Fast and direct life seems to place people in new spaces, and the impact of these spaces is still beyond the knowledge of social science. It is here that humanistic psychology, which officially appeared in 1961, can give us a more humanized face. Returning to human experience, emotion, personal values and sense of self-realization can lay a foundation for new thinking to reveal current problems. That is why the purpose of this work is to point out some problems in the digital age and then teach them the views provided by humanistic psychology in order to revitalize efforts to achieve a healthier life among individuals and in the environment.

Penerapan Metode Snowball Throwing Berbantuan Media Audio Visual dalam Meningkatkan Hasil Belajar IPS Siswa Kelas IV

The purpose of this study was to determine the improvement of students social science knowledge competence through conventional learning methods with the Snowball Throwing learning method assisted by audio-visual media in fourth grade students of SDN Banjarpanji. This research is included in classroom action research (CAR) with two cycles. The subjects of this study were fourth grade students at SDN Banjarpanji. The number of fourth grade students at SDN Banjarpanji is 13 students. Data collection techniques used in this study were observation, interviews, documentation, and tests. The results obtained from the pre-cycle activities showed that the percentage of classical learning completeness was 30.7%. Cycle I with the percentage of classical learning completeness 38.4%, while in the second cycle the percentage of classical learning completeness is 100%. To compare two paired samples, the researcher used Paired Sample T-Test as data analysis. It can be seen that there is a significant difference between the two learning methods of 0.237. Thus, it can be concluded that the Snowball Throwing learning method assisted by audio-visual media can improve social studies learning outcomes for fourth grade students at SDN Banjarpanji.

Studies in the Experience of Philosophical and Anthropological Analysis of Digital Education in the Realm of Digital Technologies

The article deals with the problem of the influence of the digitalization of education on human consciousness and the development trends of modern society. The main approaches of modern philosophy to the formation processes of the world educational space are under research. The authors set themselves the goal of identifying the most important consequences of these processes for human consciousness and the evolution of society. The article discusses the impact of digital education on the structure and functions of traditional educational institutions and the modern human consciousness; attention is paid to the consequences of the digitalization of education for such a historically established social group as the professional intelligentsia (clerisy). The analysis of the problem concludes that a fundamentally new model of the transmission of social experience and scientific knowledge is emerging in the modern world educational space. Traditional educational institutions like schools and universities are giving way to a whole system of network structures. This process is accompanied by the deinstitutionalization of education, the departure of education from some of its historical functions, such as the reproduction of the traditional worldview, the decline in the social status of a university diploma, and the transformation of the clerisy.

Placing people at the heart of climate action

Profound societal change along with continued technical improvements will be required to meet our climate goals, as well as to improve people’s quality of life and ensure thriving economies and ecosystems. Achieving the urgent and necessary transformations laid out in the recently published IPCC report will require placing people at the heart of climate action. Tackling climate change cannot be achieved solely through technological breakthroughs or new climate models. We must build on the strong social science knowledge base and develop a more visible, responsive and interdisciplinary-oriented social science that engages with people and is valued in its diversity by decision-makers from government, industry, civil society and law. Further, we need to design interventions that are both effective at reducing emissions and achieve wider societal goals such as wellbeing, equity, and fairness. Given that all climate solutions will involve people in one way or another, the social sciences have a vital role to play.

A Study on the Connotation Remodeling of Science and Technology Vocabulary Based on the Application of Knowledge Graphs

Disruptive Technology is also often translated as disruptive technology or breakthrough technology, which was first proposed by Professor Christensen of Harvard Business School in 1990s. Nowadays, the competition among countries is increasingly fierce, especially in the field of science and technology, which often leads to the backwardness and impoverishment of the whole industry due to the technological gap. Today, with the rapid consumption of social resources, social and economic development urgently needs disruptive technologies to promote industrial transformation, optimize economic structure and improve people’s quality of life. Countries that master disruptive technologies can open up new industrial development paths and lay a foundation for unique technological advantages, thus bringing huge technological dividends to national economic development. Visuwords is a knowledge graph application platform, through which the meaning and semantic association of words can be visualized. This study takes the word “famished” as an example to analyze the relationship between its new connotation and original meaning to verify its feasibility at the communication level. Today’s social science knowledge in the general public needs to be disseminated from the original relatively obscure and academic to an easily acceptable form. This study applies the idea of scientific popularization to a knowledge graph visualization tool, while using the connotation of linguistic ideas to analyze and deconstruct specific wordsThe study combines the connotation concept of linguistics with the disciplinary tools in the field of knowledge graph, and specifically analyzes the role of scientific terms, especially some abbreviations, in the mass science communication.

The Lived Nile: Environment, Disease, and Material Colonial Economy in Egypt by Jennifer L. Derr

<i>The Lived Nile: Environment, Disease, and Material Colonial Economy in Egypt</i> by Jennifer L. Derr

How to Study Child Sexual Abuse Within the Institutional Framework? The Experience of the Catholic Church in Poland

Sexual abuse as a manifestation of personality disorders and a crime is shaped and committed in a specific social environment. The Institute for Catholic Church Statistics was the first in Poland to undertake systematic research on the problem of child sexual abuse. The scope of this research concerns the acts committed within Catholic organizations by priests and religious. In this chapter, we present Polish research on abuse and characterize the organizational framework of the Catholic Church in Poland. We highlight the public importance of research on child sexual abuse by priests. The focus of the chapter, however, is devoted to the methodological issues of quantitative sociological research on the sexual abuse of minors within Catholic organizations. We discuss the basic assumptions, methods and scope of collected data that concerns Poland. In an accessible and understandable way for a reader who has no knowledge of social sciences, we ­explain how the facts of child abuse by priests and religious are studied in Poland.

Towards a Better Understanding of Social-Ecological Systems for Basin Governance: A Case Study from the Weihe River Basin, China

Promoting sustainable development of the river basin ecosystem is important for improving human ecological environment. Thus, prior knowledge of natural and social sciences on the integration of natural, economic, and social factors related to rivers should be assimilated to improve river basin governance. This study uses a social-ecological systems (SES) framework to diagnose key factors affecting the governance of the Weihe River Basin, ranging from the social, economic, and political context to related ecosystems, watershed resource systems, watershed management system, and watershed governance actors’ five subsystems. Further, corresponding countermeasures are proposed for the problems found during our diagnosis. The results of this study show that applying an SES framework to the diagnosis and analysis of river basin governance integrates the research results of different disciplines and fields. Thus, this study is helpful in identifying and proposing the key impact variables related to river basin management to establish a comprehensive management counterplan.

Tension in Interpretations of the Social Impact of the Social Sciences: Walking a Tightrope Between Divergent Conceptualizations of Research Utilization

In Finland, the discussion surrounding the impact of research on society has continued for two decades without a consensus on how impact should be part of research evaluation. In this paper, I examine the conceptions of social impact in the field of social sciences from the perspectives of policy authors and academics by reviewing policy documents and conducting semi-structured interviews with 14 policy advisors, evaluation experts, and faculty professors. The policy data sets are from 2003 to 2018, the period in which the Finnish discussion on research impact has been the most active. Interpretivist notions on the social impact of the social sciences argue that representations of social impact derive from juxtapositional conceptions of how social science knowledge is part of society. Grounded theory techniques were used to analyze policy artifacts and stakeholder interviews. I identified five interpretative frames. These are impact governance, operationalization of impact, politicization of research utilization, guiding arrangements, and social impact of the social sciences. A key finding is that policy advisors and academic experts tend to integrate divergent vocabularies of research utilization and its evaluation, resulting in uncertainty about the conceptualization and operationalization of impact. Integrity of research utilization in research policy and research evaluation could increase the social capacity of the social sciences by helping to understand the conceptual contribution of these fields to public policies and public discussion.

Dialogues or polemics: Social science expertise and welfare reform in Quebec

AbstractThe development of social assistance and poverty reduction policies has been informed by social scientific knowledge. Social scientists, however, are not of one mind on such matters. They tend to be divided along disciplinary and ideological lines and may even foster political divisions and conflicts. This article draws on the author's experience as an academic policy adviser to the Quebec government to analyse from up close the institutional context that facilitates knowledge utilisation in the policy process. Two reform processes are considered: the first one, between 1995 and 1998, was less collaborative and led to divisions, and the second, between 1997 and 2009, involved more interactions with the civil service and proved more fruitful. In both cases, experts were divided, as were politicians and civil servants, but their capacity to reach a consensus was fostered, in the second case, by better support and collaboration from the government.

Phronesis at the Human-Earth Nexus: Managed Retreat

This study explores how experiences from the current pandemic can inform societal responses to future climate change. To that end, an established philosophical concept of geoscientific insights (geoethics) is utilized to advice on governance under systemic uncertainty that, in turn, is a critical feature of complex-adaptive dynamics. Illustrative examples are the Covid-19 health pandemic and the impact of the global sea-level rise to threatening heights in the early 22nd Century. The term “geoethics” labels an emergent geo-philosophical school of thought rooted in geoscience expertise. When combined with contemporary political philosophies, geoethics leads to a geo-philosophical framework that can support adaptation to complex-adaptive dynamics by favoring multi-agent and context-depending processes (e.g., learning-by-doing). The proposed geo-philosophical framework merges geoethics with the political philosophies of H. Jonas (1903–1993), L. Kohlberg (1927–1987), and M. Bunge (1919–2020). These contemporary philosophies emphasize as relevant for achieving a modern caretaking society, respectively, “the hierarchy of societal coordination processes,” “the intergenerational responsibility of agents of change,” and “the balancing of individual wellbeing (happiness) and duties.” When these philosophies are combined with geoethics, a logical approach can be derived for policy design and decision-making. It emphasizes the “autonomy” (of the human agent) combined with a civic culture that favors “trustworthiness,” “scientific culture.” and a “culture of inclusive justice.” We argue that governance of adaptation to complex-adaptive dynamics (e.g., climate change impact) can be informed by the geo- and society-centric perspectives of the proposed geo-philosophical framework. It can address “Human Earth Nexus” governance issues using the knowledge of both natural and social sciences and applying the lens of geoethical thinking.

The difficulty of making claims to knowledge in social science

This paper considers three common types of claim to research knowledge, and the relative difficulty of making each type of claim in an empirically and logically justified manner. Before this, the paper looks at some more general issues often raised when discussing knowledge in social science, such as the nature of truth and justified belief, the existence of “isms” and paradigms treated like fashion accessories that one can adopt or not at will, and the intrinsic limitations of how we get to know about the “stuff” we might want to make research claims about. The idea of this early section is to remove some potential obstacles, before arguing that none of these issues is relevant to the rest of the paper about the nature of claims in their most generic form, independent of things like specific methods of data collection.&#x0D; &#x0D; The first type of claim we identify is a fully descriptive one that only summarises the data observed. This is the easiest and safest kind of claim, but even these might suffer from non-random errors and inaccuracies. However, their biggest limitation is their lack of any wider utility. The second kind of claim is a generally descriptive one that makes statements about unobserved data on the basis of a fully descriptive claim. Here we meet Hume’s problem of induction. These claims have two parts, and the inductive part cannot seemingly be justified by logic, inferential statistics (whether Fisher or Neyman-Pearson style), Carnap’s inductive probabilities, or even necessarily by Popper’s falsification process. The third type is a causal claim, which we argue must also be a general claim. We develop a model, based on the work of Mill and Bradford-Hill, of what a plausible causal claim entails. But it still has all of the problems emerging from the first two types of claim, and adds a further problem created by our inability to assess causes directly. The paper concludes by suggesting how social science can proceed most safely in practice.&#x0D;

6 - The History of Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR) and her Place in the Study of the Social Sciences in Africa

Following the research steps of the Rhodes-Livingstone Institute which started in 1937, three new research institutes were formed in the British Empire viz. The East African Institute of Social Research (later re-named Makerere Institute of Social Research [MISR]); The West African Institute of Social Research (WAISER) and the West Indies Institute of Social Research (WIISR). This expansion in knowledge production had its own logic and history as well as links to the deepening studies in social sciences, especially anthropology. Over the years, the Institute at Makerere has continued with a fledgling relationship with Makerere University with which it shares a history since 1948. We attempt to place the institute within a history; a history of social science knowledge production; a history of an endogenous institute attempting to attain indigeneity and space.

3 - Sociology of Knowledge in the Era of Academic Dependency in Africa: Issues and Prospects

In recent years, sociology of knowledge – especially in terms of knowledge production, circulation and consumption – has been dominated by the global North, leaving the Third World, Africa included, in a dependent position. Many scholars have described this continued academic dependence as part of overall colonial and postcolonial relations between the centre and periphery, where the former is seen as the thinker, actor and speaker for the latter. There have been various critical agitations for the indigenisation of (social science) knowledge in order to liberate the Third World from the academic dependence that has been in force since the period of African colonisation. This critical review article summarises major contributions and different dimensions of the academic dependency paradigm within the social sciences. The relevance of social science on the continent of Africa, the nature and origin of academic dependence, as well as key areas that require adequate attention for the emancipation of social science knowledge in Africa are discussed. A reinvention of African scholarship is vitally important for epistemic freedom from intellectual dependence. African countries should not give up their exclusive local practices and norms, and must document and preserve them for the present and future generations. They must generate ideas, terminologies and research technologies that are amenable to African social realities.

Pupils' attitudes to formative assessment in sciences class

This paper discusses formative assessment in Sciences class, which integrates the knowledge of natural and social sciences. In formative assessment there are two different assessment processes – assessment for learning and assessment as learning. Both approaches value the idea of students’ individual progress, and they have a pedocentric orientation. The paper focuses on assessment techniques used in class, which is operationalised in the empirical section of the paper. We established a hierarchical structure of offered techniques according to the criterium of usefulness. The students expressed their views on the process of self-evaluation and peer-evaluation in four dimensions (liking, difficulty, help with learning and discomfort). The approach to research is quantitative. The results show that the techniques we can find at the bottom of the hierarchy are the techniques which require a more complex cognitive deliberation. There is a positive attitude towards self-evaluation and peer-evaluation. In establishing the difference between attitudes in the dimension of help with learning there is a lack of recognition of the potential of peer-evaluation. This paper confirms the importance of formative assessment and points to the need for further research.

The Utility of Pragmatism in Educational Research

This article seeks to address why the pragmatic approach is of utility to the educational researcher. The article’s objectives will address the major contributory thinkers of Peirce, James, and Dewey, and demonstrate why pragmatism is not an epistemology but best considered a methodological approach, and why it is thus, suited to the utility of both quantitative and qualitative methodology and method. It will do this first, by reviewing such arguments in 2 sections: in the first, I will introduce the philosophical assumptions & beliefs relevant in the role of knowledge acquisition, whilst explaining the key theoretical beliefs of the 3 classic pragmatists. I will then summarise how it is not considered an epistemological approach; albeit the approach demonstrates ontological and epistemological awareness. In the second half of the article, I will explore through the logic of justification why it is most beneficial as a methodology. The article fundamentally addresses, through example of an educational research inquiry—how pragmatic methodology does not merely reduce all that is known and experienced to binary assumption for the researcher, like its epistemic competitors. But by evaluating social scientific knowledge via reflexivity and quantitative methods, research thus, becomes a social endeavour—for the practitioner & researcher alike. The article will also conclude noting such distinction between Peircean pragmatic method and that of more contemporary theorists, whilst challenging why the former is most suitable for the investigative pragmatic researcher.

Carbon Neutrality Policies and Technologies: A Scientometric Analysis of Social Science Disciplines

Carbon neutrality, or “net zero”, has become the impact assessment project of human impact on Earth, increasingly structured to examine the implications, for the environment and people, of proposed actions and consequences of inaction. International and local collaboration efforts have been made with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality or “net-zero” emissions; thus, policies and technological innovations have been developed. Such impact-oriented risk assessment and control efforts amount to carbon-neutral pathways. Although such pathways may diverge in terms of energy, resources, and cost, it is critical to summarize essential and promising preparatory work on related policies and technologies to inform both policy-makers and social scientists to take actions. Through a scientometric analysis and systematic review of the latest social science literature, the study identified the size, scope and exemplar work for each social science discipline on carbon neutrality, based on 907 articles collected in early 2021 from the Web of Science database. This study reveals a set of disciplines focusing on certain common and distinct aspects of carbon neutrality. By outlining the possibilities and application areas for future research and policy development for socio-technical transition towards a net-zero or post-carbon future, this study has contributed to the understanding of the global efforts to achieve a clearer and viable carbon-neutral pathway. In conclusion, as many aspects of the planet and humans have become datafied, digitized, and networked, carbon neutrality, as the ecological indicator that guide human production and consumption patterns, must take on a central role in guiding our conscious green digital transformation of many political, economic, social and psychological aspects of our societies according to the existing and emerging social science knowledge.

Predictors and effects of scientific knowledge

PurposeScientific knowledge has been a topic of interest for scholars for a long time; however, its impact on scientific decision- making and determining trust is severely underresearched. This study is aimed at determining the relationship between cultural and social attitudes and scientific knowledge and the impact of knowledge on trust in scientists in general.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a face-to-face survey, drawing from a nationally representative sample of the adult Serbian population (N = 1,451). The authors tested the following parameters: a. the levels of scientific knowledge within the Serbian population; b. social and cultural values as predictors of scientific knowledge and c. the effects of scientific knowledge on trust in scientists.FindingsThe analysis shows a moderate level of scientific knowledge, predominantly positive public attitudes towards scientists. The authors found that scientific knowledge indeed predicts trust in scientists on various issues, and so do cultural and social worldviews, both directly and even more significantly through the mediation of scientific knowledge.Originality/valueThis is the first attempt to assess the level of scientific knowledge among the Serbian public and evaluate its, as well as other factors', influence on public attitudes toward scientists in a time when trusting experts is of great relevance.

The Pandemic beyond the Pandemic: A Scoping Review on the Social Relationships between COVID-19 and Antimicrobial Resistance.

The social sciences are essential to include in the fight against both public health challenges of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and COVID-19. In this scoping review, we document what social science knowledge has been published about the social relationship between COVID-19 and AMR and which social science interventions are suggested to address this social relationship. We analysed 23 peer-reviewed articles published between 2019 and 2021. Results emphasize that changes in antibiotic prescription behaviour, misinformation, over-burdened health systems, financial hardship, environmental impact and gaps in governance might increase the improper access and use of antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing AMR. The identified social sciences transformation strategies include social engagement and sensitisation, misinformation control, health systems strengthening, improved infection prevention and control measures, environmental protection, and better antimicrobial stewardship and infectious diseases governance. The review emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary research in addressing both AMR and COVID-19.

Trust: interdiscursive analysis of the phenomenon

This article provides a theoretical analysis of the phenomenon of trust from the perspective of basic humanities: sociology, economics, law, etc. The subject of this research is the basic components of trust in the context of vast field of knowledge in social sciences and humanities. Research methodology employs multi-paradigm approach towards analyzing modern transformations of trust from preindustrial to postindustrial society. The author applies cross-disciplinary and comprehensive analysis of various forms and types of trust existing in modern world. The article considers the theoretical approaches towards studying trust that are characteristic to the foreign sociological thought, from the theory of social action and the social system to social and human capital. The novelty lies in determination of the common and specific within the basic divisions of knowledge in the context of the analysis of trust as the framework phenomenon of efficient functioning of modern society through the prism of contemporary domestic and foreign authors. Description is give to indicative components of trust; a;; levels of its efficient functioning are summarized. The author reveals the major barriers that cause crisis and a low culture of trust in the modern post-Soviet space. The conclusion is made that at the macro-level, trust encourages an individual to productive social integration and effective activity for the good of society. The macro-level of functionality of trust substantiated the effectiveness of political and social institutions, which serves as the criterion for the level of the development of democracy and civil society. The persistence of trust is determined by the historical dynamics of social development, as well as depends on its cultural and national components.