Social Science Practice Research Articles

Opening windows: embracing new perspectives and practices in natural resource social sciences

Opening windows: embracing new perspectives and practices in natural resource social sciences

Evidence-based social science: why, what, and future implications

Mankind has always relied on “practical wisdom” in the sense of Aristotle to change people and society. However, practical wisdom is difficult to accumulate and pass on from generation to generation. Therefore, although “natural engineering” that is consistent with “natural technology” can be used effectively to transform the natural world, using “practical wisdom” to change people and society remains difficult. Solving this dilemma requires an effective means to separate “social science”, “social technology”, and “social engineering” to accumulate and inherit “knowledge of changing people and society” similar to other types of scientific knowledge. Today, the prevailing evidence-based social science is the opposition and unity of laws of nature and free will, truth-seeking and goodness-pursuing, individual wisdom and collective wisdom, autonomy and supervision, the universal and the special in practice. The emergence of this concept allows for the possibility to enhance the effectiveness of social science practice.

Chasing balloons as scientific practice: On transformative cocreation and epistemic ethics of care in the emerging field of youth citizen social science

How does including youth in research within a citizen social science framework challenge and transform our participatory action research practices and approaches? Through a storying journey we unravel how the training and subsequent conducting of a co-creative research process with young citizen social scientists are evolving from a cacophony of traditions, approaches and disciplines, among them youth participatory action research, action research in organizations, citizen science and social anthropology. The article is based on empirical research with a group of young people in Oslo, Norway, involved in a large collaborative citizen social science project on social inclusion of youth in Europe. We have witnessed closely how an epistemic ethics of care is integral to securing the epistemic justice of youth and argue that citizen social science can promote both epistemic justice and epistemic abundance by including youth in all parts of a rigorous research process that produces new scientific knowledge. Yet, we found that performing an ethics of care is (close to) impossible within the current conditions and structures of social sciences, as our ideals and views on what science is, delimit the practices of relational care necessary for inclusive processes. The implications of our findings call for an ethics of care framework for both citizen social science and action research practices.

Evidence-Based Social Sciences and Practices: A Scoping Review

Introduction: The evidence-based medicine (EBM) was introduced in the 1990s, paving the way for the new approaches to science methodology and research evidence that changed medicine-related practices. Following the EBM, social sciences ranging from education to public governance and policymaking entered a new stage of knowledge production and dissemination. Each evidence-based social science field produces its own evidence and evidence synthesis laying the foundation for efficient social practices. Pilot searches failed to bring complex and complete evidence-based methodology for social sciences. Purpose: This scoping review aims to identify the scope of the evidence-based social sciences and practices as an emerging field. Method: The review adhered to the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews, and the PPC framework. The eligibility criteria include problem (population), concept, context, language, time period, types of sources, geographical location, databases, areas of research. The searches to identify relevant publications entail searches in the Scopus database. The studies were identified and selected by screening titles, abstracts and full texts, totalling 35 documents. Results: The results cover search and selection outcomes; a bibliometric analysis, the breakdown of the publications among the four thematic clusters; the findings relating to evidence-based medicine and practice methodology applicable to social sciences; the analysis of the research area of evidence-based social sciences and practices; the social science practices by sectors. Much of the EBM methodology was directly borrowed by social sciences. Though, the major controversy was found in the hierarchy and levels of evidence as social sciences are subject to human choices. Randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews were analysed in the context of social sciences. The most elaborated and fast developing evidence-based areas in social sciences contained evidence-based education and evidence-based policymaking, with systems of governmental agencies and institutions introducing these evidence-based practices. Сonclusion. The review attained the objective and gave answers to the research questions. Only few studies were published to comprehensively address the emerging field of evidence-based social sciences and practices. Fragmentated sub-fields are covered unevenly, with many mythological divergences and disputed issues, including the quality of evidence, their weight and hierarchy, types of research.

Toward a Du Boisian Pedagogy for the Teaching of Sociology

This article contributes to the reclamation of W.E.B. Du Bois’s many contributions to social science practice. In particular, it offers an original quadripartite pedagogical framework grounded in the practices and ideas of Du Bois and more contemporary Du Boisian scholars. In doing so, it utilizes a combination of archival materials, Du Bois’s publications, and secondary literature. This article then intervenes by (1) offering a concise review of the trajectory and main developments of Du Bois’s educational thought, (2) analyzing and synthesizing the secondary educational literature on Du Bois’s philosophy and sociology of education, and (3) outlining an original framework for pedagogical practice grounded in Du Boisian principles. It argues that a Du Boisian framework for pedagogy will be crucial in the Du Bois-inspired efforts to decolonize the sociological imagination.

Computational philosophy: reflections on the PolyGraphs project

In this paper, we situate our computational approach to philosophy relative to other digital humanities and computational social science practices, based on reflections stemming from our research on the PolyGraphs project in social epistemology. We begin by describing PolyGraphs. An interdisciplinary project funded by the Academies (BA, RS, and RAEng) and the Leverhulme Trust, it uses philosophical simulations (Mayo-Wilson and Zollman, 2021) to study how ignorance prevails in networks of inquiring rational agents. We deploy models developed in economics (Bala and Goyal, 1998), and refined in philosophy (O’Connor and Weatherall, 2018; Zollman, 2007), to simulate communities of agents engaged in inquiry, who generate evidence relevant to the topic of their investigation and share it with their neighbors, updating their beliefs on the evidence available to them. We report some novel results surrounding the prevalence of ignorance in such networks. In the second part of the paper, we compare our own to other related academic practices. We begin by noting that, in digital humanities projects of certain types, the computational component does not appear to directly support the humanities research itself; rather, the digital and the humanities are simply grafted together, not fully intertwined and integrated. PolyGraphs is notably different: the computational work directly supports the investigation of the primary research questions, which themselves belong decidedly within the humanities in general, and philosophy in particular. This suggests an affinity with certain projects in the computational social sciences. But despite these real similarities, there are differences once again: the computational philosophy we practice aims not so much at description and prediction as at answering the normative and interpretive questions that are distinctive of humanities research.

Reshaping the Landscape: the Impact of COVID-19 on Social Science Research Methods and Practices

TThe COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the field of social science research, necessitating a re-evaluation of research methods and practices. This research explores the transformative efforts of COVID-19 on social science research, focusing on the changes in methodologies and practices that have emerged in response to the pandemic.Existing literature was reviewed on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected research methods and practices in social sciences. Digital questionnaire was developed to collect primary data from social science researchers indicating the changes they have made in their research methods, the reasons behind these changes, and their perceptions of the effectiveness of these adaptations. Telephonic interviews and focused group discussions were conducted with the selected group of social scientists who have experienced significant changes in their research due to COVID-19. Their experiences, challenges, and innovative solutions they have employed have been explored. Secondary data was also generated from various online and offline platforms. Total 50 social science researchers were surveyed and interviewed. The results of the study shall be helpful to researchers, society, government and policymakers to pay special attention on this particular issue. The main findings and their implications for the field of social science research shall be summarized. The key ways in which the landscape has been reshaped by the COVID-19 pandemic shall be highlighted.

Reality theatre as a method for social science research: the Vietnamese diaspora in central europe

ABSTRACT This article examines the use of reality theatre and its seemingly distinct categories, ethnotheatre and documentary theatre, within the social sciences. Reality theatre employs qualitative methodology, data production, and factual information as a basis for the staging process and interlinks social science research with creative practice. This approach, I argue, results in performances that are not only entertaining but informative, educational, or function pedagogically as a stimulus for social change. I argue that the division of reality theatre into several categories can be omitted in favour of a broader approach, in order to analyse the sociocultural realities staged through performance. This is demonstrated through analysis of two theatre projects from Central Europe focused on the Vietnamese diaspora – Rimini Protokoll’s Vùng biên giới (Border Area) (2009), and the Czech part of the What’SAP project (a two-year project connecting Czech Republic, Serbia, Hungary, and France in an exchange of knowledge creation and audience participation in intercultural dialogues) called Každý má v sobě dva vlky (Everyone Has Two Wolves Inside of Them) (2023). By examining and analysing how each project utilises reality theatre, I present them as important examples of the links between social science and contemporary theatre practice.

On the use of notes and note-taking in social science: A study of private writing

This paper has two main goals: to make an exploratory study of the use of notes and note-taking in social science, with a special emphasis on sociology, and to suggest a few ways in which this practice can be improved. By note-taking is here meant the writing of notes to observe, to remember, and to work and think with. It is suggested that most forms of note-taking represent a kind of private writing, in the sense that the notes are written exclusively for the writer and not for other people to read as in public writing. The quality of being private changes the structure as well as the content of the note which is often hard to understand for others. The approach in the paper is historical as well as material. Early forms of note-taking by social scientists are discussed, and also its use today in such areas as fieldwork, participant observation and qualitative sociology. The paper concludes with a discussion of a few ways in which the note-taking practices in social science can be improved.

Moving with affects in Finnish academia: Resistance practices of social science and humanities researchers and a possibility of change

This article discusses the resistance practices of the social sciences and humanities researchers who are doing small-scale qualitative research in Finnish universities. The research material was generated in three online ‘cafés’ where 22 researchers from different academic career stages gathered to share and discuss their experiences and emotions related to both their everyday work and to the effects of current research strategies on their work. The social sciences and humanities researchers felt discomfort with current neoliberal science politics, but they must, to some extent, play by its rules. However, they have found different ways to resist them, too, and this study scrutinises what kinds of resistance practices were generated in the café encounters and, further, how affects became part of these practices. Through my analysis, anxiety, anger, pride and hope came into being as the most meaningful affects that circulated through the cafés, and which fostered the resistance practices. Furthermore, with these affects, academics move towards individual or collective, but sometimes ambiguously towards both of these ways of resisting. The individual way supports the neoliberal idea of competing individuals, whereas a more collective way can open a possibility for more substantial and rapid change.

Consent practices in desire-based and beauty-affirming social science research

In this article, we reflect on our practices of seeking consent as Indigenous and Black researchers engaged in social science research with Black, Indigenous and racialised youth and communities. We critique flimsy consent practices in social science that are extractive and superficial. This article has three discussions around consent in social science research: why we as Indigenous and Black people and researchers care about consent; harmful approaches to consent in social science research; and how harm commonly occurs in three dimensions of consent: consent around bodies, consent around stories and consent around artefacts. The third and final discussion describes the informal and formal ways that we practise consent in research projects created in the Tkaronto CIRCLE Lab consisting of Black, Indigenous and racialised research practitioners. We conclude this article by sharing the practices of consent we engage with as Indigenous and Black researchers to make desire-based and beauty-affirming social science research. What we share is also an invitation to other social scientists to engage in practices of consent that prioritise being in good relation with Black, Indigenous and racialised people and communities.

The Status of Organization of Experience Teaching Geography in High School

In Vietnam, according to the 2018 curriculum, Geography at the high school level belongs to the group of social science subjects, providing knowledge, scientific basis, and practice on natural and economic factors of society and environment on Earth; development and distribution of geographical objects such as population, material production industries, etc. Experiential teaching is an effective method for this knowledge to form for students. The article studies the current situation of teaching Geography at some high schools in Tuyen Quang province according to experiential teaching methods. These are the basis for us to propose appropriate solutions to apply this effective teaching method widely.

The social sciences as future forming

The conception and practices of the social sciences are largely the product of a century past. We must now ask the question of whether these traditions adequately equip the sciences for dealing with the daunting global problems of today. Placed in particular question is the traditional focus of research on contemporaneous patterns, events, and conditions. In a world of rapid, globally rippling, and unpredictable change, the significance of such research is debatable. Given the perilous conditions of the world, a shift in the practices of social science is proposed, one that places in the vanguard of our pursuit, the active building of viable futures. Such a shift would favor practices of action research, generative theorizing, creating new forms of cultural life, and process-based education.

Two approaches to naturalistic social ontology

Social ontological inquiry has been pursued in analytic philosophy as well as in the social scientific tradition of critical realism. These traditions have remained largely separate despite partly overlapping concerns and similar underlying strategies of argumentation. They have also both been the subject of similar criticisms based on naturalistic approaches to the philosophy of science, which have addressed their apparent reliance on a transcendental mode of reasoning, their seeming distance from social scientific practice, and their (erroneous?) tendency to advocate global solutions to local and pragmatic problems. Two approaches aiming to naturalize these two traditions of social ontology have been proposed in recent years: one drawing on a Gierean, model-based approach to scientific practice, the other drawing on inference to the best explanation. In our paper, we compare and contrast these naturalistic approaches to social ontology in terms of their capacity to respond to the aforementioned challenges. We also defend a form of methodological pluralism, according to which there are multiple different naturalistically acceptable approaches to social ontology, which emphasize contrasting procedural continuities between social scientific research and philosophical practice.

The Fundamental Principles of Social Sciences

This paper provides an overview of the fundamental principles of social sciences, encompassing a wide range of academic disciplines dedicated to studying human society and human relationships. Drawing from the author’s understanding of social sciences, it offers a comprehensive examination of key concepts and highlights the significance of social science theories and practices. The paper begins by elucidating the definitions of social sciences, emphasizing their interdisciplinary nature and their focus on understanding societal dynamics. It explores the contributions of major thinkers in the field of social sciences, showcasing their intellectual impact and influential ideas. Furthermore, it presents a selection of notable social science thinkers from the 21st century, illustrating the ongoing evolution of the discipline. A core aspect of the paper focuses on the significant role of social scientists in contributing to societal development. It explores their diverse areas of expertise and the application of their research findings to address social issues and shape public policies. Additionally, the paper delves into the main theories and theoretical developments within social sciences, including the theory of governance, governmentality, network theory, and environmentalism. It specifically addresses the intersection of social sciences with climate change, highlighting the unique challenges and perspectives offered by this field. Sustainable development emerges as a prominent discipline within social sciences, with its emphasis on balancing economic growth, social equity, and environmental protection. The paper explores its relevance in addressing pressing global challenges. Moreover, it examines the emergence of new theories and practices within social sciences, presenting a glimpse of the evolving landscape of research and scholarship. Considering the future direction of social science research and practices, the paper offers insights into potential areas of exploration and the evolving nature of research methodologies. It addresses key research questions, such as what, why, how, when, where, and for whom, providing a framework for comprehensive inquiry. This paper provides a broad overview of social sciences, elucidating key principles, theories, and notable contributions to societal development. By examining the past and present, it also outlines the potential future trajectory of social science research and practices, shedding light on the significance and relevance of this dynamic field.

Data completion and verification in social research projects based on the third methodological path

Purpose: The main goal of the paper is to provide an overview of possible applications of the integration of methodological approaches in research projects that aim to complete and verify data. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is methodological. Critical literature analysis was used. The range of possibilities of methodological integration was based on the achievements of Creswell & Plano Clark and Harrison & Reilly. The authors' own research experience allowed outlining the ways of data integration, both in parallel procedures of data collection, where quantitative research in the positivist trend and qualitative research in the interpretative trend were conducted separately and in sequential research, where quantitative research was first carried out, then the results were interpreted and designed, and qualitative research was carried out. The embedded approach was also illustrated, where quantitative data constituted a valuable extension and confirmation of conclusions obtained in qualitative research. Findings: Methodological analysis shows that the third path allows the accumulation of broader and deeper knowledge in research projects than using a single methodological approach. Considering various ways of integrating research approaches, the authors show that the best results in completing and verifying data are achieved using a sequential approach. Practical implications: The article is a methodological guide to the application of an integrated approach in research practice in social sciences, particularly in consumer behavior. Originality/value: The third methodological path is beyond the dominant research trend in social sciences, and in the field of consumer behavior, it is a niche approach. The possible use of this approach is the original contribution of the authors. Keywords: data completion; data verification; third methodological path; mixed methods. Category of the paper: General review.

IBN KHALDŪN’S BIOGRAPHY

Ibn Khaldūn and his Muqaddimah is a continuing project on the European intellectual map. For a long time, most of his works was studied by the French. The same cannot be said of the Malaysian intellectual Malaysian landscape. Ibn Khaldūn, of course, makes an attractive option for academic courses and readings in a variety of disciplines. This essay attempts to recast Ibn Khaldūn in the Malaysian intellectual landscape viz discourses on global history and approaching the study of civilization from a sociological and historical perspective. The sentiment echoes more of the Western engagement with the polymath. Malaysian university campuses are ambivalent. The Khaldunian corpus is almost non existent. The West has attempted to modernize Ibn Khaldūn. Some have construed this as “denaturing” him, accusing the thinker of “anticipatory plagiarism.” The Muslim world has been subdued in defending such accusations against him. There is no worthy defence. This essay uses the framework from Robert Irwin in his Ibn Khaldun: An Intellectual Biography. We ask who was Ibn Khaldūn writing for? For the state and authority? Or for himself? Some of the earliest beneficiaries of the Khaldunian corpus was the Ottoman state. This essay notes the disconnect between Ibn Khaldūn and the practice of modern history and social science. The Muqaddimah has largely been ignored as course or as text in the various social science disciplines. The corpus is not seen as providing an alternative form of knowledge. Irwin, however, provides a critical examination of Ibn Khaldūn’s magnum opus, and the political and intellectual climate that he thrived on. As a scholar, Ibn Khaldūn was partisan and certainly close to political institutions. Objective and universal knowledge is not blind to the human condition. Even when deciding to take a reprieve in writing, he sought the protection of a powerful tribe in the hinterland, the Awlad ‘Arif in what is now western Algeria. This essay serves as a contribution to the discourse on the Khaldunian history and sociology.

Investigating teaching practices in quantitative and computational Social Sciences: A case study

Data education is gaining traction across disciplines and degree levels in higher education. Teaching data skills in the Social Sciences in today's data-driven world is vital for preparing the next generation of data literate and critical social scientists. The ability to identify, assess, analyze, and communicate well and responsibly with data is key for scholars and professionals to navigate dynamic and expansive information ecosystems. This paradigm shift demands instructors to adapt their curricula and pedagogy to advance students’ computational and statistical knowledge. This paper presents some of the findings from a local report of a larger national project which explored pedagogical techniques and instructional support needs for teaching undergraduates with quantitative data in the Social Sciences. Results revealed that the core learning goal of instructors is to develop students' critical thinking skills with data, including the conceptual understanding of the research methods employed in the field; the ability to critically evaluate research methodologies, findings, and data sets; and prowess using quantitative and computational tools and technologies. A recurring theme across interviews was students’ fear of math and technology and challenges these fears pose to data-related instruction. Instructors value participation in a community of practice and are eager for more institutional support to advance their computational skills. Based on these findings, we suggest avenues for academic libraries to further develop services, activities, and partnerships to aid data instruction efforts in the Social Sciences.

We talk data. We do data.

We talk data. We do data.

Does big data serve policy? Not without context. An experiment with in silico social science.

The DARPA Ground Truth project sought to evaluate social science by constructing four varied simulated social worlds with hidden causality and unleashed teams of scientists to collect data, discover their causal structure, predict their future, and prescribe policies to create desired outcomes. This large-scale, long-term experiment of in silico social science, about which the ground truth of simulated worlds was known, but not by us, reveals the limits of contemporary quantitative social science methodology. First, problem solving without a shared ontology-in which many world characteristics remain existentially uncertain-poses strong limits to quantitative analysis even when scientists share a common task, and suggests how they could become insurmountable without it. Second, data labels biased the associations our analysts made and assumptions they employed, often away from the simulated causal processes those labels signified, suggesting limits on the degree to which analytic concepts developed in one domain may port to others. Third, the current standard for computational social science publication is a demonstration of novel causes, but this limits the relevance of models to solve problems and propose policies that benefit from the simpler and less surprising answers associated with most important causes, or the combination of all causes. Fourth, most singular quantitative methods applied on their own did not help to solve most analytical challenges, and we explored a range of established and emerging methods, including probabilistic programming, deep neural networks, systems of predictive probabilistic finite state machines, and more to achieve plausible solutions. However, despite these limitations common to the current practice of computational social science, we find on the positive side that even imperfect knowledge can be sufficient to identify robust prediction if a more pluralistic approach is applied. Applying competing approaches by distinct subteams, including at one point the vast TopCoder.com global community of problem solvers, enabled discovery of many aspects of the relevant structure underlying worlds that singular methods could not. Together, these lessons suggest how different a policy-oriented computational social science would be than the computational social science we have inherited. Computational social science that serves policy would need to endure more failure, sustain more diversity, maintain more uncertainty, and allow for more complexity than current institutions support.