Welcome to the InfoSci Platform
Introduction: The Tools of Social Science Research

Introduction: The Tools of Social Science Research

Copyright: © 2015 |Pages: 13
ISBN13: 9781466681163|ISBN10: 1466681160|EISBN13: 9781466681170
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-8116-3.ch001
Cite Chapter Cite Chapter

MLA

Richard W. Schwester. "Introduction: The Tools of Social Science Research." Teaching Research Methods in Public Administration, IGI Global, 2015, pp.1-13. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-8116-3.ch001

APA

R. Schwester (2015). Introduction: The Tools of Social Science Research. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-8116-3.ch001

Chicago

Richard W. Schwester. "Introduction: The Tools of Social Science Research." In Teaching Research Methods in Public Administration. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2015. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-8116-3.ch001

Export Reference

Mendeley
Favorite

Abstract

In this chapter, students are presented with the concept of empiricism, which serves as the basis for all social science research. Quantitative, deductive empirical research tools are compared to qualitative, inductive research tools. Quantitative tools include surveys, experimentation, and the use of existing data. The empirical tools associated with qualitative research include in-depth interviews, focus groups, and field observation. The differences between hypothesis testing and hypothesis generation are discussed.

Request Access

You do not own this content. Please login to recommend this title to your institution's librarian or purchase it from the IGI Global bookstore.