MA2 Applied Linguistics 2016

QUANTITATIVE METHODS

Prof. Mohamed Jabeur

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 Lecture One
Defining science, research and the humanities

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Outline
1. What is science?
2. Branches of science
3. What is research?
4. Types of research
5. What is social science?
6. Natural science vs. Social science
7. What are the humanities?
8. Theory of science
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Lecture One

What is science?

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Definition
‘Science is the pursuit and
application of knowledge and
understanding of the natural
and social world following a
systematic methodology
based on evidence.’
UK Science Council
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Science as an activity rather
than just established knowledge
No demarcation of science from
the humanities
Emphasis on ‘systematic’
methodology and ‘evidence’

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 Branches of science
Natural Social Humanities

•Physics •Economics •Economics

•Chemistry •Sociology •Sociology
•Biology … …

Creational Formal/Logi
c
•Engineering •Mathematic
•Technology s
•Logic
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What is research?
Informal research
vs.
Formal research

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 What is research?
‘…the systematic
investigation into and study
of materials, sources, etc., in
order to establish facts and
reach new conclusions’
Thompson (1996)
Thompson, Della, ed. (1996) The Oxford Modern English Dictionary. Second edition. New York: Oxford University
Press.

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Types of research

Primary research

Secondary research
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Primary research
Experiments, field investigations,
or tests carried out by the
researcher to obtain data first-
hand, rather than being collected
from published sources

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Secondary research
(Desk research)

Collecting existing data

that has already been
produced
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Defining social science
‘Social science is, in its broadest sense, the study of society
and the manner in which people behave and influence the
world around us.
It tells us about the world beyond our immediate
experience, and can help explain how our own society
works - from the causes of unemployment or what helps
economic growth, to how and why people vote, or what
makes people happy. It provides vital information for
governments and policymakers, local authorities, non-
governmental organisations and others.’
 UK Economic & Social Research Council
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 Natural Social sciences
sciences
Ontology Natural laws in the Understanding the
physical world social aspect in human
interaction
Epistemology Analysis Synthesis

Object Nature Social actors

Methodology Induction Induction

Empirical testing - Empirical testing –
Quantitative Quantitative +
Qualitative

Outcome Fallable & infallable Fallable & infallable

theories theories
Stepwise evolution of Heuristics
world views
Predictive power High Low

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Humanities?

‘… the study of how people process and

document the human experience. ..
philosophy, literature, religion, art, music,
history and language to understand and
record our world. These modes of expression
have become some of the subjects that
traditionally fall under the humanities
umbrella…’
Stanford University
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Humanities?
The humanities include, but are not limited to, the study of the
following: “language, both modern and classical;
linguistics; literature; history; jurisprudence; philosophy;
archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history,
criticism and theory of the arts; those aspects of social
sciences which have humanistic content and employ
humanistic methods; and the study and application of
the humanities to the human environment with
particular attention to reflecting our diverse heritage,
traditions, and history and to the relevance of the
humanities to the current conditions of national life.”
 American Academy of Arts and Sciences

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Theory of science
Description
Explanation
Understanding
Action
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Thank you!
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