INTRODUCTION TO

SOCIAL RESEARCH
AN INTRODUCTION
AN INTRODUCTION

• What is meant by social research?

• Social research is systematic and organised method to investigate a specific problem that
needs a solution.
• It always takes place in specific social, political, and economic contexts.
THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL RESEARCH

• Social research and its associated methods do not take place in vacuum.
• The theories that social scientists employ to help understand the social world have an
influence on what is researched and how the findings of research are interpreted.
• For example, studies on menopause (Makalima, 2022; Mthitshane, 2022) drew on the
medical framework (medicalisation of women’s bodies) to interpret/analyse the women’s
experiences.
• Social research is informed and is influenced by theory, but research also contributes to
theory because the findings of a study will add to the stock of knowledge e.g.
medicalisation of menopause.
THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL RESEARCH

• In addition to the medical framework,

Makalima (2022) and Mthitshane (2022)
had to be familiar with the existing
knowledge about menopause.
• This means that all researchers must
conduct a literature review on their area
of interest, as this builds on the stock of
knowledge and avoids repetition of
previous studies.
THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL RESEARCH

• The assumptions and views about how research should be conducted influence the research
process.
• Epistemological considerations raise questions about, and invite us to reflect upon, the issue of
how the social world should be studied and whether a scientific approach is the right method
to use.
• Another epistemological consideration is focused on the difference between the subject matter
in the natural sciences and the people and social institutions in the social sciences.
THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL RESEARCH

• The assumptions about the nature of social phenomena influence the research process too.
• What assumptions do you have about students at Rhodes University?
• Sometimes the social world is viewed as something that is external to social actors
(individuals), and over which they have no control.
• Sometimes the social world is viewed as an entity that is in a constant process of social
change.
THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL RESEARCH

• The values and ethics of the research community have significant implications for the
researcher.
• For example, certain kinds of research (e.g. involving children and vulnerable adults) require
special provisions with regards to ethics.
• For policy related research, it is recommended that the users of the services under research
should be involved in the formulation of research questions and questionnaires.