Transforming Research Methods in the Social Sciences: Case Studies from South Africa

Description

Social science researchers in the global South, and in South Africa particularly, utilise research methods in innovative ways in order to respond to contexts characterised by diversity, racial and political tensions, socioeconomic disparities and gender inequalities. These methods often remain undocumented – a gap that this book starts to address. Written by experts from various methodological fields, Transforming Research Methods in the Social Sciences is a comprehensive collation of original essays and cutting-edge research that demonstrates the variety of novel techniques and research methods available to researchers responding to these context-bound issues. It is particularly relevant for study and research in the fields of applied psychology, sociology, ethnography, biography and anthropology. In addition to their unique combination of conceptual and application issues, the chapters also include discussions on ethical considerations relevant to the method in similar global South contexts. Transforming Research Methods in the Social Sciences has much to offer to researchers, professionals and others involved in social science research both locally and internationally. Front Cover......Page 1 Title Page......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Tables, figures and box......Page 9 Preface......Page 12 Acknowledgements......Page 14 Introduction......Page 16 Knowledge production and the political nature of research......Page 17 The postcolonial politics of ‘making’ knowledge......Page 18 Global inequalities in research practice and knowledge production......Page 19 Open educational resources and removing the barriers to research......Page 22 Publication bias......Page 23 Section One: Quantitative methods......Page 24 Section Two: Qualitative methods......Page 25 Section Three: Transparadigmatic methods......Page 26 Conclusion......Page 27 Section One: Quantitative methods......Page 32 Introduction......Page 34 Neighbourhood characteristics and homicide: Theory and empirical evidence......Page 35 Case study: Spatial distribution and social ecology of male homicide in Johannesburg neighbourhoods......Page 36 Dependent variable: Male homicide counts......Page 37 Explanatory variables: Neighbourhood characteristics......Page 38 Discussion and conclusion......Page 45 Acknowledgement......Page 47 Theory and purpose of longitudinal design......Page 51 Types of longitudinal design......Page 53 Attrition and non-responding......Page 55 Number and spacing of measurement points......Page 57 Threats to reliability and validity......Page 58 Longitudinal data analysis......Page 59 Qualitative longitudinal research......Page 61 Ethical issues in longitudinal research......Page 62 Conclusion......Page 63 Introduction......Page 67 Factor analysis as a validation method......Page 68 Determining sample size......Page 69 Choosing a data extraction method......Page 70 Evaluating factor loadings......Page 71 Data quality and normality......Page 72 Examining model fit......Page 74 Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis......Page 76 Conclusion and implications......Page 79 Introduction......Page 84 The meaning of a cognitive test score......Page 85 Population-based norms......Page 86 Within-group norms......Page 87 Collecting within-group norming data in the South African context......Page 88 Step 1: Reviewing the literature......Page 89 Sample......Page 90 Procedure......Page 91 Step 3: Interpreting the results and evaluating the research......Page 92 Concluding commentary......Page 93 Acknowledgements......Page 95 Introduction......Page 99 Conceptualisation......Page 100 Causality and validity......Page 102 Manipulation and control......Page 103 Reactivity......Page 104 Ethics......Page 105 Post-test only non-equivalent control group design......Page 106 Interrupted time series design......Page 107 Design considerations from a real-world example......Page 108 Concluding remarks......Page 110 Background......Page 112 Design of trials......Page 114 Practical issues......Page 121 Conclusion......Page 124 The repeated-measures factorial design......Page 129 Design strengths and limitations......Page 130 Working memory model......Page 131 Sample......Page 133 Song, foreign voice and gum......Page 135 Data collection procedure......Page 136 Results......Page 138 Methodological contribution......Page 141 Conclusion......Page 142 The philosophy and logic of Q......Page 145 Q studies in psychology......Page 147 Using Q methodology to explore students’ perceptions of academic misconduct......Page 148 Conducting a Q study......Page 149 Analysis of a Q study......Page 151 Step 2: Deciding on how many factors to keep......Page 152 Step 3: Rotation......Page 153 Step 4: Flagging Q-sorts for the factor estimates and running the analysis......Page 154 PQMethod output......Page 155 Step 5: Interpreting the factors......Page 156 Ethical issues in Q......Page 159 Acknowledgement......Page 160 Section Two: Qualitative methods......Page 164 The central place of case study research in psychology......Page 166 What is scientific knowledge? A clash of epistemological paradigms......Page 167 Assessment phase......Page 169 Case formulation, treatment planning and contracting phases......Page 170 Intervention phase......Page 171 Data condensation......Page 172 Ethical aspects of clinical case study research......Page 173 Drawing conclusions and enhancing trustworthiness......Page 174 Concluding remarks and suggestions......Page 176 Psychobiographical research: Description and definition......Page 183 Brief history......Page 184 Psychobiographical subject and sampling......Page 185 Data collection, processing and analysis......Page 186 Ethical considerations......Page 187 Occupational and organisational choice (1922–1952)......Page 188 Early career (1953–1962)......Page 189 Late career (1977–2001)......Page 190 Value of psychobiographical research......Page 191 Limitations of psychobiographical research......Page 192 Conclusion......Page 193 Growing interest in qualitative approaches to career counselling......Page 201 Increased acceptance and implementation of a narrative approach to career counselling......Page 202 Ensuring the quality of the research......Page 203 Ethical considerations......Page 204 How can I be useful to you as you construct your career?......Page 206 Magazines/television shows/websites......Page 207 Vulnerable children lose their way because of unkind treatment......Page 208 Analysis of Precious’s three early recollections......Page 209 Account of a television series......Page 211 Sequel......Page 212 Discussion......Page 213 Conclusion......Page 214 Being a pre-grounded theorist......Page 218 Origins and purpose of grounded theory......Page 219 Straussian grounded theory approach......Page 220 Open coding......Page 221 Axial coding......Page 223 Selective coding......Page 225 Formal analysis: Theoretical sampling......Page 227 Constant comparison method......Page 228 Integration of categories......Page 229 What does a final Straussian grounded theory look like?......Page 230 Some ethical considerations for grounded theorists......Page 231 Final suggestion......Page 232 Conclusion......Page 233 What constitutes feminist research?......Page 235 Is gender research always feminist?......Page 238 General principles of feminist research......Page 240 Levels of analysis in feminist research......Page 243 Conclusion......Page 247 Introduction......Page 251 Victims of female-perpetrated sex abuse: An apt object of analysis......Page 253 Method......Page 255 South African Fsa victim discourses......Page 257 An example: Gender constructions that sustain the impossible crime......Page 258 The Madonna/whore complex versus the male aggressor......Page 259 Male sexual violence as normative......Page 261 Conclusion......Page 262 Introduction......Page 266 An ethnomethodological perspective......Page 267 Analytic approach: Conversation analysis......Page 268 The data set: Radio talk......Page 269 Ethical considerations......Page 271 Generalising practices......Page 272 Particularising practices......Page 274 Conclusions......Page 276 Acknowledgement......Page 277 Introduction......Page 280 Philosophies of autoethnography......Page 281 Praxis of autoethnography......Page 284 Ethical considerations......Page 286 Critiques and limitations of autoethnography......Page 288 Relevance of autoethnography in South Africa......Page 289 Conclusion......Page 290 Introduction......Page 295 Genealogical terrain......Page 296 Search for reversals......Page 298 Focus on discontinuities......Page 299 Exteriority......Page 300 Descent......Page 301 Locating materials......Page 302 The mineworker of our present......Page 303 Miners as tribal workers......Page 304 Mineworkers as psychological subjects......Page 310 Material conditions of possibility for new measures of mining work......Page 311 Conclusion......Page 312 Section Three: Transparadigmatic methods......Page 316 Introduction......Page 318 Mixed methods and the transformative paradigm......Page 319 Critiques of transformative mixed methods......Page 321 Context......Page 324 Study design......Page 325 Research quality......Page 327 Concluding remarks......Page 328 Introduction......Page 332 Research that has an impact?......Page 333 Building on action research......Page 334 Phases......Page 335 Evaluative criteria......Page 336 Evaluator roles......Page 337 Putting it all together......Page 338 A note on rigour......Page 339 Ethics in the field......Page 342 Why educational Design Research for this study?......Page 343 Outcomes......Page 344 Conclusion......Page 349 Introduction......Page 352 Background to AI as a research framework......Page 353 Discovery I......Page 354 Design......Page 355 Reflexivity......Page 356 Practical application of AI......Page 357 Case study 1: AI used transformatively to implement and evaluate a wellness programme......Page 359 Case study 2: AI used transformatively in social science research......Page 363 Ethics and reflexivity in AI......Page 365 Conclusion......Page 366 Background......Page 369 Participation, empowerment, critical consciousness and social capital......Page 370 Photovoice as par......Page 371 How does this process challenge power and promote social justice?......Page 372 Case 1: Experiences of black students at UCT......Page 373 Case 2: Young black women representing their identities......Page 375 Case 3: Through the lens of marginalised women......Page 377 Representation and affect......Page 380 Case 4: Learners’ representations of their community......Page 381 Safety......Page 385 Power and representation......Page 386 Conclusion......Page 387 Acknowledgements......Page 388 Introduction......Page 390 Collaboration......Page 391 Transformation......Page 392 Conscientisation, activism and power......Page 393 Ethics and ethical considerations......Page 395 Phase 1: Preliminary research......Page 396 Defining indicators: Two separate workshops......Page 398 Observing and scoring local realities: Second joint workshop and site visits......Page 399 Evaluating the process: Final separate workshops......Page 401 Recommendations for implementing a community scorecard or PAR/CBR process......Page 402 Conclusion......Page 404 Introduction......Page 408 Rigour in research......Page 409 Tools to establish rigour......Page 410 Ethics in research......Page 411 Indigenisation of methods......Page 412 Indigenisation and the need for reflexivity......Page 414 Community-based approaches......Page 415 Technology and data collection and analysis......Page 416 Technology and research collaboration......Page 417 Big data......Page 418 Digital storytelling......Page 419 Systematic reviews......Page 420 Conclusion......Page 422 Contributors......Page 428 Index......Page 434