مجله مطالعات اجتماعی ایران
سال پنجم شماره 2 (پیاپی 14، تابستان 1390)

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the principles of a synthesis on social science methodology. Such synthesis is based on a reading of methodological approaches of three intellectuals in this area, who are Ludwig Wittgenstein, Friedrich August Hayek, and Hans-Georg Gadamer. In the first part, I explain the necessity of synthesizing social science methodology. Then, upon reviewing the relevant literature, I discuss the principles of two main social science methodological approaches. The third part explains the possibility of synthesis. Such a possibility is discussed through reviewing six main similarities amongthree intellectual’s approaches within the format of finding equivalence for each thinker’s keywords which have been discussed in other thinkers’ language game. Although there are different concepts for each similarity on special intellectual approach, I explain why these different concepts can be translated into each other. These similarities are: the existence of a rulefollowing social context in the backdrop of individual actions, the originality of practical and unconscious activity versus theoretical and conscious activity, metaphoric use of the (language) game in the sense that aspects of the agency is retained within the context of the structure, initiating from a subjective base while reaching an objectivity which lies beyond the individuals, limitation of cognition and rejection of the observer’s stance, and finally, striving to render a criterion in order to avoid relativism. These similarities, at the same time, form the fundamental principles of thesuggested synthetic methodology. In the final section of the paper, these similarities are revisited explicitly and also formulated in response to the three main questions of nature of subject matter of the social science, how it is to be studied (the methodological requirements), and the goal of a social science study. It is on such basis that the subject matter of social sciences has beendeclared, by the synthesis approach, to be the language-historical order, of which the language aspect is based on Wittgenstein’s approach, the historical aspect based on Gadamerapproach, and the order concept is gained from Hayektheories. The final part also expounds the goal of a social science study in that it is the dissection of these orders, in Wittgenstein-Gadamerian sense of the word. Within the environs of such a goal also lie limited provision of predictions based on the dissection of these orders. Thus, based on subject matter and the goal, the methodological requirements of a social science study are put to discussion.

Social network analysis provides a set of theories, concepts, methods, techniques, and instruments for the study of social structure. This paper presents social network analysis as a research method focusing on whole network approach. A review of social network theory is briefly presented and network analysis as a research method is discussed by describing network data, data collection methods, measures and indicators and their analysis and interpretations. A study of online Free/Open Source Software Communities is presented as an example of the use of the methodology. In this sample, the method of collecting online network data is also explored. Overall, the paper shows how to use social network analysis for the study of social structure.

Alongside with the development of childhood, social researchers came to pay much attention to techniques of research with children. What these social researchers have sought is an increased participation of children in their inquiries. They have looked for conducting research with rather than on children. By putting children’s drawings and writings together, ‘draw & write’ technique delivers flexible data suitable for both quantitative and qualitative analyses. This technique can be applied as an individual work or an extensive group research project. Besides, it has been used for diverse subjects and different age groups of children. In this paper we will introduce ‘draw & write’ technique, point to its pros and cons, and discuss the experience of utilizing it in the social context of Iran.

The ontological, epistemological, methodological and methodical are the four aspects of research and of knowledge. Each aspect is significant in its own right, and all are interdependent. In the research literature, particular problems are expected to arise, for instance, conceptual separation of ontology from epistemology bears its own specific question. The word methodology is also often carelessly used and that researchers use research methods without knowing much about their self-agreed ontological and epistemological assumptions. All these issues accentuate the need for clarification of the methods, methodology, ontology, and epistemology. This study is based on a theoretical approach. During the data collection the aforementioned four aspects have been conceptualized and synthesized. Having referred to the extensive literature in this area, we have tried to determine the importance of these aspects and their relevance to one another in qualitative researches. The findings show that the methodology and methods can never be selected in any way apart from the ontological and epistemological positions. Different situations of ontology and epistemology produce different methodology and methods that ultimately lead to knowledge about the social world.

According to writings and research conducted by Michel Foucault, discourse analysis is by no means limited to textual analysis. Arranging discourse analysis and consequently focusing on analysis of the text has seemingly emerged after Foucault’s death. Gradually however, the method of discourse analysis has moved away from textual methods as an empirical phenomenological method. As a result, cultural products and goods, social actions and institutions can constitute a theme of subject matter of discourse analysis. In the article, space has been introduced as a new area for discursive research; in the meantime, an attempt has been made to illustrate some new techniques of space-research in the social studies.

The production of this paper was motivated by the public distribution of the Multidisciplinary Research Package (MRP) software to the universities by the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology of Islamic Republic of Iran. The MRP software is the result of a twenty-year effort by a group of the Iranian researchers. The Multidisciplinary Research Package allows what we call a novel Depth Content Analysis, also referred to as Mixed Methods, which works better than both Quantitative and Qualitative methods. In this regard, the paper starts with discussing the three (Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed) movements. Then, we explain the background, structure, and applications of the Mixed Analysis approach. Next, while reviewing some of the research projects and dissertations that have used Depth Content Analysis and Mixed Analysis capabilities in MRP, various examples are discussed in each case. Finally, we argue that Depth Content Analysis and MRP software are capable of providing user-friendly Representations, Stereotypes, finding "Central Points", using contingency models and analysis of the Phi correlation coefficient matrices.

Combined research methods are called the third movement in research methodology. It means that in conducting the social research, seeking combined research methods is needed for improving the methodology of research that started with qualitative and quantitative approaches. In conducting humanistic and social research, the main approaches have developed in different methodological directions. What is known as the first wave of methodological change, initiated the application of empiricism and quantification. After a period of exerting dominance, it was recognized that quantification was not successful in showing individuals’ thoughts and ideas on complex as well as specific issues and events. The second wave of methodology known as qualitative research developed in 1970-1980. It emphasized perception processes that led to consequences of issues under study. In the last decade, limitations of qualitative approaches in generalizing results, combination of research results with researcher specific values, andthe problem of validity and reliability of data have been considered as important challenges in qualitative researches. Thus, it is important to consider combined approach as the third movement of methodology. The main purpose of combined method known as multi-characteristic approach is to combine qualitative and quantitative approaches for giving a more inclusive perception of research issues. In this approach limitations of each of qualitative and quantitative researches are compensated. In addition, this method offers more reliable evidence and proof for research that will help the researcher to answer the questions that are unanswered by each of the qualitative and quantitative approaches alone. The other purpose of this research is to study qualitative and quantitative methodology comparatively, in a manner so that to recognize methodological limitations of each of these two approaches and to offer combined methods as a basic type of approach in the humanities and social research.