How to Build Social Science Theories
eBook - PDF

How to Build Social Science Theories

  1. 240 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

How to Build Social Science Theories

About this book

Click ?Additional Materials? to read the foreword by Jerald Hage

As straightforward as its title, How to Build Social Science Theories sidesteps the well-traveled road of theoretical examination by demonstrating how new theories originate and how they are elaborated. Essential reading for students of social science research, this book traces theories from their most rudimentary building blocks (terminology and definitions) through multivariable theoretical statements, models, the role of creativity in theory building, and how theories are used and evaluated. Authors Pamela J. Shoemaker, James William Tankard, Jr., and Dominic L. Lasorsa intend to improve research in many areas of the social sciences by making research more theory-based and theory-oriented.

The book begins with a discussion of concepts and their theoretical and operational definitions. It then proceeds to theoretical statements, including hypotheses, assumptions, and propositions.  Theoretical statements need theoretical linkages and operational linkages; this discussion begins with bivariate relationships, as well as three-variable, four-variable, and further multivariate relationships.  The authors also devote chapters to the creative component of theory-building and how to evaluate theories.

How to Build Social Science Theories is a sophisticated yet readable analysis presented by internationally known experts in social science methodology. It is designed primarily as a core text for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses in communication theory. It will also be a perfect addition to any course dealing with theory and research methodology across the social sciences. Additionally, professional researchers will find it an indispensable guide to the genesis, dissemination, and evaluation of social science theories.

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Yes, you can access How to Build Social Science Theories by Pamela J. Shoemaker,James William Tankard, Jr.,Dominic L. Lasorsa in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Languages & Linguistics & Communication Studies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
1
1
Introduction
The 
Nature 
of 
Science
T
he 
primary 
goal 
of 
this 
book 
is 
to 
demonstrate 
how 
to 
build
theory 
in 
the 
social 
sciences. 
Specifically, 
it 
deals 
with 
science,
social 
science, 
social 
science 
theory, 
and 
social 
science 
theory 
building.
SCIENCE
When 
we 
say 
that 
this 
book 
deals 
with 
science,
we 
greatly 
constrain
what 
it 
is 
about. 
Although 
we 
often 
focus 
on 
what 
we 
know, 
this
book 
is 
not 
so 
much 
about 
what 
science 
has 
taught 
us 
as 
about 
how 
to
do 
science. 
As 
such, 
it 
deals 
not 
so 
much 
with 
what 
we 
know 
as 
with
how 
we 
know. 
The 
word 
science
is 
based 
on 
the 
Latin 
verb 
scire,
which
means 
“to 
know.” 
It 
comes 
from 
the 
present 
participle 
of 
that 
verb,
sciens,
and 
thus 
literally 
means 
“knowing” 
(
Webster’s 
New 
World
Dictionary,
1962). 
Science 
is 
a 
way 
of 
knowing. 
Science, 
however, 
is 
a
particular 
way 
of 
knowing 
different 
from 
other 
ways 
of 
knowing, 
such
as 
authority, 
intuition, 
or 
tenacity.
❖ 
❖ 
❖

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Contents
  3. Preface
  4. Foreword
  5. 1 - Introduction: The Nature of Science
  6. 2 - Theoretical Concepts: The Building Blocks of Theory
  7. 3 - Theoretical Statements Relating Two Variables
  8. 4 - Theoretical and Operational Linkages
  9. 5 - Theoretical Statements Relating Three Variables
  10. 6 - Theoretical Statements Relating Four or More Variables
  11. 7 - Theoretical Models
  12. 8 - Creativity and Theory Building
  13. 9 - Using and Evaluating Theory
  14. Appendix A: Guidelines for Preparing Tables and Figures
  15. Appendix B: Acceptable Levels of Measurement for Various Statistics
  16. References
  17. Index
  18. About the Authors