the social
sciences are
important
because they
create better institutions and systems that affect people's lives every
day. ... Thus,
social
sciences help people understand how to interact
with
the social
world—how to influence policy, develop networks,
increase government accountability, and promote democracy.
Why is research important in social studies?
The societal behavior is
studied
and analyzed to achieve broad
goals.
Social research
also contributes to societal development by
increasing creativity and innovation. The new idea leads to the up-
gradation of
society
. Focusing on
research
enhances the knowledge
thereby giving more power to the
society
.
What is the main role of research?
Research
begins
when
we
want
to
know
something.
Research
is
concerned
with
increasing
our
understanding.
Research
provides us with the information and
knowledge needed for problem solving and making decisions. ... In
this context the purpose of
research
is 'problem solving'.
The essential role of social theory in qualitative public health
research
To define the role of social theory and examine how research
studies using qualitative methods can use social theory to generalize
their results beyond the setting of the study or to other social groups.
The assumptions underlying public health research using qualitative
methods derive from a range of social theories that include conflict
theory, structural functionalism, symbolic interactionism, the
sociology of knowledge and feminism. Depending on the research
problem, these and other social theories provide conceptual tools
and models for constructing a suitable research framework, and for
collecting and analysing data. In combination with the substantive
health literature, the theoretical literature provides the conceptual
bridge that links the conclusions of the study to other social groups
and settings. While descriptive studies using qualitative research
methods can generate important insights into social experience, the
use of social theory in the construction and conduct of research
enables researchers to extrapolate their findings to settings and
groups broader than the ones in which the research was conducted.
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