I Provisional Title
‘Demonstrating Usefulness of Weber’s Ideal Type: Application of Social Science/Research Methodologies and Examples’
The need to integrate awareness and understanding of Weber’s ideal type as a form of methodology thus, primary data are to be collected at the University of HK, social science/sociology teachers and for research aims, refer to section III of this paper.
II Brief review of literature
For literature review, there is a process formation of ideas and studies presented by several proponents that assumes relative basis on Weber’s ideal type and the imposed ideas as well as research evidence on social science, from social research encounter of such process as to be adopted and executed in this particular study. The focus of the literature review is to place a detailed ground of supporting materials that are amiably academically driven and has undergone to the standards of systematic organization of some books, journals and articles in having variety of great minds working into the ways of research paradigm and recognition.
Foundation of Weber’s Ideal Type
Ideal type, as developed by Weber allowing in a conceptual tool pressing an ideal type assumption, as recalled that Weber argued that no scientific system is ever capable of reproducing all concrete reality, nor can any conceptual apparatus ever do full justice to the infinite diversity of particular phenomena. It was known that, ‘all science involves selection as well as abstraction’ (Weber, 1949; 1968) as social scientist can easily be caught in a dilemma when he chooses his conceptual apparatus. An ideal type is an analytical construct that serves the investigator as a measuring rod to ascertain similarities as well as deviations in concrete cases. It provides the basic method for comparative study. Furthermore, being formed by “accentuation of one or more points of view and by the synthesis of a great many diffuse, discrete, more or less present and occasionally absent concrete individual phenomena, which are arranged according to those one-sidedly emphasized viewpoints into a unified analytical construct” (Heckman, 1983) as it does mean moral research ideals.
Ideal Type and Research Studies
Some of Weber’s ideal types refer to collectivities rather than to the social actions of individuals, but social relationships within collectivities are always built upon the probability that component actors will engage in expected social actions. An ideal type never corresponds to concrete reality but always moves at least one step away from it. It is constructed out of certain elements of reality and forms a logically precise and coherent whole, which can never be found as such in that reality. Thus, Julien Freund reveals that, “being unreal, the ideal type has the merit of offering us a conceptual device with which we can measure real development and clarify the most important elements of empirical reality”. Ideally, “Weber’s earliest involvement in empirical social research had investigations on labor conditions, workers’ attitudes and work histories, using the questionnaire and direct observation technique as well as the modern statistical approach concerning psychological aspects of factory work also, critique of other person’s study of workers’ attitudes, he advocated a quantitative or typological approach to qualitative data” (Lazarsfeld and Oberschall, 1965 p. 185). There have been “explicit support on quantitative techniques and the meaning of social relationships is being expressed in probability, the value and the role of empirical research in sociology, from the debate as to whether sociology and psychology should be distinguished and the presence of social science as one better conceptual device, as used without such reference to empirical research” (Lazarsfeld and Oberschall, 1965 p. 185). Moreover, proponent Hekman (1983, p. 119) indicated that, “Max Weber’s concept of the ideal type would seem to have fallen into neglect in contemporary social science, and have argued that Weber’s concept is methodologically sound and logically consistent. Inasmuch as it offers a common basis for the analysis of subjective meaning and structural forms it may provide a corrective to what she sees as the present methodological disarray in social theory”. The literature study can be critical in terms of effective utilization of Weber’s ideal type concepts, as there might be fruitless efforts to grasp the significance of such basic tool of science through the work of Weber. “Weber then did not have such mature grasp of the class of logical devices to which the ideal type belongs for example in idealizations, which is inevitable for some research strategies which are in the sense theoretically put in a continuum. However, several idealizations had remarkably assumed real theoretical for instance, the ones found in social science are available in discipline but not being recognized as such” (Lopreato and Alston, 1970 p. 88). Indeed, in social science domain there must have “special effort to recognize theoretically inspired approach of Weber’s idealization as there helps in avoiding incorrect squabbles about additional aspects of research theories and enhance the chances of getting down to serious business of theory construction within focused sense of purpose and certain cumulative orientation” (Lopreato and Alston, 1970 p. 88).
Purpose of Ideal Type Contents
Several proponents have argued that greater reliability in social research methods are to be obtained through developing operational definitions that securely connect classificatory schemes with observable phenomena, some argument rely on definite distinction between observable and unobservable pathways that the philosophers view as one issue at hand for ideal type research so, the following purpose could be used, for situations in some disorders:
- Ideal types could be either theoretical or descriptive as these types would remain closer to directly given evidence such as in psychology domain, DSM-III, for example, explicitly seeks to keep its criteria close to direct evidence
- Theoretical types would move away from direct evidence by referring to hypothetical processes or entities at work behind the direct givens. In postulating that a phenomenon, such as an obsessive symptom, arises as a defense against anxiety, DSM-II provided theoretical types
- Ideal types could remain qualitative conceptions of disorders and or some of attributes designated in ideal types could be characterized in quantitative terms since, features expressed in ideal types appear in different patients in varying degrees, these gradations could be quantified
Social Research Process and Approach
Thus, one better consideration into the understanding of ideal type is asserted in social research framework as being linked to the role of analytic frames as adopted for social science, as there is methods triangulation of case study, surveys, interviews and questionnaires that are being in fixed pattern from within flexible change during research flow. The ideal frames may be elaborated at the outset of better planned research project and remain active throughout the study, often necessary, for example, in studies that seek to test theories. In essence, certain idealization does adhere for the implementation of research design and or hypothesis to be tested. If images constructed from the evidence are inconsistent with the hypothesis, then the hypothesis is rejected. Fixed frames are also common in research that seeks to make predictions based on current trends and in studies that seek to document research success and application. There has been process of analytic frame as the latter readily translates to survey format, for example, several of the potential voters are being queried about appropriate demographic characteristics into various voting behavior (Page and Shapiro, 199I), simple translation from the analytic frame to survey data permits a direct test of the idea that first inspired the frame, as voters make ample rational choices.
The Challenge of Social Research
True that, research ideas and evidence is everywhere and people are busy constructing representations of social life, the ways of constructing representations require different kinds of regimen, and for social research technique is strict, being reinforced by primary mode of research studies into ideal type of social research, as there demand clear specification of ideas that guide research methodology as well as the systematic examination of evidence utilized in building solid structure of knowledge representations. Indeed, one challenge of social research is to be able to construct powerful and instructive representation of social life that contributes to conversations of social theories, embracing in-depth evidence about ideal types in systematic manner through building in dialogue of ideas of social science approaches. The researcher may link pieces of evidence together to make reasoned concepts in valid assimilation then, the analytic frame provide effective context for creating and understanding image, establishing conceptual boundaries around evidence based study linking to the Weber’s ideal type and how it is deemed useful for research. Therefore, it is often forgotten that Weber’s concept of ideal type are developed in research, often assumed that Weber means ideal type whenever Weber used the term type. Friedeburg mentioned that Weber uses different kinds of ideal types that an ideal type may exist in reality sometimes but not all the time, but this is not a sufficient justification to call the empirical types discussed above ideal types. Thus, it is misleading to identify Weber’s sociological methodology with his method of the ideal types. In doing so, one will not become aware of the exceptional aspects of Weber’s approach, his thinking in terms of types, into paradigmatic debate on qualitative versus quantitative methodology towards integration and mixing of various social science methods, it is useful to describe intelligence the representation of research analysis that Weber proposed in his empirical research.
III Aims and objectives
Research aims
The core aim of this research is to have a founding knowledge, understanding as well as some certain example applications of Weber’s ideal type from wherein this research places weight on methodology, deemed in focus to social science inquiry. Thus, there will be ample need to provide and present such ideal type analysis from wherein example concepts are to analyzed and be a part of the researcher’s basis of judgment as emphasis are to be placed on the fundamental methods which deemed effective in allowing social science to function in support of ideal type as proposed by Max Weber, the methods conceptualization thus underlie decisions to be made in the research process allowing spontaneity and conformity to happen rather than on the techniques inquired into the social research domains. There has to be right amount of examples of social methods from which there supports to the process of ideal type by Weber for instance, surveys as well as questionnaires that assume proper systematic notion of social research evidence and ideas for methodology use as one essential factor for every success of research studies and reports, be it qualitatively or quantitatively motivated by certain principles found in research cycle.
Research objectives
For the objectives, there has to be comprehensive analysis of ideal type, in its structure, organization and overall formation from wherein analytical basis are determined in theory, validity as well as objectivity from the stature of social science philosophies and such appropriate series of social research insights. Thus, to be able to assess Weber’s ideal type found into modern and present assumptions and to be able to create methods and understand them from empirical sense of research, the socially driven context. Also, the need to integrate as well as imply good resources of ideal types and such approach to the notion of idealization reality and acquire good means of methodology and data analysis for this particular study to be useful and reliable in every account possible, knowing the usefulness of ideal type into research methodology and its connectivity to social research objectivity stature.
IV Statement of the design and methodology
Research methods can be classified as either quantitative or qualitative. The motivation for qualitative method is opposed to that of quantitative method. Qualitative method is designed to help researchers understand people and the social and cultural contexts which they live. Kaplan and Maxwell (1994) argue that the goal of understanding of phenomenon from viewpoints of participants and its particular social context is largely lost when conceptual knowledge are to be known in research approach. The methodology to be used for the study is case study, multiple sources of qualitative and quantitative data, the study endeavours to provide examples of social science from within Weber’s ideal type formation among certain HK social science teachers from University of HK in particular. The participants in the study will consists of 10 social sciences teachers, the case approach will determine an interview session for about 20-25 minutes aside, to make sense of respondents’ perceptions towards Weber’s ideal type and how it is useful into the research practice.
V Sources and acquisition of data
The sources of data are more centered on secondary research from wherein information especially on the literature review has been acquired in JSTOR journals, Questia library, emerald insight and Google scholar documents. The resources are acquired through research undertakings, collating relevant data and information upon understanding patterns of research in such ideal types.
VI Method of data analysis
The method of analysing data could be in the process of case study analysis upon which social science method examples are being linked as well as and interpreted from several perspectives/views pointing to Max Weber’s Ideal Type. To integrate a response scaling system of which there has to be recognition of agreements and disagreements of responses from sample respondents found in the social science research arena. Data will be collected and analysed through using qualitative techniques such as pointing towards document analysis, interviews and surveys. The primary data is to be collected from the respondents in case situations, secondary data is to comprise of reference concerning research subject, the using of existing information’ on such levels into the study to be realized upon. The data collection will involve oral narrative inquiry interviews Clandinin and Connelly (1999), noted in narrative inquiry that certain scholars have argued as the process is into the linguistic form as it will be uniquely suited for displaying research existence as situated into ideal type ways”.
VII Form of presentation
Research presentation will be in word document format, produced in soft and hard copy for recording, evaluation and printing purposes. Thus, such tables and diagrams are to be used in order to give in a precise picture of the research study and to allow the material as a useful study reference in the future.
VIII Timetable
TASK
Week/Month (May to July, 2009)
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Select topic
Undertake preliminary literature search
Write-up aims and objectives
Select appropriate methodology and locate sources of information. Confirm access.
Write-up Dissertation Plan
Undertake and write-up draft critical literature review.
Secondary and Primary Data Detailed
Research Findings:
– Analysed
– Evaluated
– Written-up
Discussion:
Research findings evaluated and discussed in relation to the literature review
Methodology written-up
(including limitations and constraints)
Main body of the report written-up and checked for logical structure
Conclusions drawn
Recommendations made
Introduction and Executive Summary written-up
Finalization
Printing
References
Clandinin, D. & Connelly, M. (1999) Narrative inquiry: Experience and story in qualitative research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Heckman, S.J. (1983) Weber’s ideal type: A contemporary reassessment. Polity, 16(1), 119-137
Kaplan, B. & Maxwell, J.A. (1994) Qualitative Research Methods for Evaluation Computer Information Systems. In Anderson J G, C E Aydin and S J Jay (eds) (1994) Evaluating Health Care Information System: Methods and Applications. Sage Thousand Oaks, CA, pp 45-68
Lazarsfeld, R. & Oberschall, A. (1965) Max Weber and Empirical Social Research. American Sociological Review, Vol. 30, No. 2 (Apr., 1965), pp. 185-199. American Sociological Association
Lopreato, J. & Alston, L. (1970) Ideal Types and the Idealization Strategy. American Sociological Review, Vol. 35, No. 1 (Feb., 1970), pp. 88-96. American Sociological Association
Weber, M. (1968) Methodologische Schriften. Introduction by J. Winckelmann. Frankfurt
Weber, M. (1949) The Methodology of the Social Sciences. New York, Free Press
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment