Читать книгу Social Work Research Methods - Reginald O. York - Страница 48

A social scientist is someone who applies the principles and methods of science to learn more about social phenomena. This might include being able to describe the students in a club with enough clarity to draw some basic conclusions about what the members are like. It might include examining whether there is a relationship between variables (e.g., Do people who regularly exercise have fewer illnesses than those who do not?). It might include the examination of whether a social program is effective (e.g., Is there a lower rate of absenteeism in schools that employ the strengths model of schooling than in schools that do not?). Science employs certain methods of inquiry that are different from other ways of searching for meaning. These methods are designed to reduce human error in observation.