Социология: 4М. № 39

Sociology: methodology, methods, mathematical modeling

No. 39, 2014

Contents

Unformalized Data: Collection and Analysis Methods

Zeveleva O.I. Biographical Method and Critical Discourse Analysis: Prospects for Combination

At first glance, biographical methods in sociology on the one hand and critical discourse analysis on the other hand occupy opposite positions on the structure-agency spectrum. While biographical sociology assumes great agency on the side of interviewees and examines an interview as text, critical discourse analysis focuses on texts produced in specific institutional frameworks. This paper examines the possibilities and limitations for combining these two approaches in a research project. First, the author juxtaposes the underlying assumptions of biographical research as done by Gabriele Rosenthal and the foundations of critical discourse analysis as done by Siegfried Jäger. Next, the author presents an example of an empirical situation where a combination of the approaches can be methodologically sound for a qualitative research project. The author thus offers a methodological argument for combining biographical sociology with critical discourse analysis, illustrating the merits of such a mixed approach with the example of a study on biographies of Russian-Germans and discourses which surround Russian-German policies in Germany.

Keywords: discourse analysis, biographical studies, migration, qualitative methods.

Online Research Methods

Jarskaja-Smirnova V.N., Pechenkin V.V., Reshetnikov D.S. Visualization of Group Relations Network Structure in the Context of Social Cohesion Analysis

Authors present the results of testing a method for the analysis of social cohesion as the social networks’ characteristic. Authors offer a simple definition of social cohesion reducing the latter to the level of a stable system of relationships in social group that supports the interactions between its members for a long time, controls actors social networking (subscription, friendship), and which is directed to improving the welfare of society (volunteering, charity, philanthropy, support of motherhood). On the basis of visualization results authors propose a typology of social network structures and describe the procedure of analysis and interpretation of their statistical parameters.Three proposed types of structures are determined by the size of cores (subset of actors with the greatest interaction density), the amount and structure of their relations. Some limitations of the proposed approach are discussed. Authors conclude that this approach should be complemented by quantitative analysis of formal network characteristics and qualitative causal analysis of interaction patterns formation.

Keywords: social cohesion, social network, visualization, metric characteristics of social network

Methodological Experiments

Bykov A.V. Factorial Vignettes Method and Self-Report Altruism Scale: Comparison of Online and Offline Surveys

While there are many experiments considering the difference between online and paper-and-pencil modes of administration for a number of social research methods, there seems to be a lack of such studies concerning factorial vignettes technique. In this paper we present the results of a methodological quasi-experiment aimed at exploring and comparing the possible effects of paper-and-pencil and Web-based survey modes on 1) participants’ evaluations of factorial vignettes used for studying the perception of different altruistic actions and 2) their scores on the Self-Report Altruism Scale [1]. Consistent with a very few previous studies, we did not find any differences between the modes of administration for factorial vignettes; however, our analysis showed a slight but significant difference in SRA scores. We also found that our online mode’s participants considered factorial vignettes to be more difficult compared to those who used traditional paper-and-pencil questionnaire.

Keywords: factorial vignettes, factorial survey, Self-Report Altruism Scale, comparison of online and offline data collection methods, equivalence testing

Methodology of Sociological Research

Oreshina D.A. Parish Community and Congregation Studies in Sociology: Contexts of Research and Main Approaches to Conceptualization

Sociological research of parish communities (congregations) indicates the significant role of congregations in the processes of religious and nonreligious life, social policy and civil society. Congregations can be either a direct object for sociological studies, or researchers focus on the social functions of parish communities (their role in social services provision, social capital formation, or their effect on individual well-being, etc.). At the same time, congregation as a specific corporate social actor generally is not considered as a distinct theme for theoretical and methodological reflections in sociological literature. This paper contains an analytical review of the main approaches to the “parish community” conceptualization within key contexts of parish communities’ (congregations) studies in sociology. A classification of research contexts for parish communities studies which is introduced in the article, provides the map of key themes in sociological studies of parish communities and gives an idea on the scope and limits of the parish community conceptualizations, currently used in sociology.

Keywords: sociology of religion, conceptualization of parish community, congregation, congregational studies, research contexts

Analytical Reviews

Zapolskaya A.B. Photo-interview in Social Research: Analytical Overview of the Method

This paper examines photo-interview (photo elicitation), the method that uses photos to elicit respondent’s answers and reactions. It reconstructs the history of the development of the method in the changing intellectual contexts of social sciences. The author indicates three main turns that promoted the method: the epistemological shift in the 1960s, the visual turn in 1970s and the growth of participatory research in 1990s. Based on classic and contemporary publications the paper works out methodological aspects of inserting photos into a qualitative interview. The typology of the photo elicitation applications according to a researcher’s specific objectives is suggested in order to outline less developed subfields or even gaps. The author pays special attention to inclusion of the method in Russian language research: she reviews the existing research with photography as an instrument and analyses the current problematic translations of the term “photo elicitation”. Finally, the article outlines the potential of the method and the problems it involves. Particularly, regarding the ability of the method to change the power balance in the interview, the author suggests that it should be used both in situations when the interviewer is dominant or dominated.

Keywords: in-depth interview, photo-interview, photo elicitation, visual methods, qualitative research methods, visual culture.

Maximova A.S. Conceptual and Methodological Issues of Studying Museum Visitors

The article presents analytical review of museum visitor studies. Stages of this field development, main conceptions, methods and research strategies are analyzed. Influential projects from UK and the US that formed the standards for visitor research are examined, and the history of museum studies in Russia is discussed. Three approaches to studying museum public are identified: the behaviorist, the cognitivist and the interpretative. These approaches are connected to the transformation of ideas on a museum visit and experience. Research questions and methods typical for each approach are described. The author suggests a number of aspects of museum visiting that are interesting from a sociological point of view.

Keywords: museum studies, museum visitors, audience research